Local British idiot seeks advice

[AllieBee]

Edit Aug 2018: Found employment, thank you all! I will continue updating if people are interested with anything I learn about the integration process, paperwork etc.

Edit Dec 2018: Confirmed my temporary residence of a year, and now waiting on Migri to process me to apply for permanent residency (applied in October). More information about this process is in the update posts in the thread

Edit Jan 2019: Migri has confirmed my residency, and now I am due to return to maistraatti to register my muncipality here in Finland.
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Hello guys! I'm new to the forum, it's great to meet you all. I'm not sure how much activity we see around here since I have been nudged to ask questions in the Facebook page, but I thought starting off here would be nice. I'm a sucker for forums.

I'm looking at moving to Finland in the next year or so. I'm a British citizen currently employed in the games industry full-time. I managed to get my position through some hard work and (I assume) showing a lot of enthusiasm, since I do not have any further education past high school. The reason I mention that is that I have seen a lot of work requiring at least some sort of university certification, and I was wondering how difficult people would think it is to become employed in Finland without one?

The plan currently is for me to find work over there, ideally within the same industry since that's where I feel I can apply the most experience and skill. Like a lot of people, my plans are inspired by having a Finnish girlfriend, but I've loved my time in the country when I have visited and I really do want this to work out.

Any advice or insight welcome. Thank you for reading!

[FinnGuyHelsinki]

Work experience of a few years in the same field/a similar job trumps formal education (without the same experience), having proof that you can actually perform in the job, that's what ultimately matters for the hiring employer.

[AllieBee]

Thanks so much, that puts me a bit at rest. A lot of the positions I have seen online require a degree and experience, but these are for senior positions much higher than the ones I'd be aiming for. I have heard that Finland is very "word of mouth"/network-y, even more so than other countries, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that in reality what I see online isn't all there is.

Cheers for the answer and I'll be digging into this subject more

[Upphew]

Thanks so much, that puts me a bit at rest. A lot of the positions I have seen online require a degree and experience, but these are for senior positions much higher than the ones I'd be aiming for. I have heard that Finland is very "word of mouth"/network-y, even more so than other countries, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that in reality what I see online isn't all there is.

Cheers for the answer and I'll be digging into this subject more

Normal. Companies want teen double doctorate with 10 years relevant work experience.. but yeah, Finland likes their degrees, but games industry is young and the degrees are new thing. Before degrees there were the demo scene.

[AllieBee]

Normal. Companies want teen double doctorate with 10 years relevant work experience.. but yeah, Finland likes their degrees, but games industry is young and the degrees are new thing. Before degrees there were the demo scene.

Oh yes, definitely normal even outside of Finland... I've just never seen such a lack of jobs advertised online before, and this is both in Finnish and English searches. That said, it would have been a miracle to find an answer simply through online applications anyway!

Thanks for the answer - it is a new scene, so there should be opportunities out there. I'll keep on looking until I find them. (:

[FinnGuyHelsinki]

There are loads of jobs e.g. in LinkedIn, at least for IT in general. One has to remember that Finland has some 5+ million inhabitants, the job or any other market cannot be compared to countries with multiple times that. Also, it is not uncommon that a foreigner thinks that the capital area (Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa) = Finland. It is the most populated area, sure, but e.g. Tampere and Oulu, even Jyväskylä and Kuopio have their share of IT companies.

[AllieBee]

I meant no insult to Finland in my answers, apologies if it came across that way! I acknowledge that my industry and my skillset are more specific than just "IT" and that I am only searching in the Helsinki area due to personal circumstances, so such difficulties are ones that I expected.

I created this thread to get an idea of education expectations in general. I did vent a bit in my last reply here but as I also said, it would have been surprising to find something through purely online channels.

[FinnGuyHelsinki]

Since it's gaming industry that you're interested in, I'd directly check their websites, see what they are currently offering, and contact them even if there are no openings posted. Don't know how up-to-date the list is, but at least a starting point: https://www.neogames.fi/en/industry-info/operators/

[AllieBee]

I'm not sure if people usually update, but I wanted to say thank you for the advice (and to those who reached out via PM). I've found a job in the Helsinki area and I'll be moving around October to get set-up and start full time. I can't wait!

