Tourism, moving and studying in Finland? Ask here!

32 comments

1. [deleted]

2. My friends and I (early 20s) are thinking of going to finland around the 19th of December and willing to go lapland for 4 – 6 nights for skiing , Northern lights and some other activities, then probably will go back to Helsinki for another 5 – 7 nights.

   So I wanted to ask is it a good time to visit during Christmas and New year like how many days holiday do you usually get during those times and are alot of stuff closed(sorry not familiar with Christmas holidays). And one more thing any recommendation on what to do in Helsinki? And lapland too

3. Hello! I’m an expat from South America that had relocated to Gdańsk, Poland.
   Given the political winds blowing on my current country, I decided to look for other countries to live in and I’m currently considering Finland.
   What I’m looking is for a country with political and economical stability and a city like Gdańsk, this is small (~800k inhabitants), with a nice beach that can be used in summer (warm weather and a sea you can dive into).
   Is there a city you Finnish or expat living in recommend? I assume that the country is stable in the matters I mentioned and are welcome to expats (I work on IT and I’ve been reading about programs to bring software developers to Helsinki).
   Thanks for reading!

4. Hey there! I’m a female EU citizen in my last year of high school, and I’m looking into immigrating to Finland to pursue further education. The university I’m interested in is LUT, which has campuses in Lappeenranta and Lahti. Both have advantages to them from my point of view, such as Lahti being close to Helsinki, or Lappeenranta allegedly being the safest city in Finland. Since I’m moving there with my girlfriend (also an EU citizen), my main question is which of these two cities is most accepting of the LGBT community? Some other questions would be:

   Which is better overall?

   Which one is more foreigner friendly?

   What are the advantages and disadvantages of both?

   Thank you in advance!! 🙂

5. Hello y’all; I’m looking for some specific informations about life (and especially high school life) in Finland.

   First of all, I wasn’t sure wether to put the ‘immigration” or the “tourist” tag: I’m not going to be a tourist (I will be hosted by a local family and I will go to a local school), but neither I’m going to be a migrant (I’m not going to live in Finland forever, nor i’m going to buy a house there or stuff like this).
   I’m an italian student which is going to do a six-month cultural exchange next year, and by the moment I have no clue about which country to decide.

   Sooo, I’m trying to get the largest quantity of information I can about countries that inspires me the most! And Finland is sure one of them.
   Here in Italy Finland is seen like a heaven on earth: everyone admires its beautiful landscapes, its culture and it’s school, and I do too; the fact is, I’m also aware of the fact that there are many things we don’t know.

   Consider that I won’t ceartainly end out in a large city, but most likely in a small city / village.
   So, my questions are:

   •(I’m 16) How’s high school in Finland? Not really “how does it work” (I’ve already figured it out in the FAQ), but “how’s the relationship with teachers/classmates?” Do you talk and do jokes with teachers? (here in Italy we usually treat each others like friends) or are them just… teachers which teach you stuff? Also, do classmates like to spend time / hang out / play games together while not doing lessons? I know that may sound like a stupid question, but I’m taking nothing for granted.

   •How’s every day life in Finland? Do you spend most of your time at home and at school or in other places as well?

   •How are, generally, people in Finland? Are they usually seen as friendly or not? Do they like talking to random strangers? I ask because here in southern Italy we tend to be very… outgoing.

   Anyway, thank you so much! And sorry if I wrote so much.

6. I am a PhD student at a Canadian University now living in Finland. In Canada PhD students are not employees and are still students, and I receive income in the form of tax-free scholarships 3 times a year. I am applying for my first tax card (I have no income in Finland), and I am not sure where or if I need to report these scholarships for tax purposes here.

   Thanks

7. Going to levi lapland around the 19th of December what are the chances to see Northern lights? Any website I can see the chances of it happening or not happening

8. My great grandfather immigrated from Finland to Canada in the early 1900s. I don’t know much about him, but he brought with him his last name which I carry. “Virta”, or anglicized, “Wirta”.

   I wanted to ask what it means/where it comes from/what type of people carried this name. I googled this, but honestly I’m not really trusting non-credible websites and would like to get a Finnish person’s knowledge and perspective on it if they have some.

