Children under school age (7 years) have the right to day care provided by the local authority either in a day care centre or in family daycare. Participation in pre-school teaching, which is arranged in day care centers or comprehensive schools, is compulsory for children aged six.

In addition to municipal day care, there are several private day care units, also international ones. Often when moving to Finland it might be easiest to get place for your child through the private day care: you can call directly to the preferred day care unit and ask availability.

List of some international day care units are listed  in "Links to the day care and schools".

NOTE! The parents are responsible for applying the placement in the day care and it may take several months to receive the place in the day care. The nearest day care cannot necessarily provide a day care placement.

All children living in Finland are entitled to attend comprehensive school. Children begin their first grade at the beginning of the autumn term in the year he/she turns seven. Each child has the right to pre-school education free of charge one year prior to commencement of their basic education. Pre-school education is provided by day care centres and some schools.

Basic education is offered in Finnish and Swedish, however, there are bilingual schools (Finnish-English), English schools as well as German, French and Russian schools in Helsinki area. Please click here for more information on Finnish school system and the web pages of respective schools.

NOTE! The parents are responsible for applying the placement both in the private school and public school early enough, as it may take several months to receive the placement.

In case you wish to place your child in to a public nearby school (education is in Finnish or Swedish) it is good to know that the schools are often predefined based on your address. Getting a place from the public school is applied by contacting the nearby school's principal.

Links to day care / early childhood education in different languages 

For daycare and education guidance, please contact

For Espoo residents, Hello Espoo

For Helsinki residents International House Helsinki 
 

• Espoo: Early childhood education in different languages in Espoo (Municipal and private)
• Helsinki: Early childhood education in different languages | City of Helsinki (Municipal and private)
   

Private day care, some examples 

• Touhula Seaside International (Espoo: Keilaniemi)
• Touhula Tikasmäki (Espoo)
• Kiddifeet (Espoo: Suurpelto)
• Laugh and Learn (Helsinki: Haaga)
• The Little English Kindergarten (Helsinki:Länsi-Pasila, Kallio, Haaga)
• The Lauttasaari English Playschool (4-6 yrs) (Helsinki: Lauttasaari)
• Finnish American Kindergarten (Helsinki:Ruoholahti)
• Bumblebees Kindergarten (Helsinki: Herttoniemi, Myllypuro, Pihlajanmäki)

• European School of Helsinki (4-6yrs onwards) (Helsinki city centre: Bulevardi)

  
  Municipal daycare /early childhood education 

• Espoo: Day care in Espoo (espoo.fi)
• Helsinki: Early childhood education | City of Helsinki (Finnish language)
• Vantaa: Day care in Vantaa (vantaa.fi)
  Y.E.S. Day Care Centre (Municipal English language day care in Vantaa)

Education / Schools

• Espoo: information about the city's pre-primary education, basic education, general upper secondary schools etc.
• Espoo: English-language education | City of EspooEnglish-language education is arranged in Espoo International School and Kivimies International School.
   
• Helsinki: Starting basic education in Helsinki | City of Helsinki
• Helsinki: information about the city's pre-primary education, basic education, general upper secondary schools etc.
• Helsinki: English-language basic education | City of Helsinki English-language basic education is available in two of Helsinki's Finnish-language comprehensive schools: Ressu Comprehensive School and Maunula Primary School
• Helsinki: Private schools (in different languages) 
   
• Vantaa: International School of Vantaa | Vantaa
   

EU/EEA citizens have a right to work in Finland. If you have been granted a residence permit on the basis of family ties you will have an unlimited right to work in Finland. However, if you have been granted a residence permit on the basis of a personal relationship, you do not have an unlimited right to work. More information from Finnish Immigration Services' website.

Generally employers value solid education, and at least basic Finnish language skills are often required.

Most of the vacancies are announced in web portals, but also in the web pages of the companies and other organisations. Networks are valuable in searching for work, as well.

• Employment services, City of Helsinki
• Employment coaching service, by International House Helsinki. You can book a 45 minute appointment either online or in person  
• Employment services, City of Espoo
• Information for international professionals | City of Espoo We offer individual support that helps you to enter or re-enter Finnish work life. 
• Henkilöasiakkaat - Job Market Finland (tyomarkkinatori.fi) Job Market Finland, developed by several authorities in Finland: Jobs and information to every step of your career  

Job portals

• Welcome | Jobly
• Work in Finland Extensive site on work opportunities. Also list of open jobs for English-speaking professionals
• Academic positions lists academic vacancies in Finland and other countries.
• Oikotie (in Finnish)
• Infofinland.fi provide information about Finnish working culture.
• Pointer Potential matches companies searching for talent with international professionals in Finland. 

Do not forget the LinkedIn and other social networking tools!

