carpenter & joiner

[ileach]

Hey I've recently qualified with and advanced craft certificate in carpentry and joinery (3years) I am looking to move to Orimattila outside Lahti (where my girlfriend lives) next summer for a year (when she will be finished her studies). I don't think that I will be able to get a job as a joiner since I can't speak finnish but is there any possibility of getting a job labouring or as a general handyman?

Is self employment doing menial jobs that most contractors are not interested in another option..?


cheers

[rinso]

It is unlikely that someone will hire you as a general handyman.
For that kind of work it is mostly free lancing.
And if you're a foreigner, you don't have the contacts.
Your girlfriend should be in a better position to find something for you.

[Pursuivant]

I don't think that I will be able to get a job as a joiner since I can't speak finnish but is there any possibility of getting a job labouring or as a general handyman?

Eh? Handymen need more Finnish so the farmer can give them instructions than a chippie who can hopefully read prints.

[DMC]

Maybe things are not so bleak as all that. Living in the sticks is a 2-edged sword. Obviously there are fewer jobs in less-populated places, but in the countryside it can be hard to find workers. We live in the middle of the forest and have found it difficult to find a good carpenters, painters, plumbers ... anyone really. Some people claim the forests are teeming with skilled multi-lingual unemployed Finns who would be first choice for any work, but I believe that if you have a practical skill (like carpentry) then it should be possible to work here. Not necessarily easy, but possible. You would need to be self-employed though.

My brother-in-law lives near Orimattila. He has been searching for a carpenter to do some repair work and has been unable to find anyone. If he can't find anyone the chances are that others in the area can't find anyone either, so there could be a market there for a carpenter.

Language is of course an issue. My B-I-L speaks no English, and I really mean NO ENGLISH. It would be up to you to find a way around that. One option would be to get your girlfriend to go with you when you view a job and quote for it. Then get her to write a detailed specification of what you will do, in English and Finnish. After that you should be able to just get on with the job on your own, but it is up to you to solve the language problem, not the customer. This is obviously an overhead that a local would not have, but it could be workable. Out in the sticks reputation counts for a lot, so do a good job and word will soon get around, and that will be more important to your bottom line than the cost & hassle of getting a bi-lingual specification for each job. Anyway, PM me if you wish and I can let you know more about my B.I.L.'s carpentry needs.

Although Orimattila is a small town it is not far from Lahti, where there must be a greater chance of finding work. It might even be possible to commute to Helsinki or the outskirts. It isn't as remote as some locations in Finland.

[rinso]

but in the countryside it can be hard to find workers. We live in the middle of the forest and have found it difficult to find a good carpenters, painters, plumbers ... anyone really.

This is certainly true for some professions. But my experience is that you can always find someone who has some experience in the field.
For instance, most farmers are able to do all kind of repairs themselves. If they have time they are willing to help others too.
But it first comes to the right contacts and integration in the local community.

The OP is planning to come here for a year. That's hardly long enough to break the ice with the locals. It certainly will be difficult to get jobs lined up from the start.

[DMC]

But my experience is that you can always find someone who has some experience in the field.
For instance, most farmers are able to do all kind of repairs themselves.

"In the field" ... "farmers" ... was the pun intentional?
Yes, you can usually find someone, eventually. Yet my briother-in-law (a farmer by the way) has been unable to find a carpenter, despite having lived there all his life. Same in our area. We had a plumber visit about 2 months ago and he promised to return the following week to do the job. Every time we call him up he says "next week". We are still waiting. This is typical. We have had the same problem with him in the past, but cannot find anyone else. Same with a carpenter. Two years ago we had one who was useless and we stopped the project half-way. The last year we found another to complete the job and he did excellent work. We would like him to do some more work but now he is too busy and never got to us all summer this year to finish the little jobs left over from last year, without even thinking of any new work. With the supply side being so poor the demand side must be there.

Coming for just a year will make it harder, for sure. That sort of business is largely based on reputation and contacts. Even so, I wouldn't day it was hopeless. Get one or two jobs completed successfully and it might be surprising how many others follow on.

