Finnish province: immigration and life
I'll tell you about the professional emigration of a developer to Finland. I have never been able to write briefly, but the topic is very big, but I will try :)
I moved to Finland six months ago, and not to Helsinki, like most, but to the small town of Vaasa on the west coast - a population of 65 thousand. I had loved Finland for a long time and firmly, lived in St. Petersburg and for the last few years constantly went there and studied the country - about 35 entries into it were tourists.
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Finland - despite the well-being, the country is not for everyone .
Firstly, here it is NOT worth waiting for very high wages , not in IT at least. The RFP developers are good, well above the national average, but far from huge. After taxes, they are comparable to the usual Moscow or good St. Petersburg, at a higher (though not several times) cost of living. In some European countries would be more, in the States - much more. Salaries are enough for more than a decent life (mortgage-car-travel-hobby), but it’s hard to become rich here.
Secondly, Finland is a village . Large and very cozy, perfectly adapted for life, but the village. It will not be a strong stretch to say that the city is essentially one, Helsinki (with suburbs). Here is a rural and leisurely lifestyle, large (for Europe) distances and so-so transport, a modest, albeit decent, set of entertainment and cultural life. Someone (I) delighted with this, someone will climb on the walls.
In general, it is good to perceive the move to Finland as a kind of downshifting.
In the whole country 3500-4000 € a good senor's salary. After taxes, this is approximately € 2500-2700 . In Helsinki will be closer to 4500 € (3000 € net). 5000 € (3200 € net) and more - team leader / architect.
Salaries between companies are usually about the same. Too little or too much nobody pays.
There are many types of residence permit , in principle, the standard for Europe.
The most real - a residence permit specialist . Everything that I write concerns life with such a residence permit. It is made surprisingly simply and quickly. Need to:
No criminal record, no medical certificates, confirmation of rental housing in Finland, knowledge of the Finnish language, an interview with the consul (visiting the consulate is a purely technical procedure), other fluorography and urine tests are not required.
For documents in Russian, a certified translation is required (available in English). The application is submitted online with scans of documents, then you need to visit the embassy / consulate (in Russia - in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Petrozavodsk or Murmansk) at any convenient time without recording, present the originals and fingerprint and photograph.
A residence permit specialist is officially issued about a month, I was given for three working days (!). Plus, some time (in my case, a week) goes to the consulate where you need to pick it up. An ordinary working residence permit is made much longer and more dreary, since according to it a vacancy should hang on the labor exchange + get approval from the Ministry of Labor.
For a residence permit specialist you can freely change work within your area, there is no link to an employer. (Honestly, I don’t know how the boundaries of the sphere are determined. Nothing is written on the residence permit itself. In any case, any questions can be consulted via e-mail at the migration service.)
The first residence permit is issued for a year, then usually for 4 years. After 4 years in the country, you can apply for permanent residence , after that you can live as you please and do anything, at least on the allowance to sit. After 5 years in the country, you can apply for citizenship . It is necessary to pass an exam in Finnish (or Swedish), not very difficult, and not have problems with the law or debts to the state. Abandoning the original citizenship is not required .
LinkedIn, Monster.fi - most of the interesting vacancies will be covered by these sources. Often there will be an employer written recruiting company, and not the one where the person is looking for in reality. Recruiters themselves write rarely, but, according to sensations, at least they read your resume, and they don’t bomb everyone :) Well, this is when you live here, they are unlikely to be hunted from abroad.
Finnish is often required, but not always. Usually, if the job is in Finnish, then work in Finnish, and if the job is in English, usually in English, but not always, Finnish may still be needed.
Salary in vacancies is not accepted to write, discussed at the interview. They rarely differ much between companies. Salary is always negotiated gross (before taxes).
Hiring a foreign company specialist is simple; the need for you to obtain a residence permit should not greatly discourage an employer. In my case, I got a job in a small office for 15 people, they hadn’t previously hired from abroad and had a lot of money, but everything worked out.
Not a lot of work . Still, the whole country in terms of population as one Peter. 80% of vacancies are concentrated in Helsinki, another 15-18% in more or less large cities of Tampere, Turku and Oulu, in the other cities there are only a few. I was lucky to find in Vaasa. I specifically wanted as much as possible in a small town.
Send your resume (and cover letter - anything from yourself) in English. Do not wait for a quick response. Many vacancies first collect resumes before a certain period, then choose a candidate. Even if the deadline is not specified, still do not wait for a quick response. Even if the answer is no, it is usually reported.
At first, you may be offered a small test or test task (really small, for an hour) if the company is large and they have many candidates. Next, expect one or more interviews via Skype, and, if all is well, an invitation to the office (a self-respecting company will pay for tickets and accommodation). In my case, right after hour-long chatting in Skype - not even interviews really, just for life - in a few days an offer was sent :) But still, of course, first went to talk and see.
Self-respecting company will also somehow help with the move. They paid me a fee of 450 € and let me live free of charge in an empty house on the farm of my boss's family (40 km from the city) until I found my accommodation :)
From Russia, especially from St. Petersburg, it is convenient to move around - not far. You can carry things. There are companies that do this. Small things (and there is no sense in furniture, etc.) can be brought in by car.
As stated above, housing was provided for the first time. On a farm 40 km from the city, however, it’s only half an hour by car. I found my accommodation in two weeks. If housing isn’t available for you, remove AirBnB or Forenom’s apartments for the first time (specializing in medium-term accommodation). True, to register there will not work, but without registration will be inconvenient.
After the move, you can start working immediately, but of the required procedures, you must do the following in parallel:
All this, except for housing, very simple procedures with a minimum of bureaucracy . In all private offices, as state. institutions and companies such as banks or insurance, log in via the Internet bank (if you are interested in technical details, google the TUPAS protocol), with two-factor authentication - usually with a card with codes. That's why it's bad without an online bank. By the way, Internet banks themselves are excellent (at least mine, OP ), although I heard that in Europe it is usually much worse than in Russia. Only the interface is usually only in Finnish and Swedish.
Capital Region - Helsinki + suburbs Espoo and Vantaa (+ external small sleeping suburbs). Other major cities (with a population of more than 100 thousand) - Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Lahti. Vaasa is not a very big city (65 thousand), but it is old and is a regional capital.
In small cities it’s boring (even for me), it’s bad with work (in IT there’s really nothing to look for) and only retirees live mostly. A good city is where there is a university. There are three of them in Vaasa.
The country is divided into regions (19 pieces), and they into municipalities (more than 300). Vaasa is the capital of the Ostrobothnia region. The country is unitary, the regions are drawn for convenience only, although reform will be soon, and they will receive their government. The municipality (city or rural area) is a very important unit. Most of your taxes usually go to your municipality (the percentage may differ slightly between different). Pre-school and school education, health care and social service, repair and cleaning of streets - all this works at the level of the municipality. For the Finn, the municipality is a small homeland.
