Scientist wanting to move to Helsinki

[DaviThomas]

Hello!

I'm wanting to move over to Finland and was wondering if anyone knows how easy it would be for a research chemist (PhD qualified) to get similar scientific work in the Helsinki area?
I'm English and speak only the very basics of Finnish.

Thanks,

Dave

[rinso]

If you take time to read the hundreds of topics about getting a job, you'll see that without Finnish it is very difficult to find a job. (unless you have some rare and special IT skills).

[kay30]

I don't know about your specific field, but I hear in general it is tough to find jobs in the chemistry field. Someone I know who is a chemist mentioned that they have PhD's applying for entry level jobs (i.e. 1st year out of University) and they had something like 1 position available and got over 900 apps. The lack of Finnish may or may not make it harder.

Edited because I can't spell.

[karel]

Depending on the field of chemistry, you might be able to find a job here.
My wife (Finnish) is a researcher in bioscience and they mainly speak English because there are so many foreign scientist working in the field. She's worked for KTL and Helsinki University and both have English as the main language.
I remember when she was working for KTL she had an American colleague who had been working and living in Finland for over 20 years, and he still didn't speak more than a handful of words Finnish. So...

I guess not in EVERY field you're depending on fluent Finnish.
But as I said, it depends very much on the field you're working in.

[Meri-Tuuli]

I would the academic departments of the universities.... it seems its relatively easy to get on a phd programme here, particulary if you compare it to the UK/ However, I got the impression that it was relatively (compared to the arts anyway) easy to get on a phd in the UK in chemistry also. But try the academic departments -- you know, lots of research on the web. I know you have a phd BTW, but what I mean is, they seem to have more money for research here compared to other countries. Also, I dunno, google your area of chemistry and Finland or something, or try an article search for papers in your field and add the search term Finland, and then see where the reseachers are based...you know what I mean? If you do geochemistry, there are alot of mining comparies that would be interested.....and my cousin did metallurgey and works for ruukki....

BTW before I came here, I asked if there were any jobs for geologists/environmental scientists on finland forum, and I got the usual doom and gloom replies-- no jobs etc etc, but don't listen, there are actually quite a few jobs around in these fields, particulary in the mining sector. Or so our ore geology professor keeps telling us. I think people just like to make quick assumptions about a field they know nothing about because they listen to things they heard their mate say or whatever.

I'm sure its possible with alot of hard work, determination, research etc. But on the whole, I get the impression that Finland is very receptive to researchers from abroad. So perhaps consider doing a postdoc?

[fish_liberator]

I am a PhD Chemist and indeed have just got a job over here. More from ummm fortune, as opposed to choosing Finland.

But what area?

I speak no Finnish (well 4 lessons worth now)

So companies may well be interested, but no one can suggest anything without more info. Research is a pretty big field.

[DaviThomas]

Hei,

Thanks for that.

Meri-Tuuli and fish_liberator, I'm an organic chemist and currently work with reactive materials; so that is working in a lab and pilot plant. I've previously worked in drug intermediate and custom synthesis of organic molecules.

I'd consider a post-doc but over in the UK once you've done a PhD and gone into industry you don't tend to go back; obviously some do and it may well be different in Finland.

The good thing with a PhD is that the skills can cover a wide range of disciplines with only a "little" background reading (so-to-speak! ).

My finnish skills are at the level of having a finnish girlfriend and 4 official
lessons ...

fish_liberator, how did you "end-up" in Suomi?

Additionally, if anyone knows of "good" webpages for job hunting the sciences and tailored specifically for finland the that'd be great. I've tried the old Google plus finland but it wasn't great. And as for totaljobs.com or monster.co.uk then they aren't great for searching Finland.

Cheers!!

[rinso]

As an organic chemist, you can try the medicine field (Orion pharma in Espoo)
Although I don't know how much research they do in Finland.

[Meri-Tuuli]

Well I think there should be quite a few jobs in that field (speaking as a complete novice in the world of organic chemistry I might add).

I think post-docs in Finland are quite well paid compared to other countries and I wouldn't write one off. I mean, at least you could just do it for 3 years and then go back into industry once you have some contacts etc etc.

Anyway I think I went to a talk to once from a guy from S. America and he was doing a phd for Neste oil and erm, isn't oil stuff organic chemistry? Anyway.

Apparently Finland spends is high in the league tables for spending the most % of its GDP in scientific research (or something like that).

So there are nice science parks in both Helsinki and Turku and possibly Oulu and Tampere as well. So for instance:

http://www.turkusciencepark.com/TSP/www ... enDocument

[Meri-Tuuli]

Here's the main job website for Finlandia (and its kinda better than the one the dole office uses in England):

http://www.mol.fi/mol/en/index.jsp

Get your HBS (ahem, girlfriend - ask Hank) to translate for you.

Just get on the net (which presumably you already are) and get researching companies etc that are here. Try the science parks, the uni departments...neste oil...... well you must know more about your field of organic chemistry than I do.

The rest is up to you.

[Meri-Tuuli]

And well just because its not the tradition to go back to a post-doc in the UK once you've been in industry, doesn't mean that there's a rule saying that you can't. Although you probably need to be in the know etc etc about that sort of thing perhaps. I dunno.

So you're from Yorkshire then? I grew up there......did you happen to go to any of the finnish classes organised by the local finnish women? In Manchester or Selby?

Anyway I'm the product of a HBS - my dad is english and my mum finnish.

[DaviThomas]

I'm doing a Finnish course at Leeds Met uni. Its a year long and yep, my teacher is finnish and lives here with her husband. I'm actually in Huddersfield so pretty much in the centre to get anywhere.

When did you return ?

Thanks for the advice.

[frankcong]

It is the very time to look for the post-doc. Do not miss it!

[inkku]

i doubt if that level of vacancies go through mol.fi. In my opinion, you would better contact relevant research companies and institutions directly, they seem to accept open applications. do a bit googling for this. You would come across companies like
http://www.vtt.fi/index.jsp
http://www.kcl.fi/page.php?page_id=1
http://www.kemira.com/Group/English/
a portal for chemical industry
http://www.chemind.fi/home

good luck!

[fish_liberator]

I actually found my employment (Borealis Polymers Oy) via Monster.

But definitely sort out a job first, a number of Significant Others have struggled to find work over here from other people who have joined the company from abroad.

We have a process based researcher position open currently. Not sure if you can wangle significant knowledge to grab at least an interview. (That's all I hoped for).

I hear Borealis are specifically trying to become more international, so it may be in your favour.