Advice on gaining more suitable employment

Haatchi · Post by **Haatchi** » Wed Jan 09, 2013 4:48 pm

Is there any palce where they give advice on how to get decent employment in Helsinki?

Its for a EU citizen with ok knowledge of Finnish who has been unable to work for 8 years due to health problems which seem to have been overcome now. The person currently lives in a nice large Helsinki garden apartment with her new partner (he earns about 500 e at the moment so cannot support his girlfriend), she has got 3 part time jobs right now...one is housecleaning for a company they used to give her 2-3 jobs a week but lost business due to putting up their prices now she's only got 3 hrs a week (taxed), one is a nanny job for a family outside pääkaupunki area paying cash (for a 10 hr day she gets 12 euro after fares are paid, as the job starts super early she has to travel by bus through the night) this is for 1-2 days a month and one as a home helper (paid by HKI CITY) for a female student who only spends 1 week a month in Helsinki, this student lives in the same apartment block and then calls her out at short notice often at night, or expects her to sit at home by the phone waiting for callout, also this employer is allergic to all perfumes and cosmetics and demands her employee to not have used any toiletries for at least 12 hours before coming to her apartment) this home help job is for 3-10 hrs a month.

She has been paying the rent from a tax refund which is finished now and her wages rom all these jobs are less that the rent and the constant waiting for phone calls and long journeys are very stressful,she wants a job with regular hours as well as holiday and sick pay if possible...she is doing unpaid voluntary work at a church care hospice and really loves it, she cannot go back to college as she doesn't want to separate from her partner and move into a shared flat with girls (she's not the messy fun flatsharer type but very tidy and organised and wants to stay living in the apartment, she has no formal qualifications)

we went to the MOL office and they are a useless lot, they just say' all our jobs are on the computer database, go and apply for them yourself...she's worried that her long time out for health will put employers off....it has to be a legal job with tax being deducted not to lose out on pension contributions and live out ...

if anyone can think of a company or employment advice place where they know more on how to get a real job, not a teenagers pocket money job it will be a big help...

**Sponsor:**

cors187 · Post by **cors187** » Wed Jan 09, 2013 8:39 pm

not a teenagers pocket money job

this country will never be as good as what people think it is if they look at the statistics.
The country has a mass population of students every summer that flood the markets.The country has a culture that immediately defers you to the retard counter if you have not got any qualifications.
The employment opportunities for non qualified is very poor.
Because everyone is a schooly, often they end up with high qualifications , this makes job hunting for lower positions real life.
Do most peeps who are qualified take a lower qualified acceptable job?Not always.that means there is a % that keeps learning.The problem cycles on for the non qualified.
Not really advise but i think a plan could be to think about building a plan of self employment(long term with others as a team), that equalizes her in a country full of diplomas.

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 10:39 am

she cannot go back to college as she doesn't want to separate from her partner and move into a shared flat with girls

WTF lame excuse is this then? Where does it say college equals separating from your parther and moving to a shared flat? Unless you move cities, of course.

Haatchi · Post by **Haatchi** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 10:50 am

thank you aussie/russian for your post...yes that is actually a great idea as both girlfriend and boyfriend have an interest that can be turned into self employment but that takes time to build up....

the problem is for now, they don't want to lose their home and separate...so much work that went into the apartment and for them both its the first safe decent home in their lives (the boyfriend is half Scandinavian and has residence but was brought up by his mum and step dad in a country which has had long term unrest and has been difficult to live in, the girlfriend has been in and out of care all her life) they are not at all 'loser' or' codependent' types at all, the boyfriend has a degree and works as a manager but in his trade there is a seasonal slump now...the house is tidy and welcoming ...

I would say in her case she does work and as far as I know is well liked in all the jobs but the problem are the irregular hours and the long distance and the money going on the fares and the rubbish pay...the nanny job means leaving house at 3am and long waits at outside bus stops in the cold for 1.50 e an hour...this is not right in Europe in 2013....that sort of pay is ok for a 12 year old but not for an adult having to rent and run a home...

any ideas of where to get proper pay welcome

Haatchi · Post by **Haatchi** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 11:03 am

no no an excuse but she has NO savings and no one to 'sub' her and the authority wouldn't pay for someone to live in a cute garden apartment its far too pricey and would be seen as 'luxury'...and these cheap flats are mostly 'all-female' and no visitors allowed at all..., rules everywhere...not a way this person can live...this is not a fun easygoing young girl but a grown adult woman who used to have her own houses and firm...

she's doing the unpaid work which includes free training...its in a hospice...maybe that can be seen as relevant experience...

rinso · Post by **rinso** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 11:31 am

If the way you talk about her situation is identical with the way she behaves, it is no wonder she in such a mesh.
When you use all kind of lame excuses not to change your situation but ask others to bring the solution to you on a golden platter, you won't make it in this world.
She has to make some sacrifices to improve her situation. If she is not willing to do that, she has to live with the consequences.

Like cors said, in a country where most people have good educations she'll always get the short straw unless she takes action herself.

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 12:07 pm

Haatchi wrote:authority wouldn't pay for someone to live in a cute garden apartment its far too pricey

Well, if you don't have money to live the way you wanted, too bad. Most of the people (especially around Helsinki) need to do compromises on that.

and these cheap flats are mostly 'all-female' and no visitors allowed at all

which country are we talking about?

interleukin · Post by **interleukin** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 12:13 pm

I have to add to the army of WTF replies. Why on earth would studying have any correlation to being forced to move out and into a student corridor? Are you living in some American teen film, not Finland?

