Looking for any job

[biscayne]

To the OP,

yes I am familiar with that central european system, you do primary school and then 3 years in the "middle health secondary school" and you are a middle nurse which is roughly equivalent to the USA Licenced Practical Nurse, then you do 2 years in the "health high school" and you are a "higher nurse" which is roughly the same as a Registered Nurse. It was the same in all of central europe. But, not anymore, all of europe has adopted the Bologna system, so nurses from Romania will have Bologna level 1 which is bachelors. By the way, Bachelor of Nursing degrees are the norm in many countries and have been for ages now. For example in Ireland, we have never had lower than a Registered Nurse, lower nurses did not ever exist. Now the minimum is bachelors, and more and more normal is masters.

[CesarBF]

Filipdragos I´m in Finland for 5 months and I´m working from the begining as a Personal Assistant. The only reason why I have that job is because the main requisit was speaking Spanish. It´s only a part time job and I´m earning just enought to pay the rent and living. I have done all the same things than you to improve my job situation or getting another part time job but it has been totally unsuccessful. In summer I will loose my job until september. I´m already applying for berry picker. I now that you need a job as soon as it´s possible but ,if you want to do something in advance, now is the moment to apply for these kind of jobs.

Good luck! (for we both)

[filipdragos]

Yes indeed you were very lucky and good for you that you have some income that helps you survive in this recession period. I too am beginning to see some sights of hope because I attended 2 interviews last month. Of course I was rejected and didn`t get either of the jobs but at least somebody called me to an interview finally. And the fact that I had those opportunities gives me hope. Despite this I encountered a very big problem and I lost o job opportunity and I don`t know if I should blame the system or if it was my fault. I will try to describe it in a few words. So, I don`t have a social security number and I am not registered to the police station because they told me that first I should have a work contract, or to prove them using papers that I have some sort of income here. I was given the opportunity to work for a very big company but starting as a trainee at first. They told me to go to the employment office and to get a TM 3.26 contract. I went there but the Eures people told me that I cannot work under such a contract because I am not properly registered here (no security number and no police registration). So I went back and talked to the HR representatives from the company and told them what the employment office told me. They said that they are sorry and that was everything they could have offered me at that time. So everything went down. Now my question is: am I that stupid that I don`t know how to obtain the necessary papers to work as a trainee or is the system so stupid that I practically have no chance of finding a job starting from the bottom and learning? If I want to work as a trainee here I can`t do that. In the same time to find a proper work contract seems impossible at this moment. This is a vicious circle. It`s not logic. If anyone could tell me if there are other possibilities to obtain the social number and the police registration I will be very thankful. Like I said I am opened to work as a trainee even without payment for a month or two or three (to learn), as long as I have the chance afterward to become a real employee. But it seems that the system doesn`t let me do that either....I feel like Don Quijote fighting against the windmills.

[rinso]

So, I don`t have a social security number and I am not registered to the police station because they told me that first I should have a work contract
I went there but the Eures people told me that I cannot work under such a contract because I am not properly registered here (no security number and no police registration)

You found the catch 22 in the system.

[CesarBF]

I´m sorry to tell you but I only know 3 ways to get the registration in the police station:

- Marrying a Finnish woman: I think that your girlfriend won´t agree
- Having a hugh amount of money in your bank account. Yes, all about the @#$% money...
- Having a work contract: That’s the way I got it. My employer contracted me without social security number but under the condition of getting all the papers as soon as it was possible otherwise she couldn’t pay me. I’ll explain how I got my papers so maybe it can be useful to you in other situations. I got a contract (maybe you can arrange with your employer some kind of solution that is not necessarily a contract) Showing the contract in maistraati I got a temporary residence, and they sent me the social security number (it can take some days but not even a week) With this number I got the tax card, then I went to the police station to register myself but surprise! It’s not enough with having a contract, you also need to win enough to support yourself properly in Finland, so after a couple of months working I sent my payrolls to them and I finally got the permission. With this permission I was back to maistraati to get the permanent residence and some weeks before I got the Kela card at home (you don’t need to do anything to get it) I don’t know the minimum amount of money you need to win to get the residence.

I think that there is another way to get the tax card. The first 3 months of working you can ask for a tax card for foreiners, but you will pay a tax of 35%!! And I´m not sure if with this you are getting the social security number or not.

So I think that you don´t have to blame yourself at all. It´s just the catch 22 as rinso said. And you can blame the system as much as you want, mainly because as European Citizens we are supposed to be treated the same way as if we were Finns, but it doesn´t happen like this (I think that it doesn´t happen like this in any European country)

Good luck!

