Moving to Finland from India : how much is it worth ?

FINLAND 

This is the most common question asked when spouse get a job offer from different country, we all used to do comparison and take decision. 

Q. My Spouse got a job offer from Finland. We are Indians. How is the country Finland to live? Will it be difficult for us to adjust?

It is based on one of the true story.

I am an Indian who moved to Finland. However, we left Finland last year due to a couple of reasons. Firstly because of the weather and secondly because of my unemployment situation. I couldn't even get a single job interview during two years of my job searching even though I spoke Finnish pretty well. This could be temporary situation.

Indians in Finland?
Indians in Finland are known for working in IT companies and are considered as a peaceful and well settled group of people in the country. I lived in Espoo where there were many Indians, mostly working on projects. Many people from Wipro and TCS. Also, many Indians are doing a Ph.D. at Alto University. If you are a South Indian, then you can find a big community of South Indians there. Check the Indians in Finland page on Facebook. Also, IWF ry on Facebook for women. IWF is formed by Indian women and they organize lots of social activities all year round, which are fun.

Kids school?
The only thing I liked about Finland was my kids' daycare, that was the best. Kids can have fun and learn through playing. The school starts at the age of seven and there is no pressure on studies like in India, so kids are very happy in Finland. It's a great country when it comes to education. Even International school in Espoo is free but it has limited seats, I.e. 175 for now. That means your kid would need to go to a Finnish school if he/she doesn't get an admission which is BTW very likely to happen.

Adding one important thing: i.e. libraries. Finland is one of the top nations when it comes to libraries. They are not limited to books; there are computers, music halls, workshops with electronic gadgets, sewing machines, language cafes, play areas for kids, a variety of social events, and a lot more. And most of them are open from as early as around 7 in the morning and are open till around 9 at night.

Work-life balance?
Unlike India, your husband will come home sooner after work which will give you a lot of time to spend together in the family or to do some activities.

Sports?
If you like swimming, that's one activity you guys can do whole year-round. They also have amazing Finnish saunas everywhere. There are clubs for football, ice skating, badminton, etc.

Health issues?
I would suggest taking personal health insurance. In Finland, you call to get a doctor and you get a nurse that prescribes mostly painkillers. In India, we are used to seeing a specialist for a cough and flu, but that's a luxury in Finland. Private doctors are very expensive, but if you have health insurance, you will be able to see a doctor anytime.

What about winter?
In Finland, there are 7-8 months of winter, and southern Finland is very dark from October till March. For the most part of my six year stay, I suffered from horrible depression due to darkness and long winters. Most of the Asians suffer because of the darkness there. If this is the first time you are going abroad, it might be a bit challenging. But I have also seen some who are OK with it so you might be one of them.

And in summer? 

On the brighter side, spring and summer are beautiful in Finland. Summer is short (about 2–3 months) but it's just magical. The sun rises at 2–3 in the night and sets after 22:30 so you can be outside in the forests hiking, walking, berry picking, grilling, etc. There is one activity I thoroughly enjoyed there was berry picking. You can go strawberry picking in April-May on farms and you pay as per the weight. The strawberries in Finland are sweet due to the hot days and cool nights. Blueberries and raspberries can be picked up for free by anyone in the forests. For a few years, Finland has been facing many changes in the climate due to global warming. And unfortunately, the berry season is suffering greatly.

Socializing? 

Personally, I am good at languages, so I spent my time learning the language and talking to people. I didn't go looking for other Indians much but tried to socialize among locals. Friendship in Finland is very different from Indian friendship; you meet friends for a drink or coffee in a cafe or in a bar. Inviting people for dinner is not what they do. Also, loneliness and alcohol are the best friends of many.

Jobs for foreigners? 

I am adding this point because this is very important for foreigners who move with their partners. I did with my Finnish partner. The jobs in Finland for English speaking people are available in mainly the IT sector or some engineering too. I have a Marathi friend who is a nuclear engineer said it's better to work in Espoo than working in the desert of Pokhara, where there was nothing for his family to do. IT professionals like developers and testers can get jobs much more easily without the requirements of the Finnish language. Otherwise, the jobs available in the market are such as cleaning, caretakers/nurses for old people ( lähihoitaja), restaurant workers, and bus drivers. Also, English speaking assistant teachers in international daycares is a good job opportunity. I mentioned these because it doesn’t require fluent Finnish skills to apply for them.

I hope the information should help you to make decision about moving to Finland. All the very best for your career.