Haatchi · Post by **Haatchi** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 1:19 pm

hey no need for that 'rinso' ...first of all the person is not 'in a mesh' , they used to have a good income for a while but this changed...then someone else was paying money for occasional use of the apartment, they had to return to their country for visa reasons and that has now stopped...you don't know them as well as i do so don't judge please!

have just spoken to them...they are slightly afraid of having to move out of their home reason being they never had a good home and they are not that young, don't know their exact age but they were working 30 yrs ago so work it out for yourselves...

they want to keep their home, sharing with strangers is not everyone's cup of tea...I don't know how it works here in Finland...what happens to people who have to retrain for health reasons after accident or so???? Do they keep their home?..

how can anyone pay the rent if they're sitting in a school?????????? are there part time programs???? I know that losing a home and partner would make it very difficult for anyone to concentrate on a course and make them most likely fail...

but this person has very good experience ....not all jobs need a degree from Uni surely...

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 1:33 pm

Haatchi wrote:don't know their exact age but they were working 30 yrs ago so work it out for yourselves...

Well, then I start wonder how much sense it makes to go to college at all.

what happens to people who have to retrain for health reasons after accident or so???? Do they keep their home?..

there is pension system for people who can't work any more, though I think it is not very good for those who can work, but not very much.

Anyway, how long they have been living there, do they qualify to normal social subsidies (like asumistuki, toimeentulotuki)? How much do they pay for rent and water monthly?

Haatchi · Post by **Haatchi** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 2:39 pm

this person does not want to get a degree...just to be able to work and be part of society...and she is definitely too young for a pension...retirement age in Finland is 67 rising to 68 then to 70...this is not Helmand Province -sorry to be un-pc but everyone else is here, so may as well join in...if a person left school young and starts work part time (this was weekends helping out in healing centre she said)at say 13 or 14, which is this lady's case than that is more than 25 years left of working life...
the health problem did affect her co -ordination and she's chronically disorganized but that can be addressed by living an organised , routine life in a home with many distractions...sharing a home with a bunch of girls who borrow clothes and take things is not suitable for someone chronically disorganized...she's also very calm quiet person and outgoing young girls would just see her as a pain...

she is very fit to work but no point to stand at freezing bus stops all night and have no home life for 12 euro a day this is a joke...if the employer was a company they would be reported but they are a struggling individual...she wants a job with proper hours, there is no case of 'cannot work much' ...

as for the 'cute' flat ...I'm from a country where houses are usually crowded...my 'tribal group 'especially lives with extended family , its a joke amongst landlords 'don't let to ....they will put 10 in a 2 room flat so we have our own landlords who let to us...the apartment has a kitchen with breakfast bar and French door leading onto small balcony and there is common meadow with some trees...its 1 biggish room divided into 2 by the kitchen...its lovely decorated with plants and textiles these people have collected and kept very clean and they are so happy there it means a lot to those people....

I think that if one can work for 1.50 e an hour cash they can do the same for real wage of 8-9 e an hour and a reasonable starting time...anyone who can get up at 3 am , survive the 2.5 hr journey stand in the cold with no particularly warm clothing, no warm food and do a 10 hr day work involving lots of interaction and then the long journey home...they cannot have much wrong with them and don't need no pension or hand outs for a long time...

Haatchi · Post by **Haatchi** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 2:44 pm

they have been here since 2009, have residency, used to have work which was very erratic and difficult to juggle with a home and relationship...bills are included in the rent and they had savings from when they worked...also used to house-sit when coming to the country for cheaper rent but a longterm home is important to them...

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 2:58 pm

BTW, the reason I am not answering the headline question is that I don't have any good ideas on that (I wish best of luck, etc..) Have they checked would be eligible for the KELA asumistuki/housing subsidy. It wouldn't be much, but could help anyway.

In the meanwhile, do they actually pay that high rent for the place? Even if they do, it does not actually effect the housing subsidy (kind like the point, you can get subsidy for the accepted level (if you don't earn much). If they pay more (pretty much everybody pays more in Helsinki), they just don't get the subsidy for the excess part.

rinso · Post by **rinso** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 3:10 pm

Haatchi wrote:hey no need for that 'rinso' ...first of all the person is not 'in a mesh' , they used to have a good income for a while but this changed...then someone else was paying money for occasional use of the apartment, they had to return to their country for visa reasons and that has now stopped...you don't know them as well as i do so don't judge please!

Indeed I don't know them, I judge them based on your information. And that is not positive.
For a potential employer this topic is full of red flags not to hire her:
- needs the help of a friend to find a job
- health problem
- Finnish skills questionable
- no formal qualifications
- commuting is a problem
- irregular hours are a problem
- not particular flexible
- not willing to move
- to old?
I know that you (and she) might see this differently but an employer will look for someone without those indications of potential problems.
Describing her problems instead of her qualities is not the best way to generate interest.

Haatchi · Post by **Haatchi** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 3:15 pm

the rent is around 700 or 720 pcm I think...going by what the boyfriend is paying ...they are sharing it ...

she's scared of the KELA lot she says as if they find out she got these disorganization and co ordination problems they will get adult services involved and try to run her life ...in Europe I've heard that they often class people as 'vulnerable' for silly reasons...this is someone whose life has been limited by care services all their life this is why she's having to start anew at an age where most people have their first grandchild..relationship is something new to her a
but someone who cannot run their life would surely have trouble holding down a job with 3 am start...I couldn't ...

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