Am about to do the working holiday thing in Europe in October.
As an architect, thought it would be a good spot - the home of Alvar Aalto and some great builidngs like the Kiasma art museum in helsinki.
..but what's it actually like to LIVE there?
Some myths I've heard:
- finns are offhand most of the time
- finns become antisocial during winter and turn to alcohol
- finnish cuisine isn't great - most people eat italian or chinese
- Finland is incredibly expensive [compared to the rest of europe].
I should mention that I'm from Australia [Brisbane] so of course the exchange rate isn't great anyway..
What are the people like in Helsinki? Is the nightlife comparable to say Brisbane or Melbourne in Australia or is it pretty dead? [Australians help me out here!] Are people fairly open like in Oz? What to do if you can't speak a word of Finnish - do people treat you differently? What do people do to kill the boredom there? What sort of people would you find in hostels? Mostly people from northern europe, or the UK or a huge mix? Is Finland just the same as any other european country [apart from language and weather of course] with the same bland suburbia, shopping malls, etc?
Working holiday in Finland
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ricardo1979
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 7:57 am
- Location: Brisbane
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Hi Ricardo
I have had friends come to Sweden as WHV for the architecture and not get work for over a year. Finland is even more difficult so if you are planning on coming, make it a holiday rather than an attempt to get work. Otherwise your whole time will be dedicated to learning Finnish and trying to get a job. This isn't just for jobs in architecture, but also any job for someone who doesn't speak any Finnish.
Put it this way, how easy is it for anyone to get work in Australia speaking NO English. Yep, cleaning jobs and bar work if you're lucky. You'll find a lot of posts on this board about this under the JOBS section.
Coming here for a holiday you can still see the architectural sights, include Jyvaskala for a lot of Alvar's stuff and also Sweden and Denmark, travel between the countries is sometimes cheaper than inside Finland!
Re: your other questions about Finnish culture (alcohol/ antisocial) for a short term visit, our role is not to judge but to accept. If you lived with long cold wet winters... then people would become "anti social" and you might notice they drink more. This doesn't mean you can't and won't have fun but it does mean it might be harder. Is it essential to come in Winter? It might make for a pleasant stay in Spring or Autumn. You will find a lot of drunks in summer, in winter they tend to be tucked up more at home and in bars! I woudn't use it as a measuring stick of whether you should come or not.
Finnish cuisine is not great but again what are the reasons for your visit! If you're a foody head to France or Italy. Finland will have some nice winter dishes to try and reindeer, meatballs etc. Actually I find the Italian here horrid and would rather go to a petrol station buffet for salad and potatoes and soup!
Yes it is expensive. As an Australian you just can't even do the conversion when you come to Europe. 5 euro downtown for a beer.
There are lots of posts you can browse about living in Finland and arguments about do the Finns drink / talk etc. If you are really intrigued then come and try it outside of winter. If you are only mildly curious then work in London and take a cheap flight here to visit.
R
I have had friends come to Sweden as WHV for the architecture and not get work for over a year. Finland is even more difficult so if you are planning on coming, make it a holiday rather than an attempt to get work. Otherwise your whole time will be dedicated to learning Finnish and trying to get a job. This isn't just for jobs in architecture, but also any job for someone who doesn't speak any Finnish.
Put it this way, how easy is it for anyone to get work in Australia speaking NO English. Yep, cleaning jobs and bar work if you're lucky. You'll find a lot of posts on this board about this under the JOBS section.
Coming here for a holiday you can still see the architectural sights, include Jyvaskala for a lot of Alvar's stuff and also Sweden and Denmark, travel between the countries is sometimes cheaper than inside Finland!
Re: your other questions about Finnish culture (alcohol/ antisocial) for a short term visit, our role is not to judge but to accept. If you lived with long cold wet winters... then people would become "anti social" and you might notice they drink more. This doesn't mean you can't and won't have fun but it does mean it might be harder. Is it essential to come in Winter? It might make for a pleasant stay in Spring or Autumn. You will find a lot of drunks in summer, in winter they tend to be tucked up more at home and in bars! I woudn't use it as a measuring stick of whether you should come or not.
