How to get things done in Finland (some admittedly subjective tips)
Published 25.5.2026 | Open Column for Volunteers
From my foreign background students and group participants I periodically hear something in the lines of: “I have so many ideas! But everything here is so complicated, I don’t even know where to start. In the end, it feels impossible to do anything!” In this, I recognize myself ten years ago: full of energy, ideas, and ready to act – and getting more frustrated with every wall I hit. Now, after a long period of struggling, surprisingly even to myself, I am finally getting a sense, every now and then, that it is possible to get some things done in Finland after all. So, I got to thinking, where does it come from? What changed about me and my situation during this time?
The biggest factor preventing immigrants in Finland from doing what they want with their lives is probably the uncertainty. Not knowing whether you’re allowed to be in this country a year from now is not at all encouraging to make any long-term plans. On the second and third place as leading stress factors for immigrants are, in different proportions for different people, work-money troubles and the language. Simple facts add up: Finnish is not the most learner-friendly language, it is difficult to get a job without it, it isn’t easy to get one with it either – and one needs a job and the language for a permit to stay in this country, which in turn undermines their basic sense of security. Circle closes, ouroboros bites its own tale. Add relationships complicated by residence status, culture differences and children in the mix – and you have a recipe for a life of putting out fires instead of figuring out what you want to do with it in the first place.
What might be even worse: all this time spent in a limbo, living as someone to whom things just happen, can make you forget why you moved to Finland to begin with. Many immigrants I know, especially the highly educated ones, have been led to believe that there’s no way they could work in Finland in the profession they’ve been trained for. Some specialities, like mine, have a degree recognition system in place. It has been very hard to get my teacher’s degree recognized – it took seven years, moving towns and one notorious complaint about structural racism to the school that wouldn’t admit me, because my situation was different from that of their Finnish students. Still, it’s possible, compared to professions that simply don’t exist in Finland, those that are practiced so differently that there’s no use in foreign work experience, or the ones with unreasonable language level requirements. I have seen and heard a lot of this: a lawyer who works cleaning hotels, a veterinarian who burned out at an internship in a daycare, and even a highly trained nurse unable to find a quick enough path to the job market, who ended up in cleaning to feed her kids now.
So, I understand the struggle, or at least some significant parts of it. Still, as someone who works in her original profession, makes art in her free time, exhibits it regularly and is now writing a book – here are some things that worked for me in realizing many of my projects.
First, you might still be able to work in your original profession in Finland, even if people keep saying that you can’t. What I’ve learned over years: even supposed specialists on immigration do not know how degree recognition (tutkinnon rinnastaminen) works, unless they’ve had to deal with it personally. Most of employment services clerks sure don’t – I know, I’ve been one. So, if keeping your profession is something that you want, don’t trust anyone’s advice too easily – check for yourself if there’s a system of degree recognition in place for your speciality. If there is, you will have to submit some papers and most likely complete some additional studies (around half a year long, part-time). When you get the decision that your degree is recognized – you’re a local specialist just like everyone else. I tried it as a teacher, and it really works. And, even more curiously, if there isn’t such a system for your profession, it means that you can go and practice it already now. At least, theoretically. In practice, employers still might want to see some local studies in your CV – and for that as well professional retraining studies (täydentävät opinnot) might be perfectly sufficient. Unfortunately, there’s just about no one to advise you on this – you are much more likely to be recommended to change your profession and go study for a lower-level degree from scratch. But, if practicing your speciality from before is something you’d like to do, keep your eyes on the prize and do your own research. It could very well be worth it.
Second, volunteering is a great way to try your ideas out. Although it doesn’t pay, it has many upsides. For one, you can do it as much and as often as you feel like. If you’re excited about some project but aren’t sure how much energy you’d have in the future to see it through, as it happens to me sometimes, you can always discuss and adjust your schedule with very helpful and supportive volunteer coordinators. It’s always possible to come to them with your idea and have it run through low key, without too much pressure. That creates a great opportunity to try your projects out and see how they feel, before you decide if you want to take it further and try to make it into a work project. All of this has been my experience with Naistenkartano more than once. And, if nothing else, doing something you feel strongly about together with like-minded people, in a supportive atmosphere, is usually very rewarding emotionally.
