I'm writing a book, I need some help!

[Aprella]

Hey!

I'm writing a book with a character that is Finnish. While the story doesn't set in Finland, I do want a good background for my character. I have been digging in Finnish culture for a while now, not only because I'm writing a book but also because I lost my heart to the beautiful country. I am, however, struggling with a certain aspect:

How much does my character earns and where does he live?

The character will be in his late 20ties and works in a bookshop in Helsinki (I pictured him working in the big Aalto bookshop in the city centre) but I don't have any idea what he would earn and what kind of place he'd be able to afford with that. Basically, he study one and a half year at University before deciding that it wasn't something for him and then he got the job in a bookshop. Now he needs his own place to live, if doable, somewhere in or around Helsinki. It doesn't have to be anything bi, because it's only for him. So a small flat will do. Would it be doable for him to have his own place, or would he rent one? If he doesn't live too far from his work, he'd go by bike or public transport.

I hope someone can help me with this information to make my character realistic! I know it's not of the utmost importance if it isn't directly in the book, but I like to know it anyway.
Thank you for your time!

[Jukka Aho]

The character will be in his late 20ties and works in a bookshop in Helsinki (I pictured him working in the big Aalto bookshop in the city centre)

“The big Aalto bookshop in the city center”? Where’s that? (The Aalto University, or their “School of Arts, Design and Architecture”, does have a bookstore for arty-fartsy books in Arabianranta but that’s not in the city center.)

The two most prominent brick-and-mortar bookstore chains in the country are Akateeminen kirjakauppa and Suomalainen kirjakauppa.

but I don't have any idea what he would earn

Here’s a site which purports to reveal the actual salaries paid in various professions, including bookstore clerks:

http://www.palkkavertailu.com/palkka/ki ... myyj%C3%A4

So, according to their numbers (all the data on the site is user-submitted), the monthly pay for a bookstore clerk is in the range of 1,500 — 2,059 euros. This is the salary before income tax. What he’d actually get paid on his bank account in this income category, taxes withdrawn, is maybe 15% less (1,275 — 1,750 euros.)

and what kind of place he'd be able to afford with that

Someone who lives in the Capital Region would probably better be able to assess that.

If he doesn't live too far from his work, he'd go by bike or public transport.

Probably by public transport. If the workplace is right in downtown but the apartment is not, a resident of the capital area is likely to purchase a personal season ticket on the local public transport system. There’s a calculator on the linked site which allows you to gauge how much he’d pay for that monthly or yearly.

For some more ideas, you might also want to check out the Helsinki Region Transport Journey Planner to get an idea of the likely routes the character would take on the public transport system (buses, trams, underground stations) when running his daily errands. (That is, after you have managed to decide where he would live.) Also note that Google Streetview has lots of Helsinki imagery. Could be helpful to get an idea of what the various places would look like, at least from street level.

I hope someone can help me with this information to make my character realistic! I know it's not of the utmost importance if it isn't directly in the book, but I like to know it anyway.

There are many “Helsinki things” (authentic places, services, etc.) you could use to make the character appear more realistic... but it really all boils down to where in the city he would live (or go to) and what kind of lifestyle he would lead. (Seasons as well, I would guess. And what kind of people he would interact with, maybe from the other areas of the city or from another income class.) Also note that there are patches of nature here and there (check out the “Arkisto” [“Archives”] section of this photo gallery), it’s not all just cityscape. For example, Vanhankaupunginlahti and Lammassaari, Nuuksio, bits and pieces around Laajalahti, Seurasaari, ...

[Aprella]

Okay thank you. This helps a lot!

With the bookshop I mean the one designed by Aalto... it's the one near Stockman. The Academic book store is it's name I think.

[Jukka Aho]

With the bookshop I mean the one designed by Aalto... it's the one near Stockman. The Academic book store is it's name I think.

Right. Actually, I didn’t know it was designed by him. Thinking about the interior, it makes sense, though.

[Rip]

Working with low salary in academic book store. If I assume he did not have well of parents that bought him something I'd guess he'd most likely commute with local train or subway for cheaper suburbs or has some (rented) small "bachelors box" in Kallio (plenty of bar's and perhaps as central as he could hope).

[Pursuivant]

A shoebox in Kallio, theres the ststion environs to park your bike, but staff usually try the loading area lest it gets nicked... The thing is in finland you don't "quit" university as you (used to) have eternal right once you got in. So your protagonist is an "eternal student"... Working for Stockmann isn't a bad job, they get extra pay for foreign languages (those little flags next to tge name tags). As for living he could be renting a HOAS solu in Merihaka and being hounded out for not being "in the books" at the uni... Kallio in general has a lot of small flats... Also areas of downtown, but a 20-something with limited income...

[Pursuivant]

Buying a flat he'd need to have 50k saved up, so he'd be renting, if he was a student probably in a seedy commune

[Aprella]

Ooh I knew Helsinki was expensive but wooow a shoebox :O

Can you go in more detail about the eternal student thing? It quite hard to grasp

Thank you all for helping me out

[jahasjahas]

The "eternal student" hasn't been a thing since 2004 or 2005. Used to be that once you've been accepted into the university, you could study as long as you wanted until you finished your degree. Remember, there are no tuition fees. But nowadays they kick you out if you haven't finished your degree in the intended schedule (+ a few years of leeway).

[Pursuivant]

So theres s stress factor for your "its not my thing" character. He might still have a year or two to change his major, but he'd need to pass the tests to do that (depending on the faculty).

I had a boss in 2002 or so who went back in to write his thesis and sit some maths 101 to get his tassle cap he never got in the 70's when he was an engineering student. He'd never lost his "right" though some of the courses "go past their date", more so in med school.

[Rip]

Many (great majority?) of the eternals had went to work or studied a degree somewhere else, but they were nominally registered as students with unfinished studies but they kept themselves listed as absent students.

[Rosamunda]

The "Aalto" bookshop with the marble-clad walls and table-service "Aalto" coffee shop upstairs, is now hosting Starbucks (on the street level) which sticks out like a sore thumb and I find the smell of hot milk quite nauseating when browsing through the book store. I guess your character would be really mad about that too and he wouldn't be alone.

Almost as sad as Burger King squatting the railway station and the "renovation" of the Kiseleff House.

[atas]

I am with you. They squeezed a nice and spacious magazines department to get the Starbucks there. Now there are only a few shelves for magazines and the rest scattered around between the clothing department and the supermarket. Disgusting.

[harryc]

All well and good. But I am a bit curious why someone would write a book and choose a nationality and country (city) they were not familiar with.

[SecretCode]

Normally it's an excuse to do research ... ie visit the country