Finnish cuisine is not great but again what are the reasons for your visit! If you're a foody head to France or Italy. Finland will have some nice winter dishes to try and reindeer, meatballs etc. Actually I find the Italian here horrid and would rather go to a petrol station buffet for salad and potatoes and soup!
Yes it is expensive. As an Australian you just can't even do the conversion when you come to Europe. 5 euro downtown for a beer.
There are lots of posts you can browse about living in Finland and arguments about do the Finns drink / talk etc. If you are really intrigued then come and try it outside of winter. If you are only mildly curious then work in London and take a cheap flight here to visit.
R
Re: Working holiday in Finland
I don't live there , but I don't find the nightlife like anything in australia , sydney , melbourne , perth or brisbane.ricardo1979 wrote:Am about to do the working holiday thing in Europe in October.
As an architect, thought it would be a good spot - the home of Alvar Aalto and some great builidngs like the Kiasma art museum in helsinki.
..but what's it actually like to LIVE there?
Some myths I've heard:
- finns are offhand most of the time
- finns become antisocial during winter and turn to alcohol
- finnish cuisine isn't great - most people eat italian or chinese
- Finland is incredibly expensive [compared to the rest of europe].
I should mention that I'm from Australia [Brisbane] so of course the exchange rate isn't great anyway..
What are the people like in Helsinki? Is the nightlife comparable to say Brisbane or Melbourne in Australia or is it pretty dead? [Australians help me out here!] Are people fairly open like in Oz? What to do if you can't speak a word of Finnish - do people treat you differently? What do people do to kill the boredom there? What sort of people would you find in hostels? Mostly people from northern europe, or the UK or a huge mix? Is Finland just the same as any other european country [apart from language and weather of course] with the same bland suburbia, shopping malls, etc?
It's really hard to get work , I know that.. I dont think I've spotted any shopping centres really.
And to kill the boredom , you drink :p
I can't really answer your questions about the nightlife, since I'm no party-animal 
, but maybe something else..
First of all, the drinking. I keep reading everywhere that there's nothing else to do than drink, and finnish ppl are constantly drunk. I guess it's true then, but I must say it sounds a bit strange to me - I'm a finn who doesn't really drink, married to a finn who doesn't drink, most of our friends and family don't really use much alcohol.. and I've always thought we're typical finnish people!
There are malls in Finland (like Itäkeskus, the biggest mall in nordic countries IIRC). It makes a huge difference wether you live in a tiny little town or a bigger city like Helsinki. Going to the mall for some shopping and a cup of tea/coffee is a very common way of killing time among my friends. We go to movies, art galleries, gigs (and this doesn't necessarily mean getting drunk). We like to ask friends over for a dinner and sauna. We spend a lot of time outdoors, at the gym, library...
There's much more to do during summer, obviously. People spend more time outside, enjoying the sun and going to places, festivals and all that. During winter people stay at home more. I wouldn't say we're more antisocial, just.. less visible. People go to other peoples homes to spend time together, not to the park/beach/whatever.
, but maybe something else..First of all, the drinking. I keep reading everywhere that there's nothing else to do than drink, and finnish ppl are constantly drunk. I guess it's true then, but I must say it sounds a bit strange to me - I'm a finn who doesn't really drink, married to a finn who doesn't drink, most of our friends and family don't really use much alcohol.. and I've always thought we're typical finnish people!
There are malls in Finland (like Itäkeskus, the biggest mall in nordic countries IIRC). It makes a huge difference wether you live in a tiny little town or a bigger city like Helsinki. Going to the mall for some shopping and a cup of tea/coffee is a very common way of killing time among my friends. We go to movies, art galleries, gigs (and this doesn't necessarily mean getting drunk). We like to ask friends over for a dinner and sauna. We spend a lot of time outdoors, at the gym, library...