Aalto University events

Aalto University organises together with TEK (Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland, TEK) events/seminars on CV writing and job hunting. You will find the upcoming events in the international events calendar Socialising and recreation (aalto.fi).

• Looking for work (Finland): CV, cover letter and some practical suggestions by Daniel Valtakari (2020) is a great starting point for looking for the job in Finland

If you are considering starting your own business, the following links provide you with more information on the subject: 

• Planning business activities - Suomi.fi
• infofinland.fi
• vero.fi

For eligibility of professional and academic qualifications granted outside Finland, please refer to the Recognition of foreign qualifications at the Finnish National Agency for Education | Finnish National Agency for Education (oph.fi)

Introductory Finnish - Self-study 
Introductory Finnish is a self-study online course that teaches Finnish from no prior background to a lower beginner level. 

Finland Works MOOC 
Not for language training but in this course, we will look at how to navigate Finnish working life and how to build a career. We explore working life in Finland from societal, organisational and individual perspectives.  

Finland Studies MOOC  
The purpose of the Finland Studies open online course is to offer a starting point for learning about studying at Finnish universities. The course has been designed especially for international students, and faculty coming to teach in Finland, and those who wish to know more about Finnish universities. 

Language Boost  (Kielibuusti)
Here you can find advice and materials on anything related to learning Finnish and Swedish. The site includes self-study materials, tips for language learning at work, tools for planning and guiding language learning, and pedagogical materials 

Finnishcourses.fi service  
In the Finnishcourses.fi service, you can search for Finnish and Swedish language courses held in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Turku, Tampere and Oulu. In addition, the service lists online courses. 

If you have not yet moved to Finland, or want to get an idea of the Finnish language online, you can check more information at Infofinland.fi.

Finland has a dual model of university education. Universities focus on education and research while polytechnics (universities of applied sciences) offer work-related education.

Generally admission to degree programs at universities is a competitive process and we advise you to first get acquainted with course offerings and the admission system in general. You can find information about how to apply on the webpages of each university. 

More information on PhD studies Aalto Doctoral Programmes and the University of Helsinki doctoral programs.

More information about studying in Finland and Finnish education system in Study in Finland and Studyinfo.fi.

SIMHE network aims to support immigrants in their studies in higher education, they provide practical help in e.g. applying to higher education institutions. In addition they provide assistance in the career planning and the process of recognition of prior learning.

See also:
Open University
Helsinki Summer University

• Adult Education Centre
• Goethe Institute
• Institut Français
• International School of Music, Finland

The Activity Search is a service maintained by the City of Helsinki, which provides information on activities available for young people in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.

• Swimming halls in Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa
• The Scout programme Partio

Music and art:

• Espoo Music Institute  
• Espoo School of Art
• Helsingin Kuvataidekoulu
• Annantalo
• International School of Music Finland
• Vantaa Music Institute

HEI LIFE Spouse Network hopes to bring together the spouses of international employees in higher education institutions - Aalto included -  in the greater Helsinki area for collaboration, peer support and networking. Everyone belonging to the focus group is most warmly welcome to join the network!

Network will arrange events, provide peer-support and collaboration possibilities for the spouses. In addition you most definitely will meet new people and perhaps gain life-long friendships! 

Services for spouses (City of Espoo)The services gathered on this page will support you in building your social and professional lives in the Capital Region

The Career Club Espoo provides a space where Espoo Talents can work on their career development. The Career Club focuses on gaining skills, knowledge and networks, and strongly supports our Talents' agency and self-determination. The Career Club was launched in the Autumn 2021 by the City of Espoo. 

The Spouse Program (capital area) is a service provided by the city of Helsinki. Are you an international spouse living in Helsinki, Espoo or Vantaa, and are you looking for support to rebuild your social and professional network? Join the Spouse Program with a supportive community to find new friends and career related guidance. We understand that relocating to a new country is exciting but that it also comes with a few challenges.

The Shortcut is an impact-driven non-profit organization dedicated to career transformation. We bridge the gap between job seekers and companies in Finland by providing in-demand training and fostering a growth mindset in the community, where educated individuals can upskill and build a meaningful career.

For further information on upcoming events, museums, galleries, theatres as well as outdoor activities and sports facilities etc. please visit the web sites of Helsinki, (visithelsinki.fi)  Espoo  (visitespoo.fi) or Vantaa (visitvantaa.fi)

Other tips:

Helsinki region library (helmet.fi)

National parks (nationalparks.fi)

Cycling journey planner Tip! To see the cycling routes in the Journey Planner, first select the origin and destination and then select Settings, My modes of transport, Bike. (hsl.fi)

Finnbritplayers (finnbritplayers.com)

Uniarts Helsinki events (uniarts.fi)

Korjaamo, culture hub (korjaamo.fi)

Kaapelitehdas, culture hub (kaapelitehdas.fi)

Cirko, centre for new circus (circo.fi)