There are two problems not addressed to date. First, a lot of carpentry work is outside, and we have already had the first snow of the winter. Being restricted to inside work cuts the chances considerably. Second, Finnish construction may be different to what the OP will have learnt about elsewhere, and he will need to adapt quickly.

[rinso]

We had a plumber visit about 2 months ago and he promised to return the following week

Plumbers and electricians are indeed rare species.
I do most of the plumbing now myself and we persuade one of my sons to become an electrician.

Finnish construction may be different to what the OP will have learnt about elsewhere, and he will need to adapt quickly.

In the countryside it is mostly "fix it on site, no plans, no drawings". Not to difficult for a professional.
Bigger problem will be the specialized tools. Buying or renting is expensive.

[davin]

Don`t despair.

I`m a chippie and haven`t had problems picking up work in the past (not in Finland at the moment).
Just got to do the best work you can, because Finns assume that you wont be as good as a Finnish carpenter (but believe me I have seen some shocking Finnish work, and the prices they ask - wow).
Dont forget Lahti is furniture town (if you can stand working in afactory (I can`t) you should be able to pick up a job.

Good luck

[ileach]

Hey thanks for all the input. I've been really busy with both jobs of late. Moving into winter so we have had a lot of chimney fires as people start them up again for the winter. That and a big push on site means I haven't had a chance to reply until now

I guess going solo and getting the other half to help me work with clients is the best way to go. Would I need to speak finnish to work in the furniture factories in Lahti or just the ability to read and understand plans?

DMC I don't know if you misread my original post or if brother in law is a very patient man. I wont be moving there until next summer. If he is desperate and it's not too big a job I could possibly do it on a holiday. Let me know and I'll PM you.

Please excuse my ignorance, will it be ok to run all my power tools off the finnish mains? I use 110v tools through a transformer atm for safety reasons. Can I use everything in finland that I can here in the uk by adding a plug adaptor?

[DMC]

DMC I don't know if you misread my original post or if brother in law is a very patient man. I wont be moving there until next summer. If he is desperate and it's not too big a job I could possibly do it on a holiday. Let me know and I'll PM you.

I was really using my brother-in-law's experience as an example to show that there is a demand, and lack of supply, in the Orimattila area. On the other hand I doubt if anything will be done on his job till next year anyway. He needs repair work to the verandah / entrance at the farm house, and I guess he won't want that done over the winter. So give me a PM when you come over and I'll let you know if he is still looking for someone.
Your tools should be OK, but I suggest changing the plugs rather than using an adaptor. Either that or wire up an extension lead with a Finnish plug & UK socket. I have known one or two dodgy converters and they are best avoided for serious / regular use I think.

[Upphew]

Your tools should be OK, but I suggest changing the plugs rather than using an adaptor. Either that or wire up an extension lead with a Finnish plug & UK socket. I have known one or two dodgy converters and they are best avoided for serious / regular use I think.

Isn't the voltage at construction in UK -55V to +55V, so no ground, plugging that kind of tool to 230V might pose a challenge, even with Finnish plugs.

[DMC]

Isn't the voltage at construction in UK -55V to +55V, so no ground, plugging that kind of tool to 230V might pose a challenge, even with Finnish plugs.

Oh, I don't know. If so, good catch.

[Pursuivant]

Add to that construction sites/ farms usually have 380v/440v mains for "industrial power tools", 230v is for "home kits". I'd think you'd need a serious step-down transformer to haul with and get a lot of grief from the safety standards people nevermind the insurance as its all supposed to be fully grounded these days.

[DMC]

I am certainly no expert on electrickery, but it is certainly different here. In the UK I knew there was such a thing as 3-phase but I had never encountered it. Here we have 3-phase in the house and a couple of things run off it, plus it is useful when folks coming here to work want to use their 3-phase tools. As to the safety considerations involved, I haven't a clue.

[Pursuivant]

Stoves usually are wired 3-phase - solid to the wall, having a three-phase outlet is rare in city apartments (might be one somewhere for the janitor), but there is usually one in houses.