Where to study Finnish in Finland?

[brandon1612]

Hei.
I have recently begun studying from the textbook "From Start To Finnish" with the hope that I can have a somewhat good understanding of the Finnish language in a few months. This is certainly a challenging but rewarding language to learn. The reason I am learning is to hopefully become fluent enough to attend the Finnish Aviation Academy. This textbook will only get me so far and, living in Australia doesn't exactly help me with advancing my Finnish studies. I am wondering if any of you here on this forum can advise me on the best place to study the Finnish language in the country of Finland itself. I can study from August to the end of the year (2014). If all things go well I will move there. As I am 19 and live at home my parents are slightly apprehensive, although very supportive, about me moving to Finland to study at the FAA without any formal language training. I would like to know if any course in particular has been of any help to some of you, and if any of you have achieved near fluency and how long that took. I do not believe achieving somewhat fluency in this language is out of reach, especially in a younger mind like my own. I mean, how many Finns can speak 2 if not 3 languages? Let alone the rest of the world. I hope it doesn't sound like I am being naive, but I genuinely believe living there and learning there can be tremendously beneficial. Kiitos for any replies.

[Upphew]

Hei.
I have recently begun studying from the textbook "From Start To Finnish" with the hope that I can have a somewhat good understanding of the Finnish language in a few months. This is certainly a challenging but rewarding language to learn. The reason I am learning is to hopefully become fluent enough to attend the Finnish Aviation Academy. This textbook will only get me so far and, living in Australia doesn't exactly help me with advancing my Finnish studies. I am wondering if any of you here on this forum can advise me on the best place to study the Finnish language in the country of Finland itself. I can study from August to the end of the year (2014). If all things go well I will move there. As I am 19 and live at home my parents are slightly apprehensive, although very supportive, about me moving to Finland to study at the FAA without any formal language training. I would like to know if any course in particular has been of any help to some of you, and if any of you have achieved near fluency and how long that took. I do not believe achieving somewhat fluency in this language is out of reach, especially in a younger mind like my own. I mean, how many Finns can speak 2 if not 3 languages? Let alone the rest of the world. I hope it doesn't sound like I am being naive, but I genuinely believe living there and learning there can be tremendously beneficial. Kiitos for any replies.

Do you have any background in Finland and/or Finnish? Have you looked at migri.fi about that moving thing?

If someone else has ideas, please contribute, but I won't put too much effort finding courses and schools for you when I feel like you won't be moving here. Not for lack of effort or spirit, but lack of grounds for residence permit. Joten ei mennä perse edeltä puuhun, vaikka se tuntuukin olevan maan tapa.

[brandon1612]

thanks for the reply. Any information about actual Finnish language courses is what I am after. Naturally I cannot look at places to move when I yet don't know what city I could be studying in.

[betelgeuse]

thanks for the reply. Any information about actual Finnish language courses is what I am after. Naturally I cannot look at places to move when I yet don't know what city I could be studying in.

http://www.studyinfinland.fi/what_to_st ... ng_finnish

Since you you can only stay here more than three months with a residence permit that in your case seems to be only possible through work or studies, it will probably be the latter and then your place of study would have Finnish courses. If money is not an issues, then the best way to learn is to hire a private tutor.

I mean, how many Finns can speak 2 if not 3 languages?

We learn at least one (often two) from our parents. Then we have to study at least three languages in school (two national languages and one foreign). We consume a lot of western media with subtitles which helps a lot to learn English. This is a small country so motivation to deal with foreigners is high for many (at least younger) people.

[Pursuivant]

I think theres the Finnish-Australian whatever... dundernews? If you find someone local they might help you brush up a bit. You might be a little too old for a summer camp, but they also organize such in Finland for "older folk".

[brandon1612]

that site is the same one I have looked on before, only problem is I need advice on where/which course I should be taking

[Popeye]

Finnish Aviation Academy? You want to become a professional pilot?

Flying is a lot of fun but it is very very very difficult to get a job. At the moment there are lots of unemployed pilots and most of them are struggling financially because of the huge loan they had to take to pay for the training. They've got their ATPL, but also 100k euro debt, no job or a low income job (because they lack proper training for anything but flying), can't buy a house (because of the debt) and then there's the trouble of keeping your ATPL current.

Schools will tell you wonderful stories about growth in the airline industry and a huge retirement wave but that's all a pile of crap. A flying school is a business and they care about selling their training.

Find some professional pilots and ask them for advice. Find and read on pilot forums what they say about job opportunities. You'll see lot's of postings of pilots looking for a job.

If you want to fly, join a glider club for cheap flying and work towards your PPL. There's also a technical university in Helsinki that has a flying club for students.