The climate is similar to Peter in the first approximation. There are nuances. In Helsinki, a little warmer, in Turku in the far south-east of the country, a little warmer. In Vaasa like in St. Petersburg, but much more than the sun. At the latitude of Vaasa, the white nights are much lighter than in St. Petersburg, but even in winter the day lasts only a few hours. Oulu and to the north in Lapland - there is already decently colder and more continental, closer to my native Ural.
The whole country is covered with forests. In some places - fields (especially in Ostrobothnia), but there is much more forest. Many large and small lakes, which she is famous for. On the coast of the sea there are numerous archipelagoes, it’s good to have a yacht or at least some kind of boat. The sea is freezing. The southern coast is not strong and for long, and sometimes not all. The west coast of Vaasa and to the north is much more serious. In Vaasa melts later than in St. Petersburg. In summer, the harsh Finns bathe in it, for me so nafig-nafig.
Many people have a cottage in the forest on the lake / on the sea / on the island. Mökki (mökki) is called. Traditionally - with a sauna, but without water and electricity. They stand separately, around a hectare of forest at least, you do not see the neighbors. All the good places are built up long ago, the site for a new dacha is not normal to buy, and the finished dachas in a good place stand like a wing from an airplane. But you can just rent for a week or two, many do.
A lot of animals. Birds sing all the time. In cities live hares, it is often possible to meet even almost in the center. There are a lot of moose. In car insurance, moose always go as a separate item. This winter was a lot of wolves, went into the city. But people are not attacked, only on dogs. In the north, bred reindeer, insanely beautiful animals. There their huge herds roam.
Almost everywhere there are many picturesque rocks. There are mountains only in the north of Lapland and not very large. But still, Lapland is incredibly beautiful. And for serious mountains you can go to Sweden or Norway, in principle.
Everywhere in the country, even in private territories (if there are no explicit prohibition signs and not close to someone else's housing), you can walk, pick berries and mushrooms, put up a tent, go fishing in the sea without restriction, you need an inexpensive license in rivers and lakes. Hunting is also popular. I was told at work how moose was hunted. Previously, the whole village went, now only individual enthusiasts.
Ostrobothnia, the region where I live, is famous for agriculture. There are fewer rocks and vast fields along river valleys, but there is still a lot of forests :) Russian tourists rarely get to these parts, there are many Russians who have never seen Russian eyes and are curious.
In Vaasa, a city with a population of 65 thousand people, there are five hypermarkets of the Prism type, with a dozen or so specialized ones (construction, furniture, etc. - Ikei perhaps not :(), a cinema, two theaters, a couple dozen museums, an airport, water park, stadium, ice arena, three mentioned universities.I would compare the set of entertainment and services with the Russian city in the size ten times more. Of the sights - very beautiful Kvarkensky archipelago, the ruins of Old Vaasa (burned down in the middle of the 19th century), but in general nothing much surprising. The country is not rich in major sights, but there is a great many local lore level, and almost every village has some small specialized museum, for example, ironmongery or greed.
Housing to rent is not very problematic , especially in a small town. It is possible from a private trader or from a company that donates its own housing A private trader needs to be liked and they often require more bail (according to the law, up to two rent payments are possible). Companies do not care :) But there are not usually such interesting options, and the routine of tenants is more with all the consequences. At first, it is possible for the company ( Pikipruukki Vaasan local is called), it will be quite OK. Across the country, you can see the offers and price levels for Vuokraovi - there is an English interface here. Killed apartments in the trash does not happen, with some terrible old repair - also not seen.
I rent a two-room apartment 57 sq. M. m 3 km from work for 630 € / month . On top of this, I pay only for electricity (15-20 € / month on the meter). Water, parking, internet, use of sauna and laundry are included, but can be separately. The house is a brick three-story building built in 1999. There are many black / Middle Asian immigrants, but they are no different from poor Finns. Work, study, do not buzz.
You can rent an apartment and closer to the center (it will not be much more expensive), and further. I have a good balance, as I believe. Under the windows there are already small areas of the forest, and still not very far from work and shops. Up to a couple of grocery 5 minutes walk, to a large "Prism" or "Minimum" 5 minutes by car. To work from door to door half an hour on foot, 15 min. on the bus, 20 min. by car, if you park for free in a kilometer, 10 min. - if paid under the central square right at work. (Such parking costs 10 € per day, 80 € per month; two blocks from the central - 40 € per month.)
The general price range for a city of Vaasa is € 350-550, odnushka, € 500-800 one-room apartment, € 600-950 treshka . In the capital region will be decently more expensive, in Helsinki, one and a half times a minimum. There, however, it is possible to live in the suburbs perfectly.
The highest houses in the city are seven-story. Outside the center of high-rise buildings is small, and those that are, mainly floors of three. Vast areas of private houses and townhouses.
Mortgage give a symbolic percentage (1-2%? I have not tried it yet), the maximum period is normal like 25 years. The first installment is at least 10%. There are special savings accounts in banks to save for a down payment, there is a higher percentage than a regular deposit. The average dvushka in Vaasa of my type costs about 100 thousand €. But more often they buy a separate house or townhouse than an apartment. It is not necessarily much more expensive. Paying a mortgage is not much more expensive than renting the same apartment, and maybe cheaper. The fixed part of the communal apartment in the high-rise building is about 200 €, plus the meters for water and electricity, plus you pay the mortgage itself.
Many people buy houses in the country, sometimes decently in the country (a few dozen kilometers) and drive a car to work. In our office only 2 of 6 developers (one of whom I am) live in Vaasa, the rest are all completely in the villages. Photos show how moose under their windows are.
Apartments - returning to rent - are rented without furniture, except for kitchen, built-in wardrobes and plumbing. From scratch to move into the country in this regard is difficult, you need a little bit to arrange. I have about 3000 € spent on a modest piece of furniture (as well as dishes and the like). However, if you bother, you can buy everything by ads and flea markets for a penny. If you are moving within the country, there are a lot of companies that help with the transport of things.
In high-rise buildings, there is a storage room in the basement or a separate shed (for things like winter tires), a room for bicycles and wheelchairs, a sauna (or each apartment has its own, or shared by appointment - there is a common, uncomfortable in my house), often a laundry room (conveniently, when only moved, but most buy their washing machine).
