Best guide for jobsearch in Finland

For all the people who are interested in finding a Summer job in Finland, I will try to make a comprehensive list of all the available resources that I have come across. Assuming, that as myself, the reader is not a Finnish speaker. 

First of all you should start from the premise that this is Finland and they speak Finnish. I know it sounds stupid to repeat it, but you must have strong motivation and drive in order not to let yourself down. On the positive side, Finland is a very small country with quite many international companies. My impression is that if you have some working experience it raises the chances.

Summer jobs are the most common way that students get some work experience before they conclude their studies. Searching for a permanent job after graduation is a lot easier if you have any working experience in the country. The typical summer jobs will last 3-5 months from April-September. Therefore latest summer job hunting happens in February.

If you have a student visa you are entitled to work 25 hours per week during the time you are studying, and up to 40 hours per week when you are not, meaning the summertime. I asked the Employment and Economic Development Office to confirm:
According to Aliens Act 79 § 4 mom. "aliens who have received a degree or other qualification in Finland have a right to gainful employment with a residence permit.."
In addition according to Aliens' Act 80 § 1) for studying if the employment is a traineeship required for a degree or other qualification or part of the preparation of a research paper required for the studies and in the form of gainful employment or if the average amount of work is 25 hours a week at the time when there are classes at the educational instutional, or if the full-time work is at a time when there are no classes at the educational institution.

Most positions that students work in during summertime are not even announced anywhere. You can just send an open application for "kesätyö" (summer job) to a place you are interested in working at. If you apply somewhere, it is vital to ask via phone or email who the application should be send to, so you have a concrete person to write your letter of motivation to. A personal contact might sometimes be a very good way to get started. So don't be afraid to call or visit (without being annoying).

Working in Finland seminars. They are organized by the Career Services offices in the different universities. They are very useful in order to get to know a bit how the system works. There might be a great opportunity to do some networking and hear other people's experience.  

Here is a list with links related to working in Finland, job positions, job offers etc. Some of the sites are only available in Finnish, but you can still find possible jobs:


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