Why is finnish speaking an absolut requirement?

[Upphew]

As many of us noticed, it's really hard to get a job if you don't speak finnish.

Tell me about it: http://www.iltalehti.fi/uutiset/2011040 ... 6_uu.shtml

[Geezus]

Clean my bathroom job:
Finnish language required --> Correct, yes I can speak!
English Language --> Awesome! Yes! I can!
Swedish language required ---> huh?

I wish they'd ask Finnish only but there is a major change on job offers nowadays. Now they require Finnish&Swedish. If you want revenge, set up a company and recruit people who could speak anything else than english finnish and swedish. I'll definitely do that. I can communicate with my employees through google translator.

[AleksiP]

Yes i think they are overreacting a bit. In every country it's better to speak the local language, but if you do background work (moving boxes, programming, cleaning) usually work skills come first.
Now i envy Esthonians because it's easier for them to learn Finnish
Anyway my plan was to come here, rent a place, study Finnish and find a job within a year... but since noone rents me an apartment because i'm unemployed and i have to pay insane rent to hotel-apartments (and i'm not rich) i can't stay long enough to learn even beasics.
So i'll have to find another way... maybe i'll get lucky and get one of the few english-speaking jobs to start or try another country. There's no place like Finland but the rest of Scandinavia is also great

For those who can make it: don't curse your luck you have to learn such a difficult language. It's the most beautiful and melodic language in the world. Tolkien (writer of Lord of the Rings) who knew 17 languages, he based Quenya (the language of the elves) mostly in Finnish and there's a good reason for that. Trust him

[Ktulu]

this link so reminds me of this discussion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxUm-2x-2dM

[kalmisto]

For those who can make it: don't curse your luck you have to learn such a difficult language. It's the most beautiful and melodic language in the world...

Finnish often sounds harsh and monotonous to foreigners :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2557589.stm

On that page :
"It´s a very harsh language,sometimes it hurts to listen to it."

[Duggan89]

Beacuse your in Finland that might be why!

[Upphew]

Finnish often sounds harsh and monotonous to foreigners :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2557589.stm

On that page :
"It´s a very harsh language,sometimes it hurts to listen to it."

Acquired taste

[Tiwaz]

Yes i think they are overreacting a bit. In every country it's better to speak the local language, but if you do background work (moving boxes, programming, cleaning) usually work skills come first.

Why it is overreacting? It is language spoken and understood by abour 95-97% of population.
You could just as well say that you could do your work without knowing how to read and write, so why the requirement?

Moving boxes, cleaning... Those can, and often will, require being able to communicate with others. Or how were you planning to know what boxes to move, where and what places to clean? Customers as well have their wishes. As cleaner, you might only have post-it-note to tell you to keep your paws off some room.

No Finnish, no comprende, no obey. Results in cleaner doing something they are not supposed to do, customer yelling at boss of the cleaner and boss of cleaner swearing he/she shall never have another idiot who cannot understand clear instructions. Written instructions are very common in Finland. It has something to do with fact that people just do not have perfect memories.

As for programming, that is niche job where your skills matter. But you may have to work on customers as well. I have been forced to do that while being codemonkey. And customers often prefer one or another native (usually Finnish).

I have also found myself forced to make localizations on occasions. Which means in Finland being able to say (or write) same thing in three languages. And phrase has to be reasonably well formed in each. (all companies do not have dedicated language guru)

Anyway my plan was to come here, rent a place, study Finnish and find a job within a year... but since noone rents me an apartment because i'm unemployed and i have to pay insane rent to hotel-apartments (and i'm not rich) i can't stay long enough to learn even beasics.

Your plan was flawed. Welcome to Finland, where making bad assumptions WILL bite you in the ass. (why you think this forum recommends FIRST landing a job and then coming over?)

[Upphew]

(why you think this forum recommends FIRST landing a job and then coming over?)

Because we are a bunch of little meanies, that have personality disorder, on top of our white supremacists tendencies. If readers could decide, they would revoke our wages from the Finnish Good PR bureau, as the recommendations contradict assumptions and propaganda.