There's much more to do during summer, obviously. People spend more time outside, enjoying the sun and going to places, festivals and all that. During winter people stay at home more. I wouldn't say we're more antisocial, just.. less visible.
People go to other peoples homes to spend time together, not to the park/beach/whatever.
Re: Working holiday in Finland
ad 1: depending on your budget. If you have wheelbarrels of money to spend, the nightlife is great. If you don´t, you will probably buy your beer at the supermarket and get pissed at home before going out - like most finns.ricardo1979 wrote:
* Is the nightlife comparable to say Brisbane or Melbourne in Australia or is it pretty dead?
* Are people fairly open like in Oz?
ad 2: you´re kidding, right?
Jabbadabbadooo
Well having got very drunk last night in Kallio (shock yes!) and met lots of interesting folk on a Monday night and having tried to do the same and failed in the Valley and other areas of Brisbane on a school night, I would say Helsinki has a night life should you seek it.
Melbourne - not quite to that standard and especially nothing like Lygon street or any restaurants like that. Melbourne is a pretty classy diverse city; I wouldn't even lump it with Bris Vegas.
But then if you want it to be like Australia, dare I suggest stay in Aus!
People open - well not at first but put a few beers in them and you learn a lot; they talk pretty frankly then!
Melbourne - not quite to that standard and especially nothing like Lygon street or any restaurants like that. Melbourne is a pretty classy diverse city; I wouldn't even lump it with Bris Vegas.
But then if you want it to be like Australia, dare I suggest stay in Aus!
People open - well not at first but put a few beers in them and you learn a lot; they talk pretty frankly then!
Re: Working holiday in Finland
Here's my two cents...
Yes, it's expensive here, but no,not incredibly expensive, and no, not compared to the rest of Western Europe. UK is much, much more expensive, and so is Norway. Switzerland, Sweden, and some cities in Germany are also more expensive than Helsinki.
3,50 for a pint at even some very trendy bars downtown. If it's 5 eur, then don't go there
- it's probably boring and pretentious there.
A great mix, I'd say. People from all over the world. Lots of Asian tourists here nowadays, although they don't seem to stay in hostels so often.
True and not true.ricardo1979 wrote: - finns become antisocial during winter and turn to alcohol
Huh? I think Finnish cuisine is pretty good, actually! If you like seafood, then you'll love it here (Finns are a bit like Japanese with fish, and are used to eating raw salmon, cold smoked salmon and trout, etc.), and there are local delicacies like reindeer, herring, etc.ricardo1979 wrote:- finnish cuisine isn't great - most people eat italian or chinese
ricardo1979 wrote:- Finland is incredibly expensive [compared to the rest of europe].
Yes, it's expensive here, but no,not incredibly expensive, and no, not compared to the rest of Western Europe. UK is much, much more expensive, and so is Norway. Switzerland, Sweden, and some cities in Germany are also more expensive than Helsinki.
3,50 for a pint at even some very trendy bars downtown. If it's 5 eur, then don't go there
- it's probably boring and pretentious there.Finding a decent job here can be difficult if you don't speak a word of Finnish, although I myself know a couple foreign architects who work here in Helsinki and don't speak any Finnish at all. Everybody (except some older folk) here speaks English, some worse, some really excellent. You can totally get by, make friends and enjoy yourself in a city like Helsinki without knowing a word of the local language, really! Some Finns are shy to use their English even if they speak it well, while some others are very eager to make friends. And not only when they're drunk.ricardo1979 wrote:What to do if you can't speak a word of Finnish - do people treat you differently? What do people do to kill the boredom there?
ricardo1979 wrote: What sort of people would you find in hostels? Mostly people from northern europe, or the UK or a huge mix?
A great mix, I'd say. People from all over the world. Lots of Asian tourists here nowadays, although they don't seem to stay in hostels so often.