Third, having projects run through associations (yhdistys) is another unexpectedly versatile way to get things done. Personally, I enjoy it greatly when my artist association organizes several group exhibitions a year, and all I need to do is drop my works off at the right time and place. It saves me so much work, and the atmosphere at those drop-offs is simply awesome! They organize cheap and convenient trips and day courses. Many associations have meeting spaces that they get to use for free through applying, or rent. Those spaces might also be available to members free of charge, to run their own projects. Most associations have materials, networks and information about events relevant to their field of interests – the exact things that could be hard to find on your own, especially when you are new to the country. Associations can also organize events like lectures or masterclasses and pay the lecturer, who is often a specialist brought in by a member, with much less financial scrutiny than a business would undergo. There is a lot of associations for all kinds of hobbies in Finland. They are usually easy to join – fill the form and pay the yearly fee of around 25€. A decent level of Finnish is sure helpful, but not a must – I have met people doing this in English. What’s most important to truly become a part of the group, is to be genuinely interested in the things that it is all about. I think, most of us don’t join any hobby communities simply because we know nothing about this world – at least I didn’t till very recently. So, here I’m telling those who don’t know still: it’s low key, it’s fun to do something you’re into together with other people, and you can commit exactly as much as you’re ready to and adjust it at any time later.
The key to any kind of fruitful activity is knowing what you want and following it – trying out different options and adjusting the course of action when inevitably something doesn’t work out. The trouble is, this very energy of knowing who you are and what you want in life is often scarce in our circles, for all those very real reasons that I’ve listed earlier. Your situation could be different from mine, and my solutions might not suit you. The need to figure out what you want in life, though, is rather universal. Even if you feel like you cannot afford to think about it right now – it’s popping up eventually, and the longer you push it aside, the more inconvenient moment it tends to choose to manifest itself.
The good news is that you don’t need to have it all figured out before you start. In fact, the real figuring happens already in the process of doing something, anything, that calls you – even the simplest, smallest thing. So, if any of what I said here speaks to you at all, what I suggest you do is any little thing that feels right, feels you – it doesn’t have to be a paid employment, and really, in the start it better not be. It can be volunteering, or a hobby, or anything else. Whether or not it succeeds on your scale of expectations, you will most likely find out something important about yourself, and your next step might be revealed to you, too. There will probably be backlash: fear, anxiety, the sense of not being enough, to name a few. For that, I’ll tell you what I tell my students and group participants: feelings are survivable, however strong they are – you can feel anxious and scared and yet keep going, finding your path as you go. Trying things out helps you determine your boundaries – what suits you well and what is unacceptable, what is a subject for negotiation and what is not, what you are ready to do for free, and on what conditions, and what there’s no other way to do but as a paid specialist. All of this doesn’t only make you stronger – we all sure have been through enough challenges to that famous resilience that brought us to Finland and had us stick around – it helps you discover who you are and what you want and ultimately build a life that’s truly yours.
Written by: Sofia Pieti, one of Naistenkartano’s volunteers
The Open Column for Volunteers is a blog series offered to the volunteers of Naistenkartano. In this blog series, our volunteers have the opportunity to share their thoughts in the form of a blog text. If you have any questions or would like to contribute to our blog, please contact Saija Savolainen: saija.savolainen@naistenkartano.com.
Vapaa palsta vapaaehtoisille on Naistenkartanon vapaaehtoisille tarjottava blogisarja. Blogisarjassa vapaaehtoiset pääsevät julkaisemaan ajatuksiaan blogitekstin muodossa. Jos sinulla on kysyttävää tai haluaisit kirjoittaa Vapaa palsta -blogiimme, voit olla yhteydessä Tampereen seudun asiakaskoordinaattoriin: Saija Savolainen saija.savolainen@naistenkartano.com.