Someone should have told me this earlier...

The reference that should be read by everyone aged over 30 that wishes to move to Finland

In Finland is job seeking and finding the desired job for foreigners is a general problem . The problem doesn't arise from the fact that it's a small country but, it lays within the history of Finland. Finland is a country and the Finnish people have come along way in a very short amount of time. If you look back at the 150 year history of Finland you will realize that Finland hasn't actually been so wealthy as it’s neighbors Sweden or Russia nor they their relations haven’t been great. Due to this fact, it has concentrated its focus on workmanship and education to become better.

Respectfully this formula has worked out over the last 20 years or so and this has made them well trained and educated. Their education has been and always will be targeted on manpower and being professional at what you do. That's why nearly every job in Finland requires "license". Of course certification does not mean you are experienced at the job, but if certify's that you are educated and able to perform the job according to the laws and regulations. As Finland is a "country of workmanship", vocational nearly all jobs are supported by vocational trainings/education and training periods, just to get you a little experienced.

Now, if we compare this to us foreigners, you will see that there's a huge gap. What usually happens elsewhere is you graduate or leave school and you somehow endup doing some job that you professionalize in and over time you become experienced in that certain field. That job becomes your career and occupation. Of course, within your own power you train and expand your knowledge by "self-training". Years of workmanship brews your experience and you eventually "become a professional".

This system usually works elsewhere but Finland, due the local population having been well trained vocationally and / or occupationally on the subjects they have chosen. For example, even the most regular service related occupations such as taxi drivers', waiters, barmen, cleaning, construction, machine operation etc. require to have vocational job training and certification examinations to be able to perform that task. These certifications are also counted as the "license" to perform the task. (Barmens require alkolupa, taxi drivers, taxi driver's license, cleaners, hygene pass etc.)

This is the point actually the language barrier kicks in as most of the trainings are in Finnish language, targetted only to the Finnish population. I have been trying to point this matter out to every audience I can find. Though the Finnish language is extremely difficult to learn compared to the other latin based languages, it's not impossible to learn. But of course our difficulty isn't arising from the difficulty of the language but lined directly to the fact that we are already well experienced and "unemployed".

What I mean is, whenever I discuss with some university kid or a newly graduated, I find myself in the argument of Finnish language being easy or difficult. It's a pointless discussion as a university undergraduate or a new graduate still doesn't usually have urge of fulfilling the responsibilities of life such as car/house payment, children etc. as like the 35+ year old person who is already experienced elsewhere, who has spent most of his life trying to fulfill his responsibilities without the support of the government. Experienced newcomers tend to look at it as they have been used to before; the need to find work and earn money immediately.

Sorry, my argument still withstands as this doesn't happen very often here. Some young computer programmer gets a job as it's currently in the mainstream and argues that it's not difficult to find a job...

Though partially even the newcomer foreigners are supported by the Finnish legistlation as you all know it's merely a charity. Even the refugees get better support.

My conclusions are:

1. If you are not young anymore, educated and/or experienced in your career, it's better for you to seek habitance elsewhere as Finland, nor it's socio-economical system may not fullfil your needs as it requires time for you to get localized and fit into the socio-economy’s needs.
2. If you have a professional diploma obtained from outside of Finland, though you may get it converted, the chances of you finding a desired career is pretty slim due to the fact that it's not localized to the local system nor neither are you; so forth to speak as there's a population against you who believe that their local diplomas and certifications are way better than yours (even though you are probably more experienced than them).
3. Even if your education, experience, certification may be "better" (eg. if you are a Harvard, Oxford, MIT grad etc.) you may be mobbed and mistreated by your co-workers as they are not very familiar with foreigners being "better" (educated or experienced). You may even have to perform harder than the locals to prove that you are as good as them.
4. If you are lucky enough to find the desired job, it’s a good idea you stick to it until the end of time as most probably you will not be able to find something better to advance in your career here. (Remember that, you have to under-perform compared to your coworkers as they may feel agitated and may consider you as “competition” -yeah, it’s a contradiction! ).

Bottomline is, the best education perhaps might be in Finland, but if you have moved on in your life and believe that you have left the fun days of school far behind, relocating to Finland may not be right choice for you. (Most probably you have been brainwashed by your spouse or by the social mediaon how perfect, peaceful, secure life in Finland is and with your education and experience it wouldn’t be so difficult for you to get the dream job you desire etc. -that’s another topic.)

As I mentioned in a recent media interview, this is one of the reasons why Finland has the most highly educated blue-collar workers which are even capable of splitting atoms whilst cleaning toilets or serving pizza or driving a taxi.