How can I hire (unpaid) interns for my toiminimi?

Osbi · Post by **Osbi** » Thu Dec 03, 2015 11:22 am

Hi all!

So, I've been running an independent music 'zine and webzine for some years now, and it's registered as a toiminimi.

I don't earn anything from it (actually much to the contrary...) but I'd like to start growing it to the point where it no longer loses money, and I've been thinking it would be mutually beneficial to hire interns to help it grow (in exchange, they get to fulfill university internship requirements, learn about the music bus., and get access to promo materials, free gigs & fests, meet & greets, and whatnot... I've been approached by several friends or acquaintances about whether they could intern for me, and I'd like to offer this legitimately.

It seems like this is something I can legally do, but I can't find info on HOW, or who to contact. Basically, what are the requirements from me (employee insurance, work hours and environment, paperwork, taxes, etc.,) and what authorities must I run this through? How many interns can I employ? What other information might I be overlooking? How relevant must the work they do be to their studies? ( I know a lot of people whose internships seemed almost entirely irrelevant...) I'm thinking there'd be a good match for anyone in journalism or media studies, English students, even computer sciences or graphic arts...

Any thoughts here would be much appreciated!

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tuttu · Post by **tuttu** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 7:59 am

i'd start to look for info with työvoimatoimisto: http://www.te-services.fi/te/en/index.html

fwiw, i agree that this could be a good thing.

you might also want to look into "palkkatuki" - under certain circumstances työvoimatoimisto will pay up to 1000e/month for long-time unemployed.
i know of at least one case where someone created a job for himself in this way, with a (non-profit) association he was a member of.

betelgeuse · Post by **betelgeuse** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 10:33 am

Osbi wrote: It seems like this is something I can legally do, but I can't find info on HOW, or who to contact. Basically, what are the requirements from me (employee insurance, work hours and environment, paperwork, taxes, etc.,) and what authorities must I run this through? How many interns can I employ? What other information might I be overlooking?

You can't employ anyone without normal employment contracts and the bureaucracy that comes with it. However, you can have students do their training in your company. They have to be getting credits for it as part of their studies. This does not normally need any approvals from authorities.

http://www.yrittajat.fi/tyonantajanabc/ ... oppiminen/

Osbi wrote: How relevant must the work they do be to their studies?

As long as the school accepts it, it's fine.

cors187 · Post by **cors187** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 4:25 pm

tuttu wrote:
you might also want to look into "palkkatuki" - under certain circumstances työvoimatoimisto will pay up to 1000e/month for long-time unemployed.
i know of at least one case where someone created a job for himself in this way, with a (non-profit) association he was a member of.

I think that rebate payment for long term unemployed has been scrapped ..

betelgeuse · Post by **betelgeuse** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 5:04 pm

cors187 wrote:
tuttu wrote:
you might also want to look into "palkkatuki" - under certain circumstances työvoimatoimisto will pay up to 1000e/month for long-time unemployed.
i know of at least one case where someone created a job for himself in this way, with a (non-profit) association he was a member of.
I think that rebate payment for long term unemployed has been scrapped ..

They run quickly out of the yearly budget. It's 2016 soon so for a while there will be money again.

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Sat Dec 05, 2015 1:06 am

The polytecnics... whatchamacallit "Ammatikorkeakoulu" do have a requirement of students doing 6 months "training".
But, if they are not paid, they will not respect you.

betelgeuse · Post by **betelgeuse** » Sat Dec 05, 2015 3:54 pm

Pursuivant wrote:The polytecnics... whatchamacallit "Ammatikorkeakoulu" do have a requirement of students doing 6 months "training".
But, if they are not paid, they will not respect you.

Many programs at least do. I don't know the length.

Beep_Boop · Post by **Beep_Boop** » Sat Dec 05, 2015 5:41 pm

The vast majority of AMK programs require 20 weeks of practical training (SoTe programs they have different requirements and the length is longer).
I'd be very hesitant to join a stagnating one-man company with no pay. While there are indeed some internships (more like apprenticeships) that are unpaid, they're still rare and unusual in the Finland. This concept is is not common in the Finnish psyche, which is a good thing.

Rosamunda · Post by **Rosamunda** » Sat Dec 05, 2015 9:47 pm

At least where I work most of the Finnish students manage to get paid internships (100 days) though sometimes the foreign students are ,bizarrely, expected to work without pay.

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