Finland
Why Finland
Finland is a country where living standards are high, education and healthcare are free for all residents, and the work-life balance is healthy. Finland is a good place to raise Your family. Finland has been a trendsetter in many fields, and it scores consistently well on international ratings for education, public safety and freedom. Finland was named as the “Happiest Country in the World*)”.
Around 75% of Finland’s surface is covered with forests, it has the world’s biggest archipelago, Europe’s largest lake district, and last untamed wilderness, Lapland. Finns are known for their outspokenness, and they always tend to mean what they say.
Indian nurses should choose Finland as their new homeland because Finland offers not only career opportunities in the social welfare and healthcare sector but also in the vast array of sectors that can benefit accompanying spouses. Finland also has one of the world’s best educational systems that is provided freely. Finland is a safe and clean country for you and your family to live in, and it is recognised as the “Happiest Country in the World” by the UN.
Finnish is a very logical language, but it expresses ideas differently from the ways of the other European languages. But this does not make it necessarily much more difficult to learn. Finnish healthcare employers agree for nurses to travel to Finland at level A2.2 or B1 however, everybody must have the B1 level language skill level before applying for the registration of a nursing licence in Finland after the apprenticeship training.
Nurse Finder promotes nursing jobs in Europe. Since we handle all the steps of the process ourselves from recruitment to integration, we can ensure the ethical and fair treatment of nurses throughout the process and misconducts can be avoided.
Training and Relocation Program to Become Registered Practical Nurse “Lähihoitaja”
Nurse Finder’s Training and Relocation program for Indian nurses provides a nursing job and qualifies Indian nurses to become Practical Nurses “Lähihoitaja” in Finland. A practical nurse assists and cares for customers in eldery institutions and patients in hospitals, health centers and other treatment facilities. Practical nurse participates in treatment procedures and helps the client, e.g. in eating, washing, dressing and moving.
Finnish language skill is a mandatory requirement for nursing jobs in Finland, and this is why the process starts in India with Finnish language studies to level A2.2 or B1. Language training in India takes 9 months. A Conditional Job Offer letter is given by a Finnish employer before starting the language training in India or you can start the training prior to job offer to improve your changes to be selected by the Finnish employer.
The residence permit for an employed person process is started after successfully passing the B1 language test (or in some cases A2.2 test after 6-7 months of studying). Once the nurses obtain residence permits and have successfully passed the A2.2 or B1 language test, they relocate to Finland. The employee will start working as a non-licensed Practical Nurse in a Finnish hospital or elderly care institute and start the apprenticeship training to become a licensed Practical Nurse.
Eligibility
Nurse Finder accepts candidates who meet the following eligibility criteria: 1) Indian BSc or MSc degree or GNM diploma, 2) good English language skills, 3) a minimum work experience of 3 years with no recent gap (more than 1 year) in the work history, and 4) a valid Indian nursing license. Nurses with an Indian nursing degree or diploma can apply to the program regardless of their current location by signing into the Nurse Finder’s recruitment platform and filling in the background information, answering a video interview question, and uploading their CV, passport, degree certificates with mark sheets, and valid Indian nursing license.
Selection
The Nurse Finder team screens applicants’ information and accepts the applicant as an official candidate. After that, the candidate receives a link to this Nurse Finder’s Self-Assessment and Aptitude Test, which results determine whether the candidate is selected for the interview or not. In case the candidate is selected for the interview, they shall book the interview time slot with Nurse Finder.
The candidate shall note that all the documents of selected employees are validated by the third-party service provider and in case the documents are not genuine, the training and relocation process is discontinued, and no fees are refunded.
Nurse Finder interviews all candidates to evaluate their professional aptitude, English language skills, motivation to relocate to Finland, and any concerns raised based on this Self-Assessment and Aptitude Test. Those candidates that are selected after the interview, will receive an acceptance e-mail from Nurse Finder and instructions on the next steps of the process.