   Sorry if this isn’t the correct place to ask, I just didn’t want to create a thread and fill up the feed with nonsense. Thank you

9. What is the covid update on Finland alot of EU countries are making restrictions and quarantines because of a recent rise in cases will finland be affected by new travel rules?

10. Hei, I am a non EU person moving to Finland (Oulu) for work on a residence permit. I have gone through most of the guides including the [Cheet Sheet](https://www.reddit.com/r/Finland/comments/n5bj58/cheat_sheet_moving_to_finland_from_outside_the_eu/). I still have a few questions:

    1. Banks – Which Bank do you recommend to open up a checking account, savings account, and brokerage account? (I am used to the American banking system with JP Morgan Chase as my preferred bank over here for checking and savings with Fidelity for a brokerage account) Is the Finnish Banking system similar? I am looking for a bank with plenty of kiosks for ATM and enough branch offices to walk in for service.
    2. Cars – I have been searching for second-hand cars to buy after I get my Finnish Driving License. I am a bit confused about why the prices are so high. Even for a car with >150,000 km, the price is on the higher end. I have been using [https://autotie.fi/](https://autotie.fi/). Alternatively, would you recommend getting a multi-year lease on a car from a dealership? In the US it can be as cheap as ~$200/mo for 3 years for a VW Golf. I am aware that the laws and taxes are different but I was expecting to see the same amount of depreciation on cars.

    Thanks a ton!

11. Hello all! I’m currently applying to an online program at UEF as an international student and on the studyinfo website it mentions an entrance exam that I may have to take in the spring. I can’t find any study materials online or any specifics for how to prepare for the test. Is this normal? Are there materials out there? Any info would be appreciated 🙂

12. Two questions abt aalto University-
    1)anyone studying quantum technology program here? I would like to ask abt the program, ur experience, the stats and stuff like that.. i am going to apply next year..
    One more thing, i wanted to specifically know abt the lowest SAT scores which can bring u a scholarship for quantum technology

    2) any student studying at aalto from south asia? I would like to talk to u guys..I’m from india

    That’s it

13. Hi, do universities like Aalto look for high school grades? I have passed high school but took a second-attempt to pass some subjects.

14. Beautiful people of Finland!

    In 2 weeks Im visiting Finland for 1 purpose: ice swimming, preferably with a outdoor sauna nearby. I would love to hear your recommendations on where I should do this and perhaps include how to travel to the recommended spot from Helsinki.

15. [deleted]

16. Hi! Im going to Finland for christmas but im starting to think they will close the borders because of Omicron… Should i be worried?

17. Are there good English-speaking job boards that anyone can recommend?

18. I’m from Vietnam and I’m going to study nursing at SAMK University, in Pori next month. Given how cold and distant it is, I’m afraid of a lot of things. What should I really pay attention to or prepare in advance?

19. I am non-EU person and currently in my last year of university in Europe. I’ve received an offer for a position in Helsinki and was wondering how comfortable a salary of 70,000EUR (gross) would be for a single 21 year old.

20. I have a trip coming up on Sunday I will be flying from Denmark to Helsinki and I noticed that there was a government meeting today about new covid restriction. In the (google translated) news I noticed that they said:
    “that border security needed to be tightened, in order to slow the spread of the new variant.”. I’m unsure what this means, should I cancel my trip and book something else instead?

21. Hi, I am moving to Helsinki in january for 5 months to study. The room I received from HOAS is in Lassila Lassas. Can anyone tell me a little bit about the neighborhood? It seems like there is not to much around there.

    Also what is the best way of transportation?

    Any other tips? Best jackets to bring and what kind off shoes do I bring haha

22. How much is the typical Kela reimbursement for a general practitioner visit? I paid 115 EUR for a terveystalo appointment and I am wondering how much of that Kela will reimburse me.

23. Why does everyone have a master’s degree?

    I am about to graduate from university, a bachelors degree in the UK. I am considering coming back to Finland for work. Actually this past summer I did an internship in Helsinki, and I found out that most people in Finland do their master’s before their first full-time job (in finance).

    How much of a disadvantage am I really at if I don’t have a master’s degree? In the UK for example companies would only recruit bachelors graduates for analyst type roles (grad programs), and those with a MSc would be going into associate/VP directly, ditto in the US.

    I really love the more relaxed work culture in Finland. I just feel like sitting through 2 years of a MSc Finance at Aalto wouldn’t be the best use of my time if I would be working the same type of job as a bachelors grad in the UK anyway.