[Kössi K]

Reading this just now, congrats! And I think most here value the updates, especially if they've answered or helped out.

I was going to say, looking for gaming jobs you'll be even better of in Helsinki than elsewhere, as a lot of game companies have their offices there. But then saw you already got a job, wow, awesome luck. Hope it all goes smoothly for you guys!
-- Needless to say perhaps, but just remember to do all the paperwork locally asap you get here, to start processes going (like for getting Kela card later for healthcare etc.).
Would be nice to see an update how it's going in a new Finnish environment in that new job too, after a while. I'm also a sucker for forums, hate fb. And had to reply also because Picard.

[AllieBee]

Definitely! I'll keep updating if it will help people. The company I am now with has said they will help with the paperwork as they have processed expats before, but I'll be looking into it myself as well so I have some understanding before moving. I'm due to start in October so I have time to wrap up loose ends with my current employer and prepare for the cross-country jump, but I'll be back eventually (and hopefully with more good news) (:

[AllieBee]

Hey, it's now October and I am 3 weeks into my move to Finland and 2 weeks into the new job. I have an appointment with the Migri office this week which will hopefully approve my work visa. I'm wondering if anyone knows if this is when I will be allocated a social security number, or is this later when they have made a decision?

It has been lovely settling in, although the public transport costs are hurting! I can't wait to be able to get a travel card at citizen rates.

Because Kössi K was interested in particular, the workplace I am in is made up of both Finnish and foreign employees and it has been very welcoming so far. No real update for this part yet as it has only been 2 weeks, but it is looking like a promising new venture

I will update this thread after my work visa is sorted to make sure I have wrapped up this thread properly. Wish me luck!

[Beep_Boop]

What work visa? You don't need a work residence permit (or in British terms, a work-based temporary leave to remain). You're an EU citizen. Just follow the instructions here https://migri.fi/en/eu-citizen . They'll ask you to come and show your passport, and you'll be given the approval immediately with a personal identity number.

[betelgeuse]

Hey, it's now October and I am 3 weeks into my move to Finland and 2 weeks into the new job. I have an appointment with the Migri office this week which will hopefully approve my work visa. I'm wondering if anyone knows if this is when I will be allocated a social security number, or is this later when they have made a decision?

There are no social security numbers. There are personal identity codes and they imply nothing about social security. It's easiest to get the personal identity code from the Tax Administration at the same time when you get a tax card for withholding.

https://www.vero.fi/en/individuals/tax- ... n-finland/

[AllieBee]

What work visa? You don't need a work residence permit (or in British terms, a work-based temporary leave to remain). You're an EU citizen. Just follow the instructions here https://migri.fi/en/eu-citizen . They'll ask you to come and show your passport, and you'll be given the approval immediately with a personal identity number.

I can stay for 3 months to do that, but I need to register with a work contract to get a personal ID. From your link:
"An EU citizen must have grounds for residing in Finland and/or sufficient funds to live in Finland. An EU citizen may not cause an unreasonable burden to the Finnish social security system."

By saying work residence permit, I mean that I will be staying on grounds of long-term employment here. Apologies for any confusion

There are no social security numbers. There are personal identity codes and they imply nothing about social security. It's easiest to get the personal identity code from the Tax Administration at the same time when you get a tax card for withholding.

https://www.vero.fi/en/individuals/tax- ... n-finland/

Maybe all the people around me just used "social security number" so I'd understand? I was told I needed one to sign up for a travel card, do taxes, etc. Sorry for using the wrong term if that's the case.

What I have been told to do is go to Migri and sign up online with my work contract. I have met them now with my passport and a copy of the work contract, and I'm now pending their final approval of my registration here to stay longer than 3 months. After that, they said they will give me a social security (or, personal ID it seems) number. That's the update for now!

Migri was a straightforward process and it is all done online after the first meeting, at least in my case.