The selected candidates shall sign a Training and Right to Represent Agreement. Once the employer has selected a candidate, he/she shall sign a Conditional Job Offer Letter with the employer. It offers employment in Finland after the language training as long as the employee has successfully passed the language test in level A2.2 or B1 in the given time frame, is able to provide PCC, and is fit to work. All employment conditions, like basic salary (minimum 2300 euros per month), overtime pay and duty extras (30…100%), working time (115 hours per 3-week period), vacation, and sick leaves, are defined in the job offer letter. In Finland, the employees’ rights and duties as well as employment conditions are defined in the labor laws and in collective agreements that are agreed between the employer associations and labor unions. Once the employee arrives in Finland, they will sign the employment contract with the same conditions as the job offer letter.
Language Training
Nurse Finder provides Finnish language training for selected employees in India to level B1. The language training is conducted as an online training 3 times a week. Each session is 1.5 hours. As the training is interactive, the employee shall commit to be present at least seventy per cent (70%) of teacher-led sessions. These sessions will be available as recordings in case the employee occasionally is not able to join the online training. In addition, the employee shall commit to completing all homework given by the teacher and spend a minimum of 10 hours of independent studies per week. The main exam dates in levels A2.2 and B1 are fixed and the employee shall be available to take the exams on those dates. The exams are conducted as an online test in a classroom in one of the Nurse Finder’s exam centres in Kollam, Kozhikode, NCR, and Puducherry. There will be a special arrangement for those who are working outside India. If the employee is cheating during the language exam, it gives Nurse Finder the right to terminate the training and relocation process immediately.
Nurse Finder arranges online orientation training for employees before their relocation to Finland. In the orientation training the cultural differences between India and Finland are discussed as well as issues related to the social welfare and healthcare system in Finland, issues related to the residence permit processes, statutory registrations in Finland, as well as employment contract-related issues, labour laws, and collective agreements.
The employee shall not resign from the current job without the matter being agreed upon with Nurse Finder India in writing. Should the employee choose to do so without mutual consent, the responsibility and the consequences, whatever they may be, are totally on the employee. Typically the employee is asked to resign from the job after the employee has visited VFS.
Residence Permit Process
Before the residence permit process is started the employee shall provide the health certificate (vaccination certificate, TB and salmonella certificates, as well as the test results of other communicable diseases and antibiotic-resistant bacteria) and police clearance certificate from the country where the employee is residing.
The initial shared accommodation is arranged for the employee in Finland for the first twelve (12) months. The employee commits to the terms and conditions of this accommodation by signing the ‘Contract for the Initial Accommodation in Finland’. The employee shall pay the rent deposit (if required) as well as the rent (maximum 600 euros per month), electricity, Wi-Fi, and insurance costs as stated in the Contract.
The employee shall apply for the residence permit for an employed person within 5 days of the notice from Nurse Finder. The residence permit fee is refunded by the employer. The employee shall make sure that he/she meets the requirements for entry to Finland set by the Finnish authorities and provides all the necessary information required by the Finnish migration authorities. By signing the Conditional Job Offer letter the employee commits him/herself to comply with all the prerequisites of entry into Finland set by the Finnish authorities.
General requirements for entry into Finland are a) having a valid passport (if the passport expires while the residence permit is valid, the residence permit may be withdrawn), b) you have not been prescribed a prohibition of entry, c) you are not a danger to public order and security, d) you are not a danger to public health, e) you are not a danger to Finland’s international relations. The requirements for the residence permit for an employed person are: a) you have a job, b) you have sufficient qualifications and education for the job in question, and c) you have a sufficient income in Finland during the entire time your residence permit is valid.
Nurse Finder or the employer cannot guarantee that the employee will be granted the residence permit or the processing time of it. The residence permit decision is made by the Finnish Migration Authorities and Nurse Finder, the employer or the employee cannot influence the decision or have the means to speed up the process.
Relocation
The employee is responsible for being prepared for departure to Finland immediately after the language training is successfully completed in India or within six months thereafter with a four-week notice period. Nurse Finder will provide the flight tickets to Finland.
