Places to live for a family

How to? Read other's experiences. Find useful advice on shipping, immigration, residence permits, visas and more.
Post Reply
aapochronis
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2020 1:39 pm

Places to live for a family

Post by aapochronis » Sun Dec 27, 2020 11:19 pm

Hi everyone, I am new here so I am sorry if the subject has been already discussed.

Me and my wife are thinking of moving to Finland sometime in the next couple of years. We will be doing this for us but also for our children. My wife is from Finland (Espoo) and I am from Greece so we are both EU citizens. I am a psychotherapist by profession, and I also train businessmen to succeed in their lives and businesses. I am in the process of getting my paperwork done with Valvira for professional accreditation in Finland. My wife is a sosionomi (social worker), with also an IT background and currently studying service counseling in a Finnish university as well.

We are thinking of moving to a smaller place, like Nurmijärvi, Kotka or similar because we prefer this kind of life to the one in the big city. Helsinki is not like Athens (Greece) but it is urban and the prices are also quite high when it comes to housing. Any suggestions?
We already have 2 very young kids, so we don't want to raise the costs too much.

Will there be any jobs available for us in a smaller place, or should I aim to take on more clients for online psychotherapy?
Any views or opinions on the matter, please feel free to share.

I should also try to start a business in Finland so that I can be tax ready for transferring my practice from here to there.

Thank you all.



Places to live for a family

Sponsor:

Finland Forum Ad-O-Matic
 

FinlandGirl
Posts: 1329
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2019 10:43 am

Re: Places to live for a family

Post by FinlandGirl » Mon Dec 28, 2020 8:33 pm

aapochronis wrote:
Sun Dec 27, 2020 11:19 pm
My wife is from Finland (Espoo) and I am from Greece
...
My wife is a sosionomi (social worker), with also an IT background and currently studying service counseling in a Finnish university as well.
I assume your wife knows what she wants and what her opportunities are.
aapochronis wrote:
Sun Dec 27, 2020 11:19 pm
I am a psychotherapist by profession, and I also train businessmen to succeed in their lives and businesses. I am in the process of getting my paperwork done with Valvira for professional accreditation in Finland.
...
Will there be any jobs available for us in a smaller place, or should I aim to take on more clients for online psychotherapy?
Any views or opinions on the matter, please feel free to share.
Are you able to work in Finnish?
It would be hard to find work in your profession in a foreign language.

A quarter of the Finnish population and a large share of businesses are in Greater Helsinki, opportunities are much more limited everywhere else.
aapochronis wrote:
Sun Dec 27, 2020 11:19 pm
We are thinking of moving to a smaller place, like Nurmijärvi, Kotka or similar because we prefer this kind of life to the one in the big city. Helsinki is not like Athens (Greece) but it is urban and the prices are also quite high when it comes to housing. Any suggestions?
We already have 2 very young kids, so we don't want to raise the costs too much.
Kotka is in the middle between Helsinki and St. Petersburg with no much larger city nearby.

Nurmijärvi is a place for people who want to live in a smaller city and commute by car to Helsinki.
Järvenpää would be Nurmijärvi with a lake and a train connection to Helsinki added.
People on a tight budget often don't live that close to Helsinki, cities like Riihimäki or Mäntsälä are also popular as residence for people working in Helsinki.
aapochronis wrote:
Sun Dec 27, 2020 11:19 pm
I should also try to start a business in Finland so that I can be tax ready for transferring my practice from here to there.
Read the guide and check the local contacts for free advice at https://uusyrityskeskus.fi/in-english/

aapochronis
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2020 1:39 pm

Re: Places to live for a family

Post by aapochronis » Sun Jan 24, 2021 2:46 pm

Kiitos paljon @FinlandGirl for the very thorough and prompt reply.

We stayed in Järvenpää for 15 days in the summer (2019) and it was a wonderful place to be.

I have trouble realizing how fast I can get Kela insurance and social security number since I don't have a residence in Finland yet. Can we initially stay in an Airbnb or similar short term housing and apply while we have this impermanent address?

Thanks again!

betelgeuse
Posts: 4353
Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2013 1:24 am

Re: Places to live for a family

Post by betelgeuse » Sun Jan 24, 2021 7:21 pm

aapochronis wrote:
Sun Jan 24, 2021 2:46 pm
I have trouble realizing how fast I can get Kela insurance and social security number since I don't have a residence in Finland yet.
There are no social security numbers. A personal identity code you can get on the spot from the tax authority if you need it for tax purposes.

https://www.vero.fi/en/individuals/tax- ... n-finland/

Do note that Kela insurance is different from healthcare (provided by municipality of residence). Kela coverage can usually be backdated.

https://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/ ... 90016#L1P5
aapochronis wrote:
Sun Jan 24, 2021 2:46 pm
Can we initially stay in an Airbnb or similar short term housing and apply while we have this impermanent address?
A residential Airbnb in Finland is a fixed term residential lease so it's no different from the government perspective.

aapochronis
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2020 1:39 pm

Re: Places to live for a family

Post by aapochronis » Mon Jan 25, 2021 9:48 am

Awesome, thank you @betelgeuse :thumbsup:


Post Reply