Parking spaces are distributed. If you live not quite in the center, you will definitely have your parking space, free of charge or for a nominal fee. In the center of them may be a queue. In high-rise buildings closer to the center there may be garages on the ground floor, and in new buildings underground parking. Ground parking spaces are usually equipped with sockets for heating the engine in winter (the standard option, which will be put on any car in any service). Guests, etc., can usually park on the street or in designated areas. Parking can be directly under the windows, and maybe 150 meters away. In any case, the door of the entrance can always be approached for loading and unloading.
Heating in high-rise buildings is usually central, included in the rent / communal apartment for homeowners. They do not save on heating, the batteries are hot. In private houses with the type of heating options are possible. The most expensive is purely electric, 200 + € will be an electricity bill. In general, I am not very aware of the cost of maintaining my home. Expensive and dreary, of course.
There is no gas network (there is only in the south, and it seems there is only at the power station, and not to ordinary consumers). All plates are electric. From the fire made to hang the sensors. Almost all also insure their homes (sometimes under the terms of the lease is required). Insurance, among other things, covers damage to things in an apartment (computer, for example) and liability to neighbors if you flood it. It is worth about 200 € per year like.
You can move with your wife / husband , they will be given a residence permit with a machine gun. You can not even sign the move. The partner has the right to work at any job, or not to work and receive his 700 €, like, benefits. But outside IT, a job without Finnish knowledge is extremely difficult to find.
You can have a family here too, of course :) It’s more difficult to get to know a local immigrant, especially without knowing the language; however, everything is real. Tinder, bars, student life and other studies, interest clubs, work - everything is like everywhere else. Making long-term relationships is all the more difficult; Finns, both men and women, are very independent people and usually do not want to flee to the registry office and have children quickly. Externally, the typical Finn / Finn are often large (more large than fat people) with rough features. On the west coast are more like the Swedes, prettier.
Municipal kindergarten specifically in Vaas costs up to 290 €. All other education, including university education, is free. (Exception: if you move to Finland on the basis of study (not work or other) and move from outside the EU And you study at a university in a non-state (Finnish or Swedish) language, then for a fee.) The school is divided into two levels, secondary school and lyceum. Lyceum - in the sense of 10-11 grades in Russia, prepares for the university, only this institution is completely separate from the secondary school.
Among students, of course, it is customary to live separately from their parents. They live poorly.They are paid a small scholarship from the state, and they can rent housing on preferential terms, but it still costs a lot (but decent housing). Often take a student loan. It is for life, and not for study as such. Pay only later when they work. (But this is for my own people, if you get a residence permit on the basis of your studies, you must show that you already have money for life.)
Here, I also have little experience. Immediately after the move, you are covered by state medical insurance and have all the same rights as the Finn, only Kela-card (~ = insurance policy) must be obtained. State medicine works typically for Europe. Queues, especially to specialists, and to treat everything that can be ibuprofen, but in a critical situation they will really do everything that is possible - if necessary, they will send the helicopter or pay for chemotherapy or something else. For a trip to the clinic you will be charged a symbolic amount, but if you reach a certain not very high level (a few hundred euros) of annual medical expenses, then everything will be free. The same applies to the purchase of prescription drugs and hospital stay.
You can buy medical insurance, you can go to private clinics with him, where there are no queues and you are much more likely to smile. It is not very expensive, several hundred euros per year. But private owners do not do anything serious, operations do not, in severe cases they will be sent to a regular state hospital on general rights.
The employer is obliged to take care of occupational health, so when applying for a job, he will send you to a physical examination at his own expense, and usually he will give the minimum VHI that you can visit the therapist.
Teeth only paste unrealistically expensive, try to avoid it: (
In Helsinki and the metropolitan area posh public transport. Buses, trains, the long-suffering branch of the metro were finally expanded to the west (no one believed), the trams in the center. In other cities, it’s better not to hope for public transport . He seems to be, in principle, to survive, using only him, is possible, but life will come out so-so. Buses run at best once in 20-30 minutes, they like to be late, on weekends they can walk every couple of hours or not at all. At prices in Vaasa - 1.33 € for a trip within the city (by bus card, cash is more expensive) or 35 € monthly fare. Outside the city, everything is very bad, from a suburban village there may be a couple of flights in the morning and a couple in the evening, that's all. Electric trains outside the capital region does not exist.
Therefore, we need a car. In Vaasa, 85% of households have a car. New cars are expensive, as the price includes an extensive excise (a few tens of percent of the cost of the car). But in fact, there are not many who buy new ones; most of them go to old ones. It is absolutely socially acceptable here and do not care what you drive.
If you don’t go anywhere else to work and shopping, then any ruin for € 2,000 or less will even work. You can see the options on Autotie(in Finnish, but the essence should be clear anyway). The average age of the car in Finland is 12 years. Roads and drivers are better here, twisting mileage is not accepted (although it occurs), drowned, etc., too, to sell, so the probability of running into very much trash is lower, but still, buying a used car is buying a used car. You can buy in the cabin. It will be more expensive, but they will give a guarantee.
You can import the car from Russia. For half a year, you can even ride on Russian numbers and do nothing (well, just issue a green card for the entire term), continue or officially import, or sell at home. Officially importing a chore, you need to get a piece of paper at customs, pass inspection of Finnish, measure CO2 emissions separately and get a certificate, pay taxes, register for registration, buy insurance. You will have to pay the same excise on the car, as you would in Finland. It is considered for gasoline vehicles from CO2 emissions, and for diesel engines - from power levels. This may be about 2000-3000 € already for a small car. Not very profitable. (Previously, it was possible to import a car without tax for immigration, now it is already impossible.)
I personally chose the option - buy a new car in Finland. It is very simple, the whole procedure - two visits to the salon (one to order a car, the second to receive) for 40 minutes, and that’s all, I sat down and drove off. The salon will issue a loan (if necessary), insurance, put on record and screw the numbers. To get a loan, I had to answer a dozen questions, show identification (no more documents) and wait for five minutes to drink coffee until the bank (remotely) approves. The fact that you are an immigrant and without a Finnish credit rating is not important to anyone; the main thing is that this credit rating is not negative, and the newcomer has zero. The first installment is usually needed (at least 10%), but options seem possible. The loan was given at 2.98% for five years.
In general, buying a car is a fun experience. When I said that I wanted a test drive, they just gave me the keys and showed “that car, ride as much as you want.” At this stage, I was not even asked what their name was. You do not have to pay anything for insurance in the cabin, it is drawn up and it is already valid from now on, but the bill for it is then sent to you by a home insurance in a week.
Insurance on the car cost 1000 € with a little per year (you can pay in parts, it will cost the same). Of this, half is compulsory motor third party liability insurance (its conditions are always the same: coverage of material damage is up to 5 million euros, damage to health is unlimited up to a lifetime disability pension (and the damage to health is even compensated for the culprit), coverage in all EU countries and others where green card system), half - full CASCO with a franchise of 150 €. This, of course, for a new client, without bonuses.