[Pursuivant]

They told me to go to the employment office and to get a TM 3.26 contract. I went there but the Eures people told me that I cannot work under such a contract because I am not properly registered here (no security number and no police registration).

Ah, thats because the company will get money from the government for hiring an unemployed. But as you are not unemployed - you cannot partake in this scheme.

"Unemployed" doesn't mean person without work, but what the computer says, and as you are not in the computer...

[Vesper]

So, I have a question about this catch 22 thing - about having a social security number in the computer system in order to get a job or a work contract. Let say, a Non-EU student gets a student residence permit, which allows them to work up to 20 to 25 hours per week. Can a student get a social security number with a student residence permit?

Thanks to the OP for keeping this post updated with his experiences and showing the true reality of the job-hunt in Finland.

[Pursuivant]

Well how would they live someplace without a number? A studen't isn't entitled to any benefits so of course they get one.

[microieva]

I wonder what my chances will be to find a job in Helsinki as I have an old dream to try some living there, planning on leaving some time in late August, once I have the money saved for the start... Im Lithuanian, and since I got to read here how much important the nationality might be, I wonder what luck might my nationality bring then... Still got quite some time before Im actually going, so now Im just trying to gather as much info as I can on finding a job, and I havent come across many job adds without finnish requirements. actually, didnt get to find many adds written in english. maybe I havent browsed well enough, but .... made me so concerned...how do I make my dream come true if I wont be able to find a job..?... :s

[filipdragos]

Well my friend from my point of view you should try some other dream. I have sent you a private message in which I wrote you my point of view. Like I said as I am writing this message I am in the Vantaa Airport waiting to go back home in Romania. I have had enough of this country. If you don`t speak Finnish and don`t have a proper qualification you don`t stand a chance in this country. Of course it is a beautiful country but just to visit it for a month or so. To find a job during this recession period I think it is impossible. Like I said in the private message before coming here evaluate yourself and check if your qualification is of any use in Finland. It would be a waste of time to come in this country and spend all your savings for nothing. Maybe you can read all the posts in this topic, or other topics and you will understand what I want to say. As an advice if you are really so urged to come here in the North side of Europe, try Sweden or Norway where people are more opened to immigrants. In Finland people are narrow minded and they are communicative only when they are drunk. . I am sorry to tell this but it is the truth. Probably I will go back home and rejoin the field of journalism and I will do my best to write articles based on my experience here. And I will make sure to create the image that this country deserves. All the best wishes for the immigrants in Finland and for the others ones that are thinking of coming here they should think twice before making this step. Cheers !!!

[rinso]

Probably I will go back home and rejoin the field of journalism and I will do my best to write articles based on my experience here. And I will make sure to create the image that this country deserves.

Would that stop the influx of Romanian beggers?

But I agree with a lot you say. As an immigrant you have to addept. Not only the language, but also your behaviour. If you act "different", you create a barrier around yourself. And since most of the new immigrants react that way, all immigrants are automaticly labeled as "different".

[filipdragos]

Probably I will go back home and rejoin the field of journalism and I will do my best to write articles based on my experience here. And I will make sure to create the image that this country deserves.

Would that stop the influx of Romanian beggers?

But I agree with a lot you say. As an immigrant you have to addept. Not only the language, but also your behaviour. If you act "different", you create a barrier around yourself. And since most of the new immigrants react that way, all immigrants are automaticly labeled as "different".

Believe me I would be very happy to know that in Finland the Romanian beggers are gone. The answer is very simple. People shouldn`t give them money. No money means that they have to leave. This is a long term solution but believe me it is very good. Or another solution would be that the police shouldn`t let them stay and beg, or the guards form the metro stations. They should hunt them and kick their asses. I don`t know what else. But the most effective is the one I said at the beginning.

[Pursuivant]

I have had enough of this country. If you don`t speak Finnish and don`t have a proper qualification you don`t stand a chance in this country. Of course it is a beautiful country but just to visit it for a month or so.

And guess how we are keeping it a beautiful country.

[filipdragos]

I have had enough of this country. If you don`t speak Finnish and don`t have a proper qualification you don`t stand a chance in this country. Of course it is a beautiful country but just to visit it for a month or so.

And guess how we are keeping it a beautiful country.

You are not the ones that keep the country clean and beautiful. The immigrants do that. The immigrants that do the dirty work: from Pakistan, Bangladesh, countries from Africa, etc. Good results come from the bottom.

[Pursuivant]

You are not the ones that keep the country clean and beautiful. The immigrants do that.

Yes, like the Romanian beggars make Helsinki clean and beautiful.