In Finland, the student permit allows foreign students to work a maximum of 30 hours a week. A recent update on migri.fi alerted students that they can not work more than 30 hours a week also during holidays. Additionally, working 30 hours a week can be heavier if a student really wants to achieve better in his/her study.
A student can live well in Finland with around 500 euros. So, it would not be a bad idea to work 12 hours a week and focus more on studies. If the company pays a student 15 euros an hour and the student works 60 hours a month, the income should be more than enough to cover the living costs of a single person. However, personal habits are the determining factors of one’s monthly expenses. We will come up with another article on maximum and minimum monthly expenses of international students in Finland.
Let’s get started with the top 10 list of jobs for foreign students in Finland!
- Food Delivery: Food delivery has been the mostly pursued job by international students in Finland. Foodora and Wolt are the most popular brands in the food delivery business. Students can deliver food by car, by bike, by motorbike, or on foot.
- Cleaning: Many businesses, apartment buildings in Finland may hire cleaning companies to take care of the cleanliness of their premises. The cleaning companies have been looking for international students in undertaking this work. Students might be expected to have a car, a driving license, and an eagerness to learn Finnish. If you want to look for ‘cleaning jobs’ in Finland, look for the word ‘siivooja‘ in your city of study location in the job portal of Finland.
- Free City-Paper and Advertisement Delivery: SSM is the largest network of delivery companies responsible for the distribution of city papers and advertisements across Finland. They have been employing international students to deliver free newspapers and advertisements to households.
- Dishwashing: Dishwashing in restaurants, hotels, and resorts can be another opportunity for international students in Finland to earn their living.
- Elderly Care: Many international students have also been working at elderly care homes. However, one needs to have fluency in Finnish language and a certificate of nursing to be able to do this job.
- Day Care: To work in the kindergartens/ daycare centers one needs a proper license and the ability to converse in Finnish. Many international students have been entering this sector as well. International kindergartens might not need the candidate to speak Finnish. However, many international students are taking the challenge of learning the language and getting a teaching license in early childhood education and care (ECEC).
- Mail Delivery: Posti is the state-run company responsible for the delivery of mail and some parcels across Finland. To work as a mail deliverer through Posti, one might be the best candidate if s/he presents language proficiency and has a driving license.
- Morning Newspaper Delivery: Big cities in Finland have daily newspapers to be delivered to the homes of the paper subscribers. Though the subscribers of paper subscribers are declining consistently, this job is still here in the top 10 list for international students. Working in this sector requires one to wake up quite early in the morning, perhaps at 1 am. Posti and EarlyBird are two examples of companies in this sector.
- Research Assistant / University Projects / UAS Projects: Finland is one of the few countries in the world that really trusts international students in their capacities and abilities. Racism is not evident here. Many international students already begin to feel confident in prospering here through hard work. As a consequence, many international students are getting jobs as researchers, and teachers in institutions of higher education. As a beginner, they work as assistants in research projects. However, working on research projects is not something that is not achievable or finishing you through hard work. Finland has one popular saying – work smart, not hard. But hey, do not underestimate the expected quality and quantity of outcomes that the academic circle expects from you.
- Content Creation: Blogs, youtube videos, articles, animations, websites, artworks, graphic designs, and many other creative works are getting popular in Finland’s work environments. Students might create a musical piece for the companies. And by demonstrating these, they can potentially get full-term employment. We have encountered many international students in Finland, who have been working in this area and making their living here.
Extra Tips on Job Hunting in Finland
Finding a student job in Finland would need you to get a personal connection first. Even though there are formal application processes, almost 60 percent of jobs are taken before they require an announcement. This is because of the culture of open application in Finland. Open Applications signify that you apply to the desired jobs, assuming that the companies need you in the near future. If you are struggling to make connections in Finland, student tutors might be of great help here.
If you know something that we have not mentioned on the list above, please write in the comment section below. We will keep on updating this article.