Transport tax is calculated on CO2 emissions for gasoline vehicles, on diesel power. I got 220 € / year with a 1.2 liter turbo engine in a new car with fairly low emissions by all European standards. On a diesel engine, two or three times would be more. But diesel is much cheaper. Diesel more profitable if you drive a lot. 95th gasoline costs 1.45 € / l. For a typical small car with a real consumption on the highway 6.5-7.5 l / 100 km it is convenient to consider: drive 10 km on the highway costs 1 €.
Russian rights can be exchanged for Finnish if you have lived for half a year (but not more than 2 years) in the country. You need to get only honey. Help, retake the exam is not necessary. Prior to that, you can ride on the Russian rights, the usual, not international.
The roads are good, but mostly not highways (except for a few diverging from Helsinki, and detours of some cities). The flow of cars is mostly not very large, with the exception of a few main meridional roads it is very rare to overtake. The road network is very extensive, the roads in the outback may be worse, but you can always drive to any hole where there is an official road without any problems, without breaking through and tearing off the wheels. Is that in the spring primer defrost and ride is not very, but still not fatal. In cities, the speed limit is 50 km / h (except for transit roads), but in practice it is often 40 and even 30, the ride is very calm and measured. In winter, cities don’t sprinkle with reagent, just rolled snow on the roads, and pavements and courtyards are sprinkled with stone chips. So, not counting the slopes, in the winter everywhere much, MUCH cleaner,than in Russia.
For long distance travel there are buses, trains and airplanes. Buses used little. Trains are very comfortable and fast, just late constantly. From Vaasa to Helsinki by train 3.5 hours (costs € 41 the full price, and half as much if taken in advance), by car 5 hours. You can go to St. Petersburg by train, transferring under Helsinki; I don’t intend to travel by car to Russia anymore (there are problems with this if there are Finnish numbers). In all decent cities there is an airport, they fly to Helsinki, sometimes somewhere else, for example, from Vaasa it is still possible to Stockholm, and from Oulu - to Luleå and Tromsø.
There is also a sea transport. From Turku there are ferries to the Aland Islands and to Stockholm, from Helsinki to Stockholm, Tallinn, St. Petersburg and there seem to be some to Germany. From Vaasa, there is a much lesser known ferry to the Swedish city of Umeå that crosses the Gulf of Bothnia at its narrowest point. Turku-Stockholm and Helsinki-Tallinn are the most popular and cheap, on the second they all go to Estonia for a cheap booze, and on the first they simply thump. (In Finland, alcohol is expensive, beer is from 2 €, wine is from 9 €, this is if mass brands for unassuming people are good, more expensive; I don't even remember how much strong; except beer, everything is sold only in specialized stores.) For all ferries you can with the car, then they are ferries.
Taxes are considered difficult. The main part - these are two taxes - state and municipal personal income tax. State progressive, and municipal flat. But both are given automatic deductions, so the municipal one is also progressive. Plus fixed (without deductions) rates of pension and social contributions. The more you earn, the closer the total tax rate will asymptotically approach somewhere around 55%. But it is necessary to earn a lot. For the mentioned senior wages will be about 30% .
How to estimate the tax: open the calculator, choose a city in the first field, in the second - that you do not belong to the church (they will not record you in any church, well, there is also a church tax), in the third - the year of birth, further down Continue. On the second page in the very first (topmost and leftmost field), enter the annual RFP dirty, and at the bottom click Calculate. Nothing more is needed. The tax calculation will be shown to you, find the Basic rate line and add the number from the footnote below (“Please add 8.25 percentage points ...”). There will be a final percentage.
The employer pays additional fees from your RFP.as in Russia. They, too, are nowhere to be seen, but they are. Your own taxes, the employer also pays for you, but you need to tell him the percentage of tax. In tax, you report your expected income and other factors (all the same as in the calculator), you also consider the percentage, and give a piece of paper with this percentage, which must be given to the employer. (You can do all this online through your personal account at the tax office, and send the employer just a scan.)
Taxes, as they say, “can be seen where they are going”. This is yes. If you are interested in the details of where you are going, and you know some Finnish, you can read the financial reports on the website of the municipality;
Finnish is difficult , everyone knows that. It belongs to the Finno-Ugric group, and almost all other European (including Russian) - to the Indo-European. Therefore, absolutely all the vocabulary is different, there are almost no similar words. Even borrowed words are often distorted beyond recognition. The grammar is also complex, with nouns / adjectives 16 cases. However, there are positive aspects. Very simple pronunciation (few sounds, for a Russian-speaking person in pronunciation, they are all simple, everything reads exactly the same as it is written), some cases - they simply replace prepositions, some are rarely used, there are no articles, no birth (even some words “he "And" she "no), the word order is not very critical. The language is agglutinative, that is, words are formed according to the principle of stringing heaps of suffixes and other roots on them. If you already know the root and suffix, the meaning of the whole word is often easy to understand.
The big difficulty is that the spoken language is very different from the written one. Textbooks and courses will teach only writing, but they really only speak in “official” contexts (on TV, for example), and in the spoken language grammar and vocabulary are significantly different. Plus, there are a lot of dialects, however, with a stranger, they will usually at least speak in "average" conversational, and not in their own dialect.
However, language must be taught. To live with one English, as well as ride a bus, you can, but bad. For the first time, this is enough (almost everyone speaks English more or less, there are almost always any forms of statements everywhere in English), but neither the local cinema can be seen, the book is not read, the TV is not watched, and everything is usually between them -these speak Finnish (even if at work the official language is English). You can go to courses, they are inexpensive (less than 100 € for each of several levels), but you still need to be able to get into them, in Vaasa, at least they are only a couple of times a year. Well, anyway, you don’t speak directly freely, but at least some practice will be conversational there.
5% of the population speaks Swedish, and in Vaasa just one of the major cities has the largest percentage, a third of them, it seems. The villages in the region are almost entirely Swedish-speaking (not Swedes! Swedish-speaking Finns). You can learn Swedish, it is much simpler, more useful internationally (knowing Swedish, you will also understand Norwegian and to a lesser extent Danish), and you can take it for citizenship instead of Finnish. But in Finland itself the benefits of it are very limited. Swedish is taught in schools, but only a few years, and the Finns speak it usually much worse than English, many do not speak at all. Swedish-speaking Finns, respectively, also learn little Finnish and speak it poorly. But in a bilingual region like Vaasa, most of the people are somehow bilingual (well, trilingual, considering English).
