I have been meaning to come back & post a note here since I arrived in Helsinki at the beginning of the summer (and what a beautiful summer it has been for all of you who are considering the move!).
I am from Australia & moved out here due to my Finnish Girlfriend whom I met in Indonesia while surfing & drinking some
. Before moving out here I was very dis-heartened about the move due to this forum! - BE POSITIVE GUYS...
I have been working in & around advertising / marketing for quite some time now but am only 29yrs old. I came here being told it would be impossible to find a job of equal standards to the contracts I have held in Sydney, London & elsewhere around the world - But once again - WRONG! In under a week I found a job with an agency whom I am now working as a consultant at a much higher level than I would be in an established country such as OZ or UK... I am only going to stay for a year or so as quite frankly the summer is great but 8 or so months a year it is cold & dark (and I mean that - it's already getting cold/dark but by December & January it may get as cold as -25c...).
The end of the day it takes nothing to just give it a go... What do you have to loose. Come over, check it out, enrol immediatley at Helsinki Summer University to learn finnish & get your self out there. Don't do what everybody else says to do in this forum! Do something different, contact employers directly and tell them you have something to offer from an international perspective!!!!
I am not going to give a tutorial on it & don't bother to ask me where I am working. The guys in this forum are 'trying to help' and I think that is great BUT - You guys might feel you know the Finns but everybody is different and every company is different so stop giving these guys thinking about coming a bad vibe about it...
So give it a go, what do you have to loose!!!! The worst thing that can happen is you come and don't find a job - so what, go to London (3 hour flight & about 70€ one way) and work... and if you have a girlfriend commute.
One last thing though - whatever they do say about the wages and taxes here is true - They Suck!!! Depends what you do but you willl most probably not get what you are paid back home, ESPECIALLY if you are a contractor in IT, Digital Marketing etc...
SO GOOD LUCK TO THOSE OF YOU THINKING OF COMING - Wait til the beginning of the summer so you see Finland at it's best... Be prepared for a different culture & as I said - What is the worst thing that could happen??? If you dont like it then at least you tried!!!!
So see you all for now & Good Luck...
Regards
Mike (from Australia)
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