does having a finnish degree helps you?

vincebel · Post by **vincebel** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 5:30 pm

Hi all. easy question.
I have a masters in environment and biodiversity conservation and of course cant find a job. I did one year of practice in the same place and they were happy with my work but not enough money anyway to hire me.
I applied in many companies for jobs that i could really do (no finnish language needed and anyway i do speak quite ok finnish) but no answers

I have the feeling that if i dont have a finnish degree, the companies dont even look at the rest of the cv.

Should i study environmental chemistry for 4 years, get a finnish paper and apply again? Also the last year is practice so i could get to know some companies or people easier...I just feel its a waste of time if the diploma is not the reason...

I should change my french name into a finnish name maybe

**Sponsor:**

rinso · Post by **rinso** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 6:42 pm

I don't think the Finnish or foreign degree is the decisive factor when applying for a specialist job.
(at least if your degree is from a western country)
Language and experience are probably more important.

vincebel · Post by **vincebel** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 8:46 pm

Yeah thats true but i moved here after my studies, did two years of language courses and one year of practice.

So i have a bit of language and a bit of experiment

. So how can i get experiment without language or work specific language without experiment?

rinso · Post by **rinso** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:48 pm

It's a catch 22.

Spooked · Post by **Spooked** » Wed Jan 19, 2011 12:52 pm

I have degrees in enviromental management from Finland and Uk, been here 12 years. Im almost fluent and Finnish companies wont touch me. I have sent uncountable applications, made many solid contacts and been door to door. Response has always been less than welcoming so I have ended up doing other things.

Good luck but dont hold your breath.

vincebel · Post by **vincebel** » Wed Jan 19, 2011 1:05 pm

yep.

I applied for nursing school which starts in september. just in case i find nothing...(which i think will happen)

mrjimsfc · Post by **mrjimsfc** » Wed Jan 19, 2011 4:34 pm

vincebel wrote:I have a masters in environment and biodiversity conservation and of course cant find a job.

I'm afraid that your degree is wasted in Finland. You'll probably have to go to a country like Australia or Canada to get a job in your degree field. Of course there are all kinds of jobs for you in America but you don't want to go there.

vincebel · Post by **vincebel** » Wed Jan 19, 2011 8:41 pm

Well i dont know there s a lot of nature stuff in Finland like Natura 2000, the baltic sea problems, the wolves,lynxes, ...But still im sure people without a degree knows more about lynxes and bears than me...

Tiwaz · Post by **Tiwaz** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:57 am

vincebel wrote:Well i dont know there s a lot of nature stuff in Finland like Natura 2000, the baltic sea problems, the wolves,lynxes, ...But still im sure people without a degree knows more about lynxes and bears than me...

And has it occurred that natives have their own training programs for those fields? You are not exactly entering 3rd world nation where highest form of schooling is having some nun teach you read and write.

Simply put, you have foreign degree and try to enter heavily competed field where most competitors have Finnish degree (which is always a plus, as Finns are comfortable with Finnish education system. It is question of knowing what you get).

There just is no room for lots of biodiversity folks. You do not need 1000 guys when 100 is sufficient.

rinso · Post by **rinso** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 11:49 am

There just is no room for lots of biodiversity folks. You do not need 1000 guys when 100 is sufficient.

And a lot of those jobs are in the (semi) public field instead of private enterprises.
In those cases even your nationality (non-Finn) might be a handicap.

Tiwaz · Post by **Tiwaz** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 2:10 pm

Well, at least in sense that in most public, semi or not, fluent Finnish is pretty much essential. My understanding is that internal communication & paperwork are very much in official languages.

mrjimsfc · Post by **mrjimsfc** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 5:09 pm

You should definitly go to Montana in the USA and convince the ranchers that they need the biodiverse improvements that come from having wolves thin the cattle herd.

I'm not sure that even if you speak fluent Finnish you can convince the Sami that they need wolves and/or lynx thinning their reindeer herds.

Upphew · Post by **Upphew** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 5:16 pm

mrjimsfc wrote:You should definitly go to Montana in the USA and convince the ranchers that they need the biodiverse improvements that come from having wolves thin the cattle herd.

Bonus points by doing it in some other language than English.

finlandforumuser · Post by **finlandforumuser** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 7:15 pm

rinso wrote: Language and experience are probably more important.

Language is important for low-end jobs. As higher qualification as it is less needs for fin-language skill.

Upphew · Post by **Upphew** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 10:52 pm

finlandforumuser wrote:
rinso wrote: Language and experience are probably more important.
Language is important for low-end jobs. As higher qualification as it is less needs for fin-language skill.

Language is important for low-end jobs, but in public sector they seem to have policy of equality and some people are more equal than other. On the other hand many public posts have requirement of skills in both official languages (at least for Finnish speaking people).

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