I cannot say anything supernatural about working culture, it is not so very different from Russia. In our company there is a free schedule, you can work remotely when there are no meetings (those who live far away often use this). In the afternoon, part of the people goes to a cafe in a center in the middle of the day; some of them eat themselves. Corporate events are rarely available and usually the program is not much wider than stupidly buhalov and saunas. Many people like to drink, Finns after all. Vodka from Russia brought a couple of times :)
According to Finnish law, 4 weeks leave is granted for the first year of work, beyond 5 weeks. Even maternity leave is good, for both women and men. And it is difficult to dismiss without compensation, so they usually give the maximum possible probationary period - 4 months. There are still trade unions, however, as usual, this is not about IT people (although they seem to be taken to the union of engineers). In general, in which case the law is on your side.
The development team is small, the product on technology and code quality is quite ordinary (PHP is set on a framework), but there is a good space for creativity, for example, I implemented the React here, no one about him was in the subject :) Trying to practice Scram, like everything - not god all as successful. Recently hired an Indian scrum master here. The company is quite open, sometimes there are general meetings, where, over coffee and bread rolls, the management tells what is happening at all, but here it is also due to its small size. The team atmosphere is good, but there are difficult people in the rest of the company, as well as everywhere else. Govnokoderov not, but everyone says that they used to be :) All the other developers on Windows or Linux are sitting, wild people. But they found the MBP lying around.
Such cases, that's all I can say for now. I'm still happy with everything as an elephant . I do not exclude that someday I will move to another city. Maybe in Helsinki (or rather, in a distant suburb then I really would like, not Helsinki itself), almost all the work is there, I like Oulu - he is in the north, from there you can drive to the mountains for the weekend. Well, wait and see. If you still have questions, ask.
The photo is mainly Vaasa and its surroundings. Disclaimer: Some photos also include the national parks of Salamajärvi, Koli, Pyhä-Luosto and Malla Nature Reserve, located in other regions of the country.
I moved to Finland six months ago, and not to Helsinki, like most, but to the small town of Vaasa on the west coast - a population of 65 thousand. I had loved Finland for a long time and firmly, lived in St. Petersburg and for the last few years constantly went there and studied the country - about 35 entries into it were tourists.
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Why it is not necessary to move to Finland
Finland - despite the well-being, the country is not for everyone .
Firstly, here it is NOT worth waiting for very high wages , not in IT at least. The RFP developers are good, well above the national average, but far from huge. After taxes, they are comparable to the usual Moscow or good St. Petersburg, at a higher (though not several times) cost of living. In some European countries would be more, in the States - much more. Salaries are enough for more than a decent life (mortgage-car-travel-hobby), but it’s hard to become rich here.
Secondly, Finland is a village . Large and very cozy, perfectly adapted for life, but the village. It will not be a strong stretch to say that the city is essentially one, Helsinki (with suburbs). Here is a rural and leisurely lifestyle, large (for Europe) distances and so-so transport, a modest, albeit decent, set of entertainment and cultural life. Someone (I) delighted with this, someone will climb on the walls.
In general, it is good to perceive the move to Finland as a kind of downshifting.
Why do I need to move to Finland
- Very calm and measured life
- Stability in a good way
- Work-life balance, there are no workaholics here and no one expects you to be a workaholic
- Paradise for the introvert, the nation itself - introverts (in places almost social phobia), no one climbs to you (if you don’t want it, then you have to try)
- Atmosphere of trust - people trust each other, and, surprisingly, trust the authorities, and it is not unconditional, but it is the people. People are very responsive, although closed
- Any corruption at the household level is completely absent.
- A very convenient bureaucracy, nobody demands anything from you anywhere, almost everything can be done online, both with the state and with companies like banks and utilities
- Social security - whatever happens to you, you will not end up on the street and you will not starve or die without honey. help (if at least you will reach the permanent residence here). Poor enough, but there are no beggars
- Families with children are good. Almost free education at all levels, a bunch of buns from the state
- Almost perfect ecology
- Very beautiful nature (although somewhat monotonous). Hiking, hunting, fishing, rafting, skiing, for all this there is ideal conditions
- Few people. Few high-rise buildings, most of the country is generally single-story. If you live not in the center of the city, then nature will be close by or somewhere close
Developer Salaries
In the whole country 3500-4000 € a good senor's salary. After taxes, this is approximately € 2500-2700 . In Helsinki will be closer to 4500 € (3000 € net). 5000 € (3200 € net) and more - team leader / architect.
Salaries between companies are usually about the same. Too little or too much nobody pays.
How to move
There are many types of residence permit , in principle, the standard for Europe.
- work (ordinary worker residence permit, specialist's residence permit, and some exotic ones)
- study (gives less rights than a working residence permit, and does not automatically give the right to stay in the country at the end, but gives time to find work after the study under the simplified procedure)
- business (a real business plan is needed, they can be easily rejected, but in principle it is possible; it is necessary that the business really requires your presence in Finland; some simplified version has just appeared for start-ups)
- family (marry finka / marry finn)
- roots (if you among the ancestors were citizens of Finland)
- refugee (99% from Russia are not allowed)
- The following are not grounds for a residence permit: ownership of real estate and any other property in Finland; Ingermanian roots (and any other Finno-Ugric, besides Finnish proper); a business that you can objectively conduct remotely
The most real - a residence permit specialist . Everything that I write concerns life with such a residence permit. It is made surprisingly simply and quickly. Need to:
- find a job in Finland (arriving for an interview on a tourist visa if necessary) and sign an employment contract
- the salary must be no less than 3000 € (developers, except for juniors, usually fit)
- pay a fee of 450 € (can be paid by the employer)
- somehow confirm the experience (usually a diploma, but I do not have a VO, so I brought a workbook with 8 years of work in the specialty - rolled)
- for his part, the employer must send one or two of some very simple papers to the migration service
No criminal record, no medical certificates, confirmation of rental housing in Finland, knowledge of the Finnish language, an interview with the consul (visiting the consulate is a purely technical procedure), other fluorography and urine tests are not required.
For documents in Russian, a certified translation is required (available in English). The application is submitted online with scans of documents, then you need to visit the embassy / consulate (in Russia - in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Petrozavodsk or Murmansk) at any convenient time without recording, present the originals and fingerprint and photograph.
A residence permit specialist is officially issued about a month, I was given for three working days (!). Plus, some time (in my case, a week) goes to the consulate where you need to pick it up. An ordinary working residence permit is made much longer and more dreary, since according to it a vacancy should hang on the labor exchange + get approval from the Ministry of Labor.