Once the employee arrives in Finland, Nurse Finder will arrange the transportation from the airport to the apartment as well as assist the employee both with the statutory registrations and everyday issues that come as a result of living and working in Finland. Typically the work starts on the second or third day after arriving in Finland. The employer nominates the supervisor for each employee who is in charge of the workplace orientation.
Cap Training in Finland to Become Licensed Practical Nurse “Lähihoitaja”
The employee commits to continue the gap training in Finland to complete the Finnish professional qualification as a Practical Nurse and to become registered in julkiTerhikki, the Central Register of Health Care Professionals in Finland.
In Finland the employee has a right to take an emergency leave and travel to India only in case his/her immediate family member (parent, spouse, or child) is seriously ill or dies in India. The length of the leave shall be mutually agreed between the employer and the employee before travel. The employee shall provide reliable evidence of the event and take care of all travel arrangements and costs.
Nurse Finder will have WhatsApp, phone, and social media (e.g. Facebook) support for employees and their families within the first year of living in Finland.
Fees and Costs
Nurse Finder follows the “Employer Pays Principle”. Therefore, the nurse only pays the costs mentioned below and all other costs are borne by the employer.
- The candidate shall pay Nurse Finder India a Training Fee before she/he is enrolled into the language training. The Training Fee is non-refundable in case the employee terminates the training at any time, does not pass the language tests, or the process is terminated due to the reasons attributable to the employee (e.g. non-genuine documents, cheating in a language test, or the employee intentionally causes harm to the Nurse Finder or the employer with his/her own behaviour, performance, or words). Some employers in Finland are also covering the language training costs and in those cases the Training Fee (excluding GST) is refunded after the person relocates to Finland. Please contact placement@nursefinderindia.com to find out more about the language training fee.
- Before the residence permit process is started, the employee shall pay Nurse Finder the Relocation fee. This fee will be defined based on the actual costs of relocation to Finland on a case-to-case basis. This fee can include the travel costs from India to Finland, the rent deposit for an apartment, the first two months’ rent, home insurance, water, and electricity for the first two months as well as the basic furnishing (bed & kitchen table with chairs, light fittings, bed sheets, and tableware set with basic cooking utensils). Before the Relocation fee is paid, the nurse will get a detailed breakdown of the costs. In case the employee does not get the residence permit, or the relocation process is terminated by the employer for reasons beyond the control of the employee, the Relocation fee is refunded to the employee.
- Health check, health certificates, and Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) directly to service providers before the D-visa process is started.
- Residence permit fee and VFS service charge.
- Local travel costs to language exam centre and VFS office.
- Travel insurance that covers also the healthcare costs in Finland during the first weeks.
There are no other administration, recruitment, document validation, or relocation costs to be paid to Nurse Finder or its agent or employer, to their partner organizations, or to any other third party on their behalf.
Also, the nurse does not need to hand over any original documents (e.g. passport, educational certificates, and/or experience certificates) during the process.
In case such costs or handing over the documents are requested; a nurse shall immediately contact Nurse Finder.
The employee must have enough cash for the first 6-8 weeks of living (about 1500 euros) or a debit/credit card to an Indian bank account that can be used in Finland. The statutory registration takes about 3-4 weeks before the Finnish bank account can be opened and only after that the first salary can be paid. According to the ethical recruitment norms in Finland, the employer or Nurse Finder is not allowed to borrow money for living.
Termination of the Process
The training and relocation program can be discontinued in case the employee: a) gives false information about themselves, b) does not participate in language training in India (there is a minimum of 70% participation requirement in teacher-led sessions), c) does not pass the language exam (within the initial two attempts or after receiving extra training with extra costs paid by the employee within two additional attempts), d) verifiably cheat in the language exam, e) is not fit to work during the departure to Finland or cannot provide a Police Clearance Certificate, f) offers extra monetary compensation, other than the Training Fee and Relocation Fee to attain this employment, g) brings disrepute or negatively affects its employers or Nurse Finder’s reputation or business standing or acts in a manner that negatively impacts his/her reputation for prospective employment or h) is denied a residence permit due to self-inflicted reasons.