Studying Finnish in Finland

aveline · Post by **aveline** » Tue Mar 24, 2015 11:09 am

Hello all,
I would like to apply for nursing studies next year and I have noticed that most, if not all, places require Finnish language skills at the level of B1. I try my best learning by myself with the internet and a book I got when visited Helsinki, but the only way i know to really learn a language properly is by spending some time in the country that is speaking it, and take a course there. Anyway, I found some language courses I'm interested in, assuming the dates of beginning will be similar to the ones that are going now. The plan is to start a course around January (from the kind that last to April) and apply for nursing studies, and then take the entrance exams at April. My question is what should I do about the visa/residence permit? I'm from Israel (non EU citizen) so I can stay for 90 days with the Schengen visa, but the language course itself (most of them) is longer then that and then there are the exams. How can I get an extension of Schengen visa? Or, do I have other options? By the time I'll be ready to go money will not be an issue so I'm not looking for any kind of working permit and I'll be able to prove I have enough to support myself during my studies...

Thanks in advance,
Aveline

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Rosamunda · Post by **Rosamunda** » Tue Mar 24, 2015 6:37 pm

Couldn't you come here for a few weeks in the summer (for the kesäyliopisto courses) to give yourself a kick start and then return in January for another course?
B1 is an ambitious target in just a few weeks.

HerraMopsi · Post by **HerraMopsi** » Tue Mar 24, 2015 7:08 pm

There are Finnish courses that you can take in Israel, there's no need to go to Finland for that.

http://nordiclanguagescenter.com/

aveline · Post by **aveline** » Tue Mar 24, 2015 11:18 pm

Well, that's my point exactly, what I can learn in a classroom is very limited when it comes to a language... I have already took those courses here in Israel but it was about a year ago and ended at level 2 - advanced. I'm not really sure what it means by the official levels, but so far I know plenty of Finnish words, I can politely introduce myself and have a lovely small-talk about the whether...

The good thing here, I guess, is that I don't need to start from the basic beginners level...
The nursing programs I meant are conducted in English and there is no demand to prove any knowledge it Finnish, but there is a language skills part at the entrance exam. This last thing is based on what I have read on websites of some universities. If I'm wrong here pleas correct me, and also any kind of advice about the nursing program is always welcome...
By the way, thanks for answering so quickly

Rosamunda · Post by **Rosamunda** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 4:35 pm

aveline wrote:W
The nursing programs I meant are conducted in English and there is no demand to prove any knowledge it Finnish, but there is a language skills part at the entrance exam. This last thing is based on what I have read on websites of some universities. If I'm wrong here pleas correct me,

I suggest you call the university or email them and ask for more information. If the course is given in English, I would be very surprised if the entrance examination includes a Finnish test. The "language test" is more likely to be in English. You may also need to prove you have a good IELTS score. All the info is usually available on their websites.

However, many of the nursing students who don't have Finnish find it difficult to get internships and even harder to get a job once they graduate.

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