For a residence permit specialist you can freely change work within your area, there is no link to an employer. (Honestly, I don’t know how the boundaries of the sphere are determined. Nothing is written on the residence permit itself. In any case, any questions can be consulted via e-mail at the migration service.)
The first residence permit is issued for a year, then usually for 4 years. After 4 years in the country, you can apply for permanent residence , after that you can live as you please and do anything, at least on the allowance to sit. After 5 years in the country, you can apply for citizenship . It is necessary to pass an exam in Finnish (or Swedish), not very difficult, and not have problems with the law or debts to the state. Abandoning the original citizenship is not required .
Work searches
LinkedIn, Monster.fi - most of the interesting vacancies will be covered by these sources. Often there will be an employer written recruiting company, and not the one where the person is looking for in reality. Recruiters themselves write rarely, but, according to sensations, at least they read your resume, and they don’t bomb everyone :) Well, this is when you live here, they are unlikely to be hunted from abroad.
Finnish is often required, but not always. Usually, if the job is in Finnish, then work in Finnish, and if the job is in English, usually in English, but not always, Finnish may still be needed.
Salary in vacancies is not accepted to write, discussed at the interview. They rarely differ much between companies. Salary is always negotiated gross (before taxes).
Hiring a foreign company specialist is simple; the need for you to obtain a residence permit should not greatly discourage an employer. In my case, I got a job in a small office for 15 people, they hadn’t previously hired from abroad and had a lot of money, but everything worked out.
Not a lot of work . Still, the whole country in terms of population as one Peter. 80% of vacancies are concentrated in Helsinki, another 15-18% in more or less large cities of Tampere, Turku and Oulu, in the other cities there are only a few. I was lucky to find in Vaasa. I specifically wanted as much as possible in a small town.
Send your resume (and cover letter - anything from yourself) in English. Do not wait for a quick response. Many vacancies first collect resumes before a certain period, then choose a candidate. Even if the deadline is not specified, still do not wait for a quick response. Even if the answer is no, it is usually reported.
At first, you may be offered a small test or test task (really small, for an hour) if the company is large and they have many candidates. Next, expect one or more interviews via Skype, and, if all is well, an invitation to the office (a self-respecting company will pay for tickets and accommodation). In my case, right after hour-long chatting in Skype - not even interviews really, just for life - in a few days an offer was sent :) But still, of course, first went to talk and see.
Self-respecting company will also somehow help with the move. They paid me a fee of 450 € and let me live free of charge in an empty house on the farm of my boss's family (40 km from the city) until I found my accommodation :)
Moving
From Russia, especially from St. Petersburg, it is convenient to move around - not far. You can carry things. There are companies that do this. Small things (and there is no sense in furniture, etc.) can be brought in by car.
As stated above, housing was provided for the first time. On a farm 40 km from the city, however, it’s only half an hour by car. I found my accommodation in two weeks. If housing isn’t available for you, remove AirBnB or Forenom’s apartments for the first time (specializing in medium-term accommodation). True, to register there will not work, but without registration will be inconvenient.
After the move, you can start working immediately, but of the required procedures, you must do the following in parallel:
- Go to the magistrate (~ = passport office) to register as a resident of Finland, if possible - to register at your temporary address
- Get a police ID card. It is not formally required for a fee, but it is the only ID that will be accepted everywhere
- Open a bank account. It is very desirable to have an identity card (ID) from the previous paragraph, according to the Russian passport, you will almost certainly not be connected to the Internet bank, and without it is bad. Salary is transferred to a bank account. A bank card can do for a long time, a couple of weeks.
- Find rental housing, move there and register there (online or using the application form, which can be taken at the post office and thrown into the mailbox)
- Get a social security card (kela card). Can online
- Get t. N. tax card with a percentage of the tax and give it to the employer. It is possible online, but not sure whether it is possible immediately the first time online, I personally went to the tax office. The main thing before the first paycheck
All this, except for housing, very simple procedures with a minimum of bureaucracy . In all private offices, as state. institutions and companies such as banks or insurance, log in via the Internet bank (if you are interested in technical details, google the TUPAS protocol), with two-factor authentication - usually with a card with codes. That's why it's bad without an online bank. By the way, Internet banks themselves are excellent (at least mine, OP ), although I heard that in Europe it is usually much worse than in Russia. Only the interface is usually only in Finnish and Swedish.
Geography and climate
Capital Region - Helsinki + suburbs Espoo and Vantaa (+ external small sleeping suburbs). Other major cities (with a population of more than 100 thousand) - Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Lahti. Vaasa is not a very big city (65 thousand), but it is old and is a regional capital.
In small cities it’s boring (even for me), it’s bad with work (in IT there’s really nothing to look for) and only retirees live mostly. A good city is where there is a university. There are three of them in Vaasa.
The country is divided into regions (19 pieces), and they into municipalities (more than 300). Vaasa is the capital of the Ostrobothnia region. The country is unitary, the regions are drawn for convenience only, although reform will be soon, and they will receive their government. The municipality (city or rural area) is a very important unit. Most of your taxes usually go to your municipality (the percentage may differ slightly between different). Pre-school and school education, health care and social service, repair and cleaning of streets - all this works at the level of the municipality. For the Finn, the municipality is a small homeland.
The climate is similar to Peter in the first approximation. There are nuances. In Helsinki, a little warmer, in Turku in the far south-east of the country, a little warmer. In Vaasa like in St. Petersburg, but much more than the sun. At the latitude of Vaasa, the white nights are much lighter than in St. Petersburg, but even in winter the day lasts only a few hours. Oulu and to the north in Lapland - there is already decently colder and more continental, closer to my native Ural.
The whole country is covered with forests. In some places - fields (especially in Ostrobothnia), but there is much more forest. Many large and small lakes, which she is famous for. On the coast of the sea there are numerous archipelagoes, it’s good to have a yacht or at least some kind of boat. The sea is freezing. The southern coast is not strong and for long, and sometimes not all. The west coast of Vaasa and to the north is much more serious. In Vaasa melts later than in St. Petersburg. In summer, the harsh Finns bathe in it, for me so nafig-nafig.
Many people have a cottage in the forest on the lake / on the sea / on the island. Mökki (mökki) is called. Traditionally - with a sauna, but without water and electricity. They stand separately, around a hectare of forest at least, you do not see the neighbors. All the good places are built up long ago, the site for a new dacha is not normal to buy, and the finished dachas in a good place stand like a wing from an airplane. But you can just rent for a week or two, many do.
A lot of animals. Birds sing all the time. In cities live hares, it is often possible to meet even almost in the center. There are a lot of moose. In car insurance, moose always go as a separate item. This winter was a lot of wolves, went into the city. But people are not attacked, only on dogs. In the north, bred reindeer, insanely beautiful animals. There their huge herds roam.
