Job, business or study? Need sound advice

Limae · Post by **Limae** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 4:43 am

Hello,

I am a 33-year old female from SE Asia and I'm making plans to relocate to Finland for my children's education. I do not have any friends or relative in Finland hence I making decisions based on what I can size up about Finland online but what I actually need is advice from people living there hence this post.

Currently, my options are as below:-
(1) Find work in Finland
My concern is: The apparent difficulty in doing so seeing that Finland is pretty small and high-tech plus I have no friends or relative from Finland. I have invitations to relocate to Australia and UK but my heart is telling me to go to Finland.

(2) Start a business
I have been gathering information and capital way before my heart found Finland so I can do this but when my two children arrived not too long ago, my motherly instinct kept me from taking on activities that require big time commitment as my kids are still both below 4 years of age. It is more than likely I will take on a food business. (If anyone has advice on this it will be great too)
My concern is: I don't have enough information about Finnish taste buds and business environment. All the advice I've gotten from my friends is to head up to Finland with my kids and the capital then decide when I am there. I find it hard to do this as my kid's basic needs are constantly at the back of my head. P.S. I cook well as a friend and mother but so what?

(3) Study
When my children arrived, I found myself putting the business plans I had aside for them. I did consider doing my Master's Degree and start a career in finance, sales or R&D (my area of interests). That would mean putting my capital into our living expenses for the next few years I am unemployed in Finland.
My concern is: Not having any income for the next few years doesn't sound wise especially when my husband will not be working to care for my kids while I go about building my knowledge and career prospects. How much money do I have to have to feed a mouth of four for one year in Finland? Is EURO18,000/annum (1,500/mth) enough?

(4) My husband is currently self-employed doing signboards and basic maintenance work for schools. English level (Basic...)
My concern is: Should I need him to find work to supplement the household, would it be very difficult? He's been to New Zealand and Singapore in a similar capacity and it was okay doing odd jobs here and there. Not sure about Finland as I have the impression that odd jobs and blue collar work needs licensing, apprenticeships and qualification (for obvious reasons but not so much in Asia-Pacific).

I would like to express my deepest gratitude for those who can advice me on the above matters.

Best regards,
Limae

**Sponsor:**

Flossy1978 · Post by **Flossy1978** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 8:49 am

Move to Australia. Really, the education there can be just as good as Finland if you find a good school for your kids. Moving to Finland for just education for your kids, I am sorry is a bit stupid. You have nothing else here. None of you speak Finnish etc. At least in Australia you'd have a language you can use. And actually the Australian economy is doing so much better than the Finnish one. And it's possible you would actually know a lot more about Australia than you would Finland.

I am not sure a family can live on a mere 1,500€ a month. Your rent alone would take up probably over half of that if you need a two bedroom flat. They're about 900-to over 1000€ a month in the Helsinki/Vantaa/Espoo metropolitan areas these days.

As for your husband. Blue Collar jobs are the ones that appear to NEED Finnish. It's the higher up jobs which sometimes don't need fluent Finnish.

To put it bluntly. It's bloody difficult to live here. If you come from a country to here with nothing, you're in for a rough ride. It's like winning the lottery if you get it even remotely easy. Yes, the education is good for kids, but there are also other countries which would be more beneficial for you where the education is often almost just as good.

rinso · Post by **rinso** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 10:19 am

Based on your information it is very unlikely that you'll get a residence permit for Finland.

You either need a job before you come, or being accepted for a university study. And in the last case you need to bring enough money to support a family of 4.

If the family consists of two adults and two minor children, for example, the required income totals €2,600 per month (€1,000+€700+€500+€400).

Not speaking Finnish is a huge disadvantage.
Follow Flossy's advice and try Australia.

Brent · Post by **Brent** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 3:03 pm

I really can't understand why would you want to stay here. Your family will be much better off in Australia where the climate is warmer, the people are friendlier, there are more jobs available that fits to your education, the salaries a somewhat higher, way of life is richer, etc...

Down under all the way!!

Upphew · Post by **Upphew** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 3:43 pm

Brent wrote:I really can't understand why would you want to stay here. Your family will be much better off in Australia where the climate is warmer, the people are friendlier, there are more jobs available that fits to your education, the salaries a somewhat higher, way of life is richer, etc...

Down under all the way!!

Spiders! And even mammals are poisonous *gasp*

Brent · Post by **Brent** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 6:15 pm

cors187 · Post by **cors187** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 8:58 pm

Anyone moving to Finland based on a statistic will come to know what all of us know.Somehow the figures don't add up!

Flossy1978 · Post by **Flossy1978** » Fri Nov 22, 2013 5:44 am

LOL Brent.

I am an Aussie and I grew up a lot in different areas of Sydney for 11 years of my childhood and you know what? I never once saw the oh so deadly Sydney Funnel Web Spider. And yes, I did live in two places for several years where it was prime land for them to be. And did a ton of camping and bushwalking.

And the Sydney Funnel Web Spider is not even the deadliest spider of it's species, so I don't know what the big deal is. The Tree Dwelling Funnel Web Spider in Southern Queensland has worse venom.

There are dumbarses in Australia nowadays keeping the Sydney Funnel Web Spider as pets, and no duh, they're getting bitten. Idiots.

I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but I think most of the "deadly" stuff has been driven out of most of everyone's daily lives there because of suburbia. Companies just go onto unused land and plough everything down to nothing and build stupid houses with orange roofs on top of each other, over and and over. Nothing, not even the deadliest spider or snake could survive that.

Upphew · Post by **Upphew** » Fri Nov 22, 2013 11:39 am

Flossy1978 wrote:build stupid houses with orange roofs on top of each other, over and and over.

I've understood that Oz is quite a warm place with sunshine and stuff... so why orange roof and not white?
I'll bet the answer is $

cors187 · Post by **cors187** » Fri Nov 22, 2013 5:31 pm

Upphew wrote:
Flossy1978 wrote:build stupid houses with orange roofs on top of each other, over and and over.
I've understood that Oz is quite a warm place with sunshine and stuff... so why orange roof and not white?
I'll bet the answer is $

General tiled color roofs.

Limae · Post by **Limae** » Wed Nov 27, 2013 11:24 am

Thank you all for your advice and opinions! Really appreciate it...

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