...help me with this.
It might have been discussed earlier, I don't know, it's pretty much to browse around, so maybe you'll direct me to a link then or something.
My question is: As an au-pair in Finland, where do I stand?
I read on the Kela site some time ago that in order to benefit of Kela health kortti or how is it called, you need to have two worked years here. Is the work of au-pair considered cultural exchange or -well- work?
Am I an employee? Am I a student? What's my status in Finland?
( with the risk of sounding stupid... but i rather take the risk now and know in the future )
Thanks!
I'm having one of "Does anyone know" moments, so please...
R U EU???
If you are from another EU country then I think special rules apply and IIRC you can transfer your home country state health insurance here (special EU healthcard for au-pairs but there are age limits). In which case the SOc Sec office in your home country will give you the necessary forms to fill in.
If you are not EU then you need private health insurance but it all depends on how your host family is paying you. If they pay you cash then you are in the "cultural exchange" thing but if they are declaring you (which in theory is the "proper" way of doing it) and they are paying your TEL (or whatever it is) then you should be entitled to Kela. But be careful.... tell your host family before you start knocking on doors, or you might get them in to trouble.
BTW, getting KELA benefits usually involves paying tax at some point... and your lodgings/food are probably taxable benefits....
If you are from another EU country then I think special rules apply and IIRC you can transfer your home country state health insurance here (special EU healthcard for au-pairs but there are age limits). In which case the SOc Sec office in your home country will give you the necessary forms to fill in.
If you are not EU then you need private health insurance but it all depends on how your host family is paying you. If they pay you cash then you are in the "cultural exchange" thing but if they are declaring you (which in theory is the "proper" way of doing it) and they are paying your TEL (or whatever it is) then you should be entitled to Kela. But be careful.... tell your host family before you start knocking on doors, or you might get them in to trouble.
BTW, getting KELA benefits usually involves paying tax at some point... and your lodgings/food are probably taxable benefits....
The mol-pages have some info about au pairs, however I only found the Finnish version:
http://www.mol.fi/mol/fi/01_tyovoimapal ... /index.jsp
(What follows below is my interpretation of that text, but maybe a native speaker can correct me in possible misunderstandings or lack of precision.)
What is certain is that you can't get any benefits from Kela, but with the European Health Insurance Card you can see a doctor in Finland.
Generally, it seems that you should
- have a written work contract
- you should be registered with the police (as "au pair", I suppose). As far as I can tell, the "cultural exchange" thing does not seem to be relevant if you're EU (or at least I found it mentioned in that document only with regard to residence permits for non-EU au-pairs).
- If you're employed for more than two years with the family they need to pay your social insurance, but otherwise they are not obliged to do this. The family would also have to pay a 20% pension insurance (deducted from your pay), if they played by the rules according to Mol (and if I understood the text correctly)
http://www.mol.fi/mol/fi/01_tyovoimapal ... /index.jsp
(What follows below is my interpretation of that text, but maybe a native speaker can correct me in possible misunderstandings or lack of precision.)
What is certain is that you can't get any benefits from Kela, but with the European Health Insurance Card you can see a doctor in Finland.
Generally, it seems that you should
- have a written work contract
- you should be registered with the police (as "au pair", I suppose). As far as I can tell, the "cultural exchange" thing does not seem to be relevant if you're EU (or at least I found it mentioned in that document only with regard to residence permits for non-EU au-pairs).
- If you're employed for more than two years with the family they need to pay your social insurance, but otherwise they are not obliged to do this. The family would also have to pay a 20% pension insurance (deducted from your pay), if they played by the rules according to Mol (and if I understood the text correctly)
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Mölkky-Fan
- Posts: 1401
- Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 8:47 pm
- Location: Vantaa (Finnish), Vanda (Swedish), Fanta (English)
Actually everything is fairly simple, except for the tax issue.
If you are EU, then you have some coverage from KELA (just like any visiting EU citizen).
If you are not EU then you would not get a visa unless you showed that you have your own insurance to cover yourself. For the visa you also need to show your au pair 'contract', some interest in Finland (in Canada it was going to a few Finnish lessons), show that you are booked onto Finnish lessons in Finland, return flight details, no criminal record.
You cannot officially be an au pair for over two years, I had understood it is max 1 year to start with but you can get a small extension to this.
The advice on taxes seems to differ between KELA/ Formin and tax office. KELA/ Formin and common sense says that au pairs are not taxed, but a couple of years ago the tax office suddenly decided that au pairs would be taxed including benefits for housing/ food etc...
... I guess it was the Finnish jealousy thing.
By the way IIRC Finland did not sign up to the au pair treaty, so no help there either.
If you are EU, then you have some coverage from KELA (just like any visiting EU citizen).
If you are not EU then you would not get a visa unless you showed that you have your own insurance to cover yourself. For the visa you also need to show your au pair 'contract', some interest in Finland (in Canada it was going to a few Finnish lessons), show that you are booked onto Finnish lessons in Finland, return flight details, no criminal record.
You cannot officially be an au pair for over two years, I had understood it is max 1 year to start with but you can get a small extension to this.
The advice on taxes seems to differ between KELA/ Formin and tax office. KELA/ Formin and common sense says that au pairs are not taxed, but a couple of years ago the tax office suddenly decided that au pairs would be taxed including benefits for housing/ food etc...
... I guess it was the Finnish jealousy thing.
By the way IIRC Finland did not sign up to the au pair treaty, so no help there either.
With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine.
As far as I read (in the article above found on the Mol-website), there is nothing to get from Kela at all (unless she earns more than 940 Euro gross per month, then I think her family would have to pay insurance for her). What do you mean by "visiting EU citizens"? At least the mol-website says that EU au-pairs should get insurance from their own country and the European health card because Kela doesn't want them.. ?Mölkky fan wrote:If you are EU, then you have some coverage from KELA (just like any visiting EU citizen).
"Jos ulkomailta tulevan au pairin ansio (taskuraha) on bruttona alle 940 € kuukaudessa (v.2007), ei työnantajan eli perheen tarvitse maksaa työnantajan sosiaaliturva- eikä sairausvakuutusmaksua. Tällöin on erityisen tärkeää, että au pairin vakuuttaminen on hoidettu vapaaehtoisella vakuutuksella (tai vähintään EU/ETA-kansalaisen sairaanhoitovakuutuksella), koska au pair ei pääse Suomen asumisperusteisen sosiaaliturvan piiriin eikä ole vakuutettu sairausvakuutuslain mukaisesti."
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Mölkky-Fan
- Posts: 1401
- Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 8:47 pm
- Location: Vantaa (Finnish), Vanda (Swedish), Fanta (English)
I understand that citizens from EU countries (although not considered permanent residents) are entitled to health care services if they are required, provided that they have the E111 or E128 certificates. This is based on reciprocal agreements between EU countries for health care. Non EU get squat!
With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine.
But the E111 exactly means that you have to be insured in your home country, and then can get treatment in Finland (possibly you have to pay it cash first in Finland and then your insurance at home refunds you afterwards), but this as such does not have anything to do with Kela, and Kela is not paying anything towards your costs. This is the same as the European Health card, but it only works if you have insurance at home in the first place, because you are not insured in Finland (and you will have to pay the full price in the pharmacies, because you have zero Kela coverage).