Almost everywhere there are many picturesque rocks. There are mountains only in the north of Lapland and not very large. But still, Lapland is incredibly beautiful. And for serious mountains you can go to Sweden or Norway, in principle.
Everywhere in the country, even in private territories (if there are no explicit prohibition signs and not close to someone else's housing), you can walk, pick berries and mushrooms, put up a tent, go fishing in the sea without restriction, you need an inexpensive license in rivers and lakes. Hunting is also popular. I was told at work how moose was hunted. Previously, the whole village went, now only individual enthusiasts.
Ostrobothnia, the region where I live, is famous for agriculture. There are fewer rocks and vast fields along river valleys, but there is still a lot of forests :) Russian tourists rarely get to these parts, there are many Russians who have never seen Russian eyes and are curious.
In Vaasa, a city with a population of 65 thousand people, there are five hypermarkets of the Prism type, with a dozen or so specialized ones (construction, furniture, etc. - Ikei perhaps not :(), a cinema, two theaters, a couple dozen museums, an airport, water park, stadium, ice arena, three mentioned universities.I would compare the set of entertainment and services with the Russian city in the size ten times more. Of the sights - very beautiful Kvarkensky archipelago, the ruins of Old Vaasa (burned down in the middle of the 19th century), but in general nothing much surprising. The country is not rich in major sights, but there is a great many local lore level, and almost every village has some small specialized museum, for example, ironmongery or greed.
Housing
Housing to rent is not very problematic , especially in a small town. It is possible from a private trader or from a company that donates its own housing A private trader needs to be liked and they often require more bail (according to the law, up to two rent payments are possible). Companies do not care :) But there are not usually such interesting options, and the routine of tenants is more with all the consequences. At first, it is possible for the company ( Pikipruukki Vaasan local is called), it will be quite OK. Across the country, you can see the offers and price levels for Vuokraovi - there is an English interface here. Killed apartments in the trash does not happen, with some terrible old repair - also not seen.
I rent a two-room apartment 57 sq. M. m 3 km from work for 630 € / month . On top of this, I pay only for electricity (15-20 € / month on the meter). Water, parking, internet, use of sauna and laundry are included, but can be separately. The house is a brick three-story building built in 1999. There are many black / Middle Asian immigrants, but they are no different from poor Finns. Work, study, do not buzz.
You can rent an apartment and closer to the center (it will not be much more expensive), and further. I have a good balance, as I believe. Under the windows there are already small areas of the forest, and still not very far from work and shops. Up to a couple of grocery 5 minutes walk, to a large "Prism" or "Minimum" 5 minutes by car. To work from door to door half an hour on foot, 15 min. on the bus, 20 min. by car, if you park for free in a kilometer, 10 min. - if paid under the central square right at work. (Such parking costs 10 € per day, 80 € per month; two blocks from the central - 40 € per month.)
The general price range for a city of Vaasa is € 350-550, odnushka, € 500-800 one-room apartment, € 600-950 treshka . In the capital region will be decently more expensive, in Helsinki, one and a half times a minimum. There, however, it is possible to live in the suburbs perfectly.
The highest houses in the city are seven-story. Outside the center of high-rise buildings is small, and those that are, mainly floors of three. Vast areas of private houses and townhouses.
Mortgage give a symbolic percentage (1-2%? I have not tried it yet), the maximum period is normal like 25 years. The first installment is at least 10%. There are special savings accounts in banks to save for a down payment, there is a higher percentage than a regular deposit. The average dvushka in Vaasa of my type costs about 100 thousand €. But more often they buy a separate house or townhouse than an apartment. It is not necessarily much more expensive. Paying a mortgage is not much more expensive than renting the same apartment, and maybe cheaper. The fixed part of the communal apartment in the high-rise building is about 200 €, plus the meters for water and electricity, plus you pay the mortgage itself.
Many people buy houses in the country, sometimes decently in the country (a few dozen kilometers) and drive a car to work. In our office only 2 of 6 developers (one of whom I am) live in Vaasa, the rest are all completely in the villages. Photos show how moose under their windows are.
Apartments - returning to rent - are rented without furniture, except for kitchen, built-in wardrobes and plumbing. From scratch to move into the country in this regard is difficult, you need a little bit to arrange. I have about 3000 € spent on a modest piece of furniture (as well as dishes and the like). However, if you bother, you can buy everything by ads and flea markets for a penny. If you are moving within the country, there are a lot of companies that help with the transport of things.
In high-rise buildings, there is a storage room in the basement or a separate shed (for things like winter tires), a room for bicycles and wheelchairs, a sauna (or each apartment has its own, or shared by appointment - there is a common, uncomfortable in my house), often a laundry room (conveniently, when only moved, but most buy their washing machine).
Parking spaces are distributed. If you live not quite in the center, you will definitely have your parking space, free of charge or for a nominal fee. In the center of them may be a queue. In high-rise buildings closer to the center there may be garages on the ground floor, and in new buildings underground parking. Ground parking spaces are usually equipped with sockets for heating the engine in winter (the standard option, which will be put on any car in any service). Guests, etc., can usually park on the street or in designated areas. Parking can be directly under the windows, and maybe 150 meters away. In any case, the door of the entrance can always be approached for loading and unloading.
Heating in high-rise buildings is usually central, included in the rent / communal apartment for homeowners. They do not save on heating, the batteries are hot. In private houses with the type of heating options are possible. The most expensive is purely electric, 200 + € will be an electricity bill. In general, I am not very aware of the cost of maintaining my home. Expensive and dreary, of course.
There is no gas network (there is only in the south, and it seems there is only at the power station, and not to ordinary consumers). All plates are electric. From the fire made to hang the sensors. Almost all also insure their homes (sometimes under the terms of the lease is required). Insurance, among other things, covers damage to things in an apartment (computer, for example) and liability to neighbors if you flood it. It is worth about 200 € per year like.
Family and education
You can move with your wife / husband , they will be given a residence permit with a machine gun. You can not even sign the move. The partner has the right to work at any job, or not to work and receive his 700 €, like, benefits. But outside IT, a job without Finnish knowledge is extremely difficult to find.
You can have a family here too, of course :) It’s more difficult to get to know a local immigrant, especially without knowing the language; however, everything is real. Tinder, bars, student life and other studies, interest clubs, work - everything is like everywhere else. Making long-term relationships is all the more difficult; Finns, both men and women, are very independent people and usually do not want to flee to the registry office and have children quickly. Externally, the typical Finn / Finn are often large (more large than fat people) with rough features. On the west coast are more like the Swedes, prettier.
