Working in Finland

Below are some links to websites which offer general information about working and working life in Finland and the Oulu area.

• Working in Finland - Ministry of Labour
• Information about working and living in Finland (pdf.) - Ministry of Labour
• Foreigners working in Finland -Ministry of Labour
• Infobank - Basic information for immigrants in several languages
• Suomi.fi - Public services in Finland
• Discover Finland -Information on education and training in Finland
• Expat Finland -Living in and moving to Finland
• Living in the Oulu area
• 65 Degrees North - News and views from Oulu
• Finnfacts -Information on Finnish economy and companies listed by sector

In most jobs a good command of the Finnish language is required. If you plan to stay in Finland for a longer period of time you should start learning Finnish as early as possible.

Work permits

International students with a valid residence permit are granted permission to work part-time (max. 25 hrs/week) during terms and take full-time employment during the summer break (May 1 to Sept 30) and Christmas break (Dec 15 to Jan 15) without having to apply for a work permit.

For full-time employment a work permit is needed. In principle, foreign students may be granted a work permit for full-time employment during the academic year only if their work constitutes a part of their studies.

Exchange students cannot be issued a work permit for full-time employment.

Students who are citizens of EU/EEA countries: No work permit is required. However, your residence must be registered if your stay in Oulu exceeds 3 months. Please contact Oulu Police Station (Oulun poliisilaitos).

Students who are non citizens of EU/EEA countries: With a valid residence permit you can work part-time (max. 25 hours per week) during the academic year and full-time during the holidays without a separate work permit.

For more information please see:

• Information for foreigners working in Finland
• Finnish Immigration Service

Contracts

In Finland both the employers and employees are highly organised through Trade Unions and Employer Federations. The main function of trade unions and employers' federations is to negotiate collective agreements for their members (wages, annual holidays, hrs of work, etc.) These agreements are universally binding: they also apply to employers and employees that are not members of the negotiating organisations.

There is no universal statutory minimum wage in Finland. However, there are collective agreements specifiying minimum pay rates for various industries.

Employment in Finland always involves an employment contract. Make sure that the employment contract is prepared in a written form. More information:

• Finnish Employment Contracts Act

Taxation

Every person who works in Finland has to pay taxes. You can get a tax card (verokortti) at the Oulu Tax Office. You should bring your tax card to the employer and the employer will withhold taxes from your salary. More information about taxation is available at Tax Administration website.

Oulu Tax Office
Torikatu 4 B
90100 Oulu, Finland

Open Mon-Fri 9:00-16:15

Salaries

There is no universal statutory minimum wage in Finland.

Salaries for trainees and interns vary according to the sector and employer.

N.B! the recommendations (see below) are based on national averages for salaries and students can use them as a reference when negotiating with employers. There are regional differences in salaries, i.e. in Southern Finland and in Helsinki, salaries are usually higher because of higher living costs.

 

TEK - The Association of Graduate Engineers (recommendations for trainee salaries and final thesis work)

AKAVA - Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland

 

Working in Finland

Work permits

Contracts

Taxation

Salaries