    Is there some sort of “qualifications for the sake of it” situation going on here?

24. Hi, I will start a semester abroad in an Erasmus+ exchange program next month and need to apply for a residence permit if I understood correctly. I have the Turkish citizenship but live in Germany and have a permanent residence permit for Germany. On [migri.fi](https://migri.fi) mobility notification is mentioned, do I have to apply for that? Sorry for such a simple question but I need some clarity here.

25. Hello!

    I’ve recently been diagnosed with ADHD(mid-November) and have started stimulant medication(Adderall XR) that helps my symptoms a lot.

    It’s my understanding that this is qualified as a narcotic, and I can only bring in 14 days worth, which is completely okay.

    My question is moreso, how do I find a doctor that can prescribe me a similar ADHD medication? I know Amphetamines aren’t completely approved for use in the EU, so I’m not expecting the same medication. I’ve heard that Ritalin is what’s most common in Finland.

26. Hello! I’m looking for info on mental health services for foreigners…

    I’m a resident in Finland attending the University of Helsinki on a study-based residence permit. Although I have a municipality of residence, my understanding is that I cannot access public health services or university health services as someone with non-EEA/EU citizenship.

    My doctor back home told me I need a therapist asap, and I also need a doctor here who can refill my sertraline prescription. At this point it’s getting a bit urgent because I’m almost out of medication, but I still can’t figure out which health services are ACTUALLY available to me.

    I have private health insurance (required for my residence permit) but I can’t figure out which private providers would even accept it.

    Has anyone else been in this situation? Or do you have any recommendations for where to look?? Online info sources for foreigners have been sending me in circles.

27. Hello all,

    I have been awarded a scholarship through my current job and it has me moving to Helsinki for two years to study and get my master’s degree. Ideally, I am supposed to do this in Finnish. I am currently in month 4 of 10 in my Finnish intensive course and I doubt I will be able to prove my language proficiency to the University of Helsinki by the time they close their Finnish language programs.

    1) Does anyone know of universities in Finland that would let me study in Finnish without proving my language proficiency?

    2) Is there a way for me to use my diploma from my intensive course to get the equivalant in Finland?

    ​

    Kiitos

28. Hi everyone! We are coming from Texas to visit Rovaniemi next week and decided to rent a car. I was looking at Google street view on the map, and noticed the line markings (yellow vs. white, solid vs. dashed) do not mean what they do here. I have spent about 20 minutes googling and can’t seem to figure out the rules – maybe I’m not calling them the right thing. Any help or a good website to look through? I found traffic signs, but not lines.

    Also, how worried should I be about moose? haha….We have deer hopping out all the time here, my sister just hit one last week, so I’ve decided I’m afraid of moose. We are driving from Rovaniemi to Luosto to the Amethyst mine, and maybe to Ranua Zoo. We will probably leave around 10, and head back around 13:30 – so I don’t know how daylight plays into that question.

    Finally – we are spending our first few days in Helsinki. Here during the week, indoor playgrounds and things like that are pretty empty because the kids are in school. Is it similar there? I know its probably more touristy, and the weather might make a difference. We’ll avoid places like that if they’re typically pretty busy, still being covid conscious. Thinking of Children’s Town at the Helsinki City Museum and the Hoplop indoor playground.

    Thanks! I gotta say, I have been emailing places there since I started planning, and everyone responds so quickly and seem so friendly. Here I tend to get delayed responses, half answered questions, and incomplete sentences haha.

29. How can I find job in finland? I live in Turkey now, im a mechanic Technician. I repaired Medical devices and machines, periodic maintanence.

30. Hello guys, Non-EU here,

    Is there a logical explanation as to why non-EU application periods are so short? For example, **January 5, 2022 – January 19, 2022**, for the University of Oulu.
    Also, the University of Oslo says **15 October 2021 ‐ 15 November 2021**. That’s like a month period. Bringing in Norway because they have similar cultures, perhaps there’s a correlation.
    All these are for studies that will begin in September 2022

31. I am non-EU student here, have been living for about half a year now. When can I apply for a credit card from banks? (I have account in OP and S-Pankki)

32. Does Finland allow Antigen tests (not PCR) if I’m coming from an EU country?