Hiring Documents

[Styrk]

Hi, could someone please advise me on the hiring documents Finnish employers typically ask for? If some of the documents such as degrees are not in english, finnish or swedish what would you advise to do?

[Adrian42]

usually nobody gives a sh.it about your documents, be it in any language.

That's not true in general.

It is often true for small IT companies where formal qualifications don't matter much.

In many professions the degree is a prerequisite that you are allowed to work at all (e.g. for doctors or nurses).

And bigger companies tend to care more about formal qualifications than small companies.

To sign contract you need:

• Bank account
  Tax Card (you can submit this later or before the first salary day)
  Your SSN

That's nonsense.

You need no bank account, no tax card, and no SSN when signing a contract.

Actually the opposite is true:
When coming to Finland as a foreigner for a job, you usually cannot get any of these until after the contract is signed.

[Pursuivant]

And if they really want to be dicks, they want a certificate of civil-servant Swedish and a military passport

[Karhunkoski]

usually nobody gives a sh.it about your documents, be it in any language.
To apply for job you need:

• CV (English/Finnish/Swedish)
  Portfolio (optional/compulsory according to the job applied for)
  Application letter

To sign contract you need:

• Bank account
  Tax Card (you can submit this later or before the first salary day)
  Your SSN
  Your full details and Address

Not the most accurate advice I've ever read.

[Rosamunda]

For the public sector (eg education) you might have to get your diplomas certified by the Finnish National Board of Education. It costs around 250e to get your degree "translated" into Finnish and it takes about three months and they automatically downgrade all UK university degrees to polytechnics. So much for the Bologna process. But the pay scales in the public sector are based on qualifications (and other stuff like professional experience) so you need to be able to prove everything. Not just qualifications but also the time you spent in different jobs/companies. Otherwise your pay check takes a hit.

And if you are going to work with children you'll need to supply your criminal record (or lack of).

[Upphew]

and they automatically downgrade all UK university degrees to polytechnics. So much for the Bologna process.

Wtf?! Really?

[Pursuivant]

It costs around 250e to get your degree "translated" into Finnish and it takes about three months and they automatically downgrade all UK university degrees to polytechnics.

Naah, just those that are originally polytechnics, St Trininians College for Ladies just got renamed an University in the 70's....

[Adrian42]

Actually the opposite is true:
When coming to Finland as a foreigner for a job, you usually cannot get any of these until after the contract is signed.

This is rather nonsense,
I remember a British guy nearly cried with his situation, he got selected for the job but was asked to present SSN, but Maistraati didn't want to give him SSN until he has signed contract to show then, or stayed here for more than 3 months, the company was asking him again and again to bring the SSN to sign the contract. This is kind of loop here. Sometimes it works this way round, other time another way. About the bank account/tax card, it still depends on the company where you are signing the contract, someone wants in hands at the time of signing contract, others say Bring it on later dude !!!

Your "a British guy" example is clearly something you made up.

In reality, companies can cope with people not having a SSN etc. at the day of signature.

[Rosamunda]

It costs around 250e to get your degree "translated" into Finnish and it takes about three months and they automatically downgrade all UK university degrees to polytechnics.

Naah, just those that are originally polytechnics, St Trininians College for Ladies just got renamed an University in the 70's....

...well, mine is from Loughborough University - School of Business and Economics: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/sbe/ug/business/
http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.c ... nt+Studies
but the document I recently received from the Finnish National Board of Education, at great expense, refers to it as an "ammattikorkeakoulu. Hmmm.... maybe I should appeal.

[Sami-Is-Boss]

It costs around 250e to get your degree "translated" into Finnish and it takes about three months and they automatically downgrade all UK university degrees to polytechnics.

Naah, just those that are originally polytechnics, St Trininians College for Ladies just got renamed an University in the 70's....

...well, mine is from Loughborough University - School of Business and Economics: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/sbe/ug/business/
http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.c ... nt+Studies
but the document I recently received from the Finnish National Board of Education, at great expense, refers to it as an "ammattikorkeakoulu. Hmmm.... maybe I should appeal.

Yeah, they must have made a mistake there. Considering the relative standard of Finnish and British universities this policy does not add up...