Municipal kindergarten specifically in Vaas costs up to 290 €. All other education, including university education, is free. (Exception: if you move to Finland on the basis of study (not work or other) and move from outside the EU And you study at a university in a non-state (Finnish or Swedish) language, then for a fee.) The school is divided into two levels, secondary school and lyceum. Lyceum - in the sense of 10-11 grades in Russia, prepares for the university, only this institution is completely separate from the secondary school.
Among students, of course, it is customary to live separately from their parents. They live poorly.They are paid a small scholarship from the state, and they can rent housing on preferential terms, but it still costs a lot (but decent housing). Often take a student loan. It is for life, and not for study as such. Pay only later when they work. (But this is for my own people, if you get a residence permit on the basis of your studies, you must show that you already have money for life.)
The medicine
Here, I also have little experience. Immediately after the move, you are covered by state medical insurance and have all the same rights as the Finn, only Kela-card (~ = insurance policy) must be obtained. State medicine works typically for Europe. Queues, especially to specialists, and to treat everything that can be ibuprofen, but in a critical situation they will really do everything that is possible - if necessary, they will send the helicopter or pay for chemotherapy or something else. For a trip to the clinic you will be charged a symbolic amount, but if you reach a certain not very high level (a few hundred euros) of annual medical expenses, then everything will be free. The same applies to the purchase of prescription drugs and hospital stay.
You can buy medical insurance, you can go to private clinics with him, where there are no queues and you are much more likely to smile. It is not very expensive, several hundred euros per year. But private owners do not do anything serious, operations do not, in severe cases they will be sent to a regular state hospital on general rights.
The employer is obliged to take care of occupational health, so when applying for a job, he will send you to a physical examination at his own expense, and usually he will give the minimum VHI that you can visit the therapist.
Teeth only paste unrealistically expensive, try to avoid it: (
Transport
In Helsinki and the metropolitan area posh public transport. Buses, trains, the long-suffering branch of the metro were finally expanded to the west (no one believed), the trams in the center. In other cities, it’s better not to hope for public transport . He seems to be, in principle, to survive, using only him, is possible, but life will come out so-so. Buses run at best once in 20-30 minutes, they like to be late, on weekends they can walk every couple of hours or not at all. At prices in Vaasa - 1.33 € for a trip within the city (by bus card, cash is more expensive) or 35 € monthly fare. Outside the city, everything is very bad, from a suburban village there may be a couple of flights in the morning and a couple in the evening, that's all. Electric trains outside the capital region does not exist.
Therefore, we need a car. In Vaasa, 85% of households have a car. New cars are expensive, as the price includes an extensive excise (a few tens of percent of the cost of the car). But in fact, there are not many who buy new ones; most of them go to old ones. It is absolutely socially acceptable here and do not care what you drive.
If you don’t go anywhere else to work and shopping, then any ruin for € 2,000 or less will even work. You can see the options on Autotie(in Finnish, but the essence should be clear anyway). The average age of the car in Finland is 12 years. Roads and drivers are better here, twisting mileage is not accepted (although it occurs), drowned, etc., too, to sell, so the probability of running into very much trash is lower, but still, buying a used car is buying a used car. You can buy in the cabin. It will be more expensive, but they will give a guarantee.
You can import the car from Russia. For half a year, you can even ride on Russian numbers and do nothing (well, just issue a green card for the entire term), continue or officially import, or sell at home. Officially importing a chore, you need to get a piece of paper at customs, pass inspection of Finnish, measure CO2 emissions separately and get a certificate, pay taxes, register for registration, buy insurance. You will have to pay the same excise on the car, as you would in Finland. It is considered for gasoline vehicles from CO2 emissions, and for diesel engines - from power levels. This may be about 2000-3000 € already for a small car. Not very profitable. (Previously, it was possible to import a car without tax for immigration, now it is already impossible.)
I personally chose the option - buy a new car in Finland. It is very simple, the whole procedure - two visits to the salon (one to order a car, the second to receive) for 40 minutes, and that’s all, I sat down and drove off. The salon will issue a loan (if necessary), insurance, put on record and screw the numbers. To get a loan, I had to answer a dozen questions, show identification (no more documents) and wait for five minutes to drink coffee until the bank (remotely) approves. The fact that you are an immigrant and without a Finnish credit rating is not important to anyone; the main thing is that this credit rating is not negative, and the newcomer has zero. The first installment is usually needed (at least 10%), but options seem possible. The loan was given at 2.98% for five years.
In general, buying a car is a fun experience. When I said that I wanted a test drive, they just gave me the keys and showed “that car, ride as much as you want.” At this stage, I was not even asked what their name was. You do not have to pay anything for insurance in the cabin, it is drawn up and it is already valid from now on, but the bill for it is then sent to you by a home insurance in a week.
Insurance on the car cost 1000 € with a little per year (you can pay in parts, it will cost the same). Of this, half is compulsory motor third party liability insurance (its conditions are always the same: coverage of material damage is up to 5 million euros, damage to health is unlimited up to a lifetime disability pension (and the damage to health is even compensated for the culprit), coverage in all EU countries and others where green card system), half - full CASCO with a franchise of 150 €. This, of course, for a new client, without bonuses.
Transport tax is calculated on CO2 emissions for gasoline vehicles, on diesel power. I got 220 € / year with a 1.2 liter turbo engine in a new car with fairly low emissions by all European standards. On a diesel engine, two or three times would be more. But diesel is much cheaper. Diesel more profitable if you drive a lot. 95th gasoline costs 1.45 € / l. For a typical small car with a real consumption on the highway 6.5-7.5 l / 100 km it is convenient to consider: drive 10 km on the highway costs 1 €.
Russian rights can be exchanged for Finnish if you have lived for half a year (but not more than 2 years) in the country. You need to get only honey. Help, retake the exam is not necessary. Prior to that, you can ride on the Russian rights, the usual, not international.
The roads are good, but mostly not highways (except for a few diverging from Helsinki, and detours of some cities). The flow of cars is mostly not very large, with the exception of a few main meridional roads it is very rare to overtake. The road network is very extensive, the roads in the outback may be worse, but you can always drive to any hole where there is an official road without any problems, without breaking through and tearing off the wheels. Is that in the spring primer defrost and ride is not very, but still not fatal. In cities, the speed limit is 50 km / h (except for transit roads), but in practice it is often 40 and even 30, the ride is very calm and measured. In winter, cities don’t sprinkle with reagent, just rolled snow on the roads, and pavements and courtyards are sprinkled with stone chips. So, not counting the slopes, in the winter everywhere much, MUCH cleaner,than in Russia.
For long distance travel there are buses, