Looking for work/ volunteering

[sds79]

Hi, I am due to move to Helsinki at the beginning of November with my Finnish husband and will be looking to work. I have a History of Art Degree and also have a TESOL qualification, my experience includes working in the hospitality industry, working with children and young adults, charity work and retail (managerial) work (though i do not have any formal qualification for these- just the degree and TESOL). I am from the UK and speak English, and am currently trying to learn Finnish ( I am finding this difficult so i would not class myself as having any ability in Finnish apart from reading a few Finnish books to our 6mth baby). We are moving to Helsinki after spending a year abroad, i understand from reading the papers that there is not much employment available and am wondering if there is any type of volunteer work i can get involved in, and what do I need to do or organise to apply for this. Many thanks in advance for replies!

[Piet]

Your best chance of ever getting a Job in Finland will be getting a vocational degree in Healthcare as soon as you can get, choose something as close as possible to your experience in Healthcare.. plenty of jobs in there, and you might get the language later for free.
They used to "import" Bulgarian and Spanish healthcare workers, give them a speed course of Finnish language and get them to work into the hospital or wherever the shortage is the biggest.

This vocational degree can be done partly online (get your husband to google on it in Finnish) or at "Helsingin Aikuistenopisto"

When your Finnish language has reached level YKI 4 at Omnia. Good source might be Mol.fi but your husband will want to help you because most helpful stuff is in Finnish.

At this moment the Red cross might need volunteers due to the high influx of refugees from Syria and Irak. Language English would suffice..

Good luck...

[Beep_Boop]

due to the high influx of refugees from Syria and Irak. Language English would suffice..

Correction: Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan. Less than 2.5% of the asylum-seekers in Finland so far this year are from Syria, which is around the same level as it has been for the past years.
http://www.migri.fi/about_us/statistics ... d_refugees
https://i.imgur.com/JaLxxvU.png

Also, unfortunately English doesn't seem to be enough. I've talked with many friends who are volunteering and they told me that less than 4/10 of the asylum-seekers they met speak any English, and even half of those manage to properly communicate in English. Another thing is that the Red Cross seem to be quite reluctant to accept direct volunteers; instead they're seeking donations.

[Piet]

due to the high influx of refugees from Syria and Irak. Language English would suffice..

Correction: Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan. Less than 2.5% of the asylum-seekers in Finland so far this year are from Syria, which is around the same level as it has been for the past years.
http://www.migri.fi/about_us/statistics ... d_refugees
https://i.imgur.com/JaLxxvU.png

Also, unfortunately English doesn't seem to be enough. I've talked with many friends who are volunteering and they told me that less than 4/10 of the asylum-seekers they met speak any English, and even half of those manage to properly communicate in English. Another thing is that the Red Cross seem to be quite reluctant to accept direct volunteers; instead they're seeking donations.

Ok just lets keep it to Iraki then.. (300 iraki and 20 somalian. in one day..not a little difference)

I suspected such from the Red cross already, however I found it weird that when I asked two "red cross" people in my nearest mall asking people for donations, if there was a need for others doing what they did hence they did not speak any Finnish, just English, they replied that they actually did not work for the red cross, but were paid employees of a promotion agency and earned about 150€ nett a day
They got about 20 people donating every month for 5 euro's in one week time (= 5 x 150 x 2 = 1500 euro costs for a year income for the red cross of 20 x 5 x 12= 1200 euro

I see where the money we give, is going too..believe me that the 150 euro a day for one employee will cost the red cross 300 euro's so it cost them 3000 euros in one week to receive 1200 euro's in a year.... big business, I should change profession