Cambridge girl looking for advice on moving to Finland

[browndude]

people in natural sciences have just about the least trouble adjusting to Finland

This may be true. I am a natural scientist and I find that the long winters are really great for doing a lot of focused thinking and writing.

[kiwijim]

Things you would need to like:

Potato's
Snow
Mosquito's
Partying on Ferries
Karaoke
Coffee
Sauna

That's my top six, im sure others could add to that.

Come for 3 months and see if you want to stay.

[Jukka Aho]

A lot of people on here paint a really bleak picture of your country. [...] Come on guys give me something positive to think of for the weekend! Can anyone give me something that is great about your country?

Since I apparently didn’t post this yet, in this thread, here’s it again:

• Documentary of Finland

[browndude]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wof0xPUmW38

[geek5354]

And who could forget these important steps from the past...

[browndude]

I have to say that this is one white boy who CAN dance!

[Karhunkoski]

I have to say that this is one white boy who CAN dance!

Absolutely! Although I thought the black boy (in centre-rear from 3:16) couldn't disco for toffee!

[cors187]

He didn't instruct us on the "tard step" and "pecker neck" though, which he does use for effect.

[tuulen]

I have to say that this is one white boy who CAN dance!

C'mon browndude and remember, there are good ones and bad ones anywhere, everywhere and wherever you go.

Think about it, but if I am not as brown as you then could that make me so bad?

Oh, yeah. We could be tight friends, you and me.

[Sharky]

Hi

I'm Irish and have very similar qualifications to those you mention. Living and working here 8 years now. Here's a few pointers for you:
1. General office work, or any non-niche but "white collar" type work is likely very difficult to find without close to fluent Finnish language. One possibility for you might be accounts payable/receivable/payroll work in the shared services divisions of the larger Finnish multinationals (try the websites of top X" public companies on the Helsinki stock exchange for example). A good guide to the likelihood of English being enough is the language of especially their careers pages.
2. University degrees here seem to be really valued here only at Masters level, as that's the level to which most Finns as standard continue their education. Unfortunate but a cultural difference. You can try to explain that a Bachelors degree from elsewhere means you did fully graduate but it's not so easy.
3. The closest equivalent to a Business & Admin degree I've found is "Ekonomi". A similarly qualified Finn is likely to say in English that they have an "M.Sc. in Economics".
4. The 1:1. 2:1, etc grading system is unheard of here. I never actually clarified the equivalents here but I think (could be wrong), the Latin terms Lauriate etc are used. Definitely worth finding out.
5. The closest thing to ACA is KTM (but seems to be used only by auditors). I found that out after quite a search but via KPMG Finland website. You could probably describe ACCA as "similar to KTM" if you can't find the exact equivalent (if it even exists). For me, my M.Acc. was the qualification that counted in the end here (employer could best relate to it...), despite my ACA being the higher qualification.
6. I would be inclined to then briefly state on your CV or application cover letters that your qualifications are comparable to XYZ from the Finnish system. Employers might also want copies of your certs, in my case I was asked to bring them to interview and explain them there.

I haven't read all the other replies, but you don't need a work permit. There's registration with the police, population register and social security system (KELA), within certain timeframes, depending on how long you stay and your job situation. If you decide to move, investigate those in more detail but as an EU citizen you are freely entitled to come & live here and I at least didn't find the official stuff difficult. Finland is to my mind very efficient once you follow the process and rules.

Yes, language is difficult. No getting around that. There are intensive courses and some people learn quickly, but for most it's a long long project and having English as mother tongue makes it even harder. If you find a job in English, your actual need for much Finnish (in the larger cities at least) is however minimal and many ex pats never learn much Finnish at all. Helsinki in particular is very international.

Culturally, my biggest challenge for a long time was finding social life and Finnish friends. Knowing someone here will help if you can piggyback their social life initially. Finns tend to have a small number of close (often from childhood) friends and don't tend to have or look for that larger circle of more casual friends (easier to break into) as exists in Ireland at least. Working somewhere with other foreigners helps a lot.

The other thing to maybe mention is winter. It's a matter of attitude in my personal view but many foreigners do find the long cold winter tough. My remedy is get out and make the most of it - learn to ski or skate for example and make the most of what daylight there is.

Good luck, moving country is challenging but a great experience if you embrace it!

[Deni85]

Come for 3 months and see if you want to stay.

I would say: come for 3 months during the winter and see if you want to stay.

[cors187]

Hi


Good luck, moving country is challenging but a great experience if you embrace it!

good info!

[Pursuivant]

4. The 1:1. 2:1, etc grading system is unheard of here. I never actually clarified the equivalents here but I think (could be wrong), the Latin terms Lauriate etc are used. Definitely worth finding out.

Well, yes and no. In the matriculation examination you write after grade 12 (GCSEs or whatever) you get a latin degree... laudatur, cum laude approbatur... etc etc. Back in the day you had an university degree as well given as such.

These days its numbers 1-5 for your courses and your thesis - though the "real universities" tend to grade the thesis in latin still. However, there is also the "scope" of studies, so approbatur is basic studies, cum laude is minors and laudatur is majors - but you can not get a degree, say a masters, with only cum laude courses nor a bachelor's with only approbatur level. But that says nothing of the grade itself... if you are a maths major and you sucked in it, you are still a master got you 1 out of it equal to a master with a 5. You graduated as a Master - thats what reads in the paper.

http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arvosana

[jahasjahas]

However, there is also the "scope" of studies, so approbatur is basic studies, cum laude is minors and laudatur is majors

You're trying to describe the Finnish system, right? We don't use appro/cumu/laudatur for that anymore, it's perusopinnot/aineopinnot/syventävät opinnot.

The only place where you can see the old usage is in the names of pub crawls (Helsinginkadun appro, Hämeenkadun appro, etc.) and the drinking levels you complete in them.

[Sami-Is-Boss]

Is an employer likely to think that a foreigner with a Bachelors dropped out of a Masters course then? That's an unfortunate cultural difference really. A Masters in the UK is completely out of the financial reach of a lot of people. It's a good reason to move to Finland to get one though!

Also, if I could hijack this thread with a swift question...I was told that you can only study a Masters degree that's directly related to your Bachelors. Is this true?