Could I work or live in Finland, preferably Helsinki, without knowing a word of Finnish? I am currently 17 and about to graduate High School and soon after that ill be 18, which is when Id like to move. Let me know what you think I could do. Thanks!! =D
Other - Europe - 5 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
people in helsinki speak fluent english. but if u go to the outer skirts of town like espoo. prepare yourself cause people there dont talk english that much and u might have a hard time communicating with them.
2 :
work would be very difficult without speaking Suomi. unless your work doesnt require talking with customers.
3 :
Well, the other answerer is totally wrong with the English skills of Finns, namely, English is the primary choice for the first (compulsory!) foreign language at school across the whole country so we Finns certainly know our English (except people older than 60 years of age)!!! But, the problem is that to have a Finnish citizenship requires a passing of a language test, which means that you cannot have the citizenship without any Finnish skills here. The universities here do not offer whole degree programmes in English so that is another problem too.
4 :
There are only a few possibilities for obtaining a visa to live in Finland, and without citizenship with an EU country or direct Finnish ancestry, it's difficult to get one. Visa based on work: You need to have a job before you can apply to move to Finland and work there. Within the EU, a country must show they advertised a position locally and couldn't find a qualified EU worker, before they can hire you. It depends a lot on labor shortages within specific fields, and generally requires extensive higher education and work experience. Due to the time and cost involved, it makes more sense to hire a local. It's easy to get around Finland as a tourist using only English, but the working language for most companies is Finnish (or possibly Swedish). It's a necessity to speak one of those languages, otherwise finding work will be very difficult. With no particular skills or education, a company will always be able to find another applicant that can do the job, that speaks the local language in addition to English and can start work right away. The only other real possibility is a study visa. To be accepted to an undergrad program, you need to pass a fluency test in Finnish. You have to show you have at least €6000/year for support before you can get a permit. There are graduate programs in English, but you'll need a Bachelor's degree for entry. Your best option is to go to university in the US, and do a one-year exchange program without the language requirements (you would learn Finnish during that year). Alternately, you could do all your undergraduate studies in the US. It's important to start studying Finnish as soon as possible if you're serious about moving, it's listed as one of the most difficult languages to learn as an English-speaker. Once you've completed your degree, you could apply for graduate school in Finland. With an appropriate degree from Finland (and language skills, by then) you might have a possibility of finding work.
5 :
You can literally move to any country and have the same problems/challenges ahead of you. Generally speaking finnish people do speak good English. Other problem is that they don't usually hire people with immigrant background that easily unless you have a magic skill that is hard to find. Getting a job is no easy task even for a Finn these days. Living in Helsinki area is more expensive than in the other towns so you'd probably end up having no money after all the expenses. Public transport, apartment rent, food are expensive and salaries relatively low and taxes high. If you're not EU or finnish citizen your taxation rate is higher also. Let's not forget that we have comparably high unemployment rate which is officially 7% but don't be fooled by that. If the only factor was paid jobs it'd be about 14 %. If you really want to try then I suggest that you try to get some kind of temporary summer job and apply for the temporary working visa permit. There are American companies in Finland aswell but usually they don't hire much staff as it is more economical to employ people elsewhere. You'd have more luck in some English speaking country. (UK & Ireland)
