What's a job for a Finnish Canadian?

[Finnocanadian]

Can anyone give me a hint or two?

I just don’t know what my job possibilities are…

Born and raised in Canada I just got my Finnish citizenship in the mail a few months ago.

I want live and work in Finland for an extended period, and I would love to tutor English but I don’t know anything about the job market. Maybe there is other work that I could find more easily. Maybe tutoring English isn’t a good idea? I don’t know.

My Finnish language ability is not bad, I think. I can hold my own in day to day conversation quite well but I have difficulty understanding the TV news and the newspaper.

I have a Bachelors degree in Philosophy and Psychology and a CELTA certificate.

What should I try?

Yours gratefully,
Timo in Vancouver

[Pursuivant]

What should I try?

http://www.mol.fi/paikat/

I have a Bachelors degree in Philosophy and Psychology and a CELTA certificate.

Is there an actual work you can do and have experience in?

[Finnocanadian]

Thanks Pursuivant...

I'm a restaurant banquet manager.

I have very good people skills, customer service skills, management skills. I'm the point person running events of 200 plus guests.

But what I'm really good at is working with people one on one. That's why I would like to tutor English, possibly.

...

[Pursuivant]

I'm a restaurant banquet manager.

OK, well thats a start, though they generally do expect catering school... but then again, as the engineer said to the economist, I'll have large fries with that.

As far as tutoring goes, well... it ain't Canton, Dorothy. Theres lots of topics here - its pretty cutthroat business, every remnant of the empire cousin twice removed landing has a teaching certificate in their back pocket. But then again... 1+1 may be 3, say like substituting as a business English teaching at a catering school... Unless you have some family or other reasons to go to some Nowheremäki to grow roots, you have an edge in that you can go to where there is a job - theres niche jobs but as always in the big cities theres more opportunities - and more lookers. Than again plan C is you have the whole of EU at your disposal.

[Finnocanadian]

“Nowheremäki” might be an option, for me…

Either that or just plunk down in Helsinki and see what comes along?

And, I’m thinking about Estonia, just now. Maybe a fellow could go over there, teach English, gain experience, work on establishing some connections in Finland and then come back over?

Or maybe I should just start scanning the online employment ads and wait and see…

Hmmm.

…

Pursuivant message highlights:

“…it ain’t Canton, Dorothy.” … “every remnant of the empire’s cousin twice removed” … “Nowheremäki” …

: D

[rinso]

I'm a restaurant banquet manager.

As you can suspect that is not a full time job in Nowheremäki.
So you have to look for Helsinki and surroundings.
And even there it might be only part of a general catering job.
Lack of formal training might not be a problem if it is compensated with experience.
But then again, it is not Finnish experience.

[Pursuivant]

Estonia, well, the economic situation there has been a bit worse than here, and it isn't exactly cheap any more and while the prices are going up the salaries aren't. So there you need to calculate, but a nice country and easy to get around.

[Finnocanadian]

I’m really, really not wanting to do anything restaurant related…

Here in Vancouver I posted ads and tutored international students privately.

I especially like tutoring pronunciation…

Maybe if I gather some Finnish online students first and really go to town marketing and signing up new students then I can be a happy English conversation tutor sitting with my students in some Café in Helsinki or Tampere.

…Too bad that that latter city is a bit empty since the fallout, Pursuivant, but maybe there’s still somebody there who wants to improve their English. lol…

Or maybe there are places where English language schools are concentrated and I could set up shop somewhere like that… or near a university …where students, maybe, are looking for extra help?

Or maybe I could tutor Korean students online. There’s only a six hour time difference between Helsinki (or Nowheremäki) and Seoul. I could also have a few live-action Finn students on the side?

Just thinkin’.

… thanks rinso …Pursuivant. : )

[Pursuivant]

Or maybe there are places where English language schools are concentrated

That place is in your dreams. People learn English in grade school from 2nd grade onwards. If they want to sit with some foreigner in a cafe - what do you think foreigners do here? So why would you pay someone? So the only ones willing to shell out money are those whose "daddy pays" - and if daddy has money why the hell would you pay good money to sit with some dude when you can go to Brighton in the summer, or exchange year in Anustralia - after which they actually would need pronunciation teaching so you might have a niche.

Your prospects are better in Quebec

[Finnocanadian]

Thanks Pursuivant.

You are an inspiration! lol

Clearly you were paying attention in curmudgeon school.

[Pursuivant]

In Canada they printed motivational posters "Think Positive"
- they sold well to Finland where they were used for AIDS testing campaign.

BTW the fallout clearance team got radiant prospects

[Finnocanadian]

That joke about Finnish cynicism/pessimism/fatalism was in very bad taste…

And, hmmm. So that’s where I get my pessimism from. I have a genetic predisposition for a dour disposition.

…those Tampere prospects look okay, actually… Merci beaucoup!

[Bubba Elvis XIV]

it ain't Canton,

English conversation tutor sitting with my students in some Café in Helsinki or Tampere.

Nor is it Prague or Barcelona....Although people do do it here it's not sooo common. And don't think that's because people haven't tried.

The word on the street is that Estonia is a bit of a waste of time for TEFL...Even for English classes they don't take native speakers. I was beginning to wonder when I saw the staff at this place. Dunno whether that's the norm though.

http://www.multilingua.ee/index.php?pag ... eng&sel=45

My informants have also told me that Tampere does have quite a bit of work that needs picking up. but by the time you get here it will be probably be gone. Lots of establish teachers here with very open schedules.

[AldenG]

Thanks Pursuivant.

You are an inspiration! lol

Clearly you were paying attention in curmudgeon school.

He probably keeps these guys in business.

Merci beaucoup.

Now if the English teaching doesn't pan out, perhaps you could teach Quebec French.
There probably isn't a lot of competition in Finland for that.

[Finnocanadian]

Sure, AldenG... I betcha hardly anybody is teaching that Québécois stuff over there! Hmmm. Somebody should, though. Would be interesting.

And "Je t'aime"... so much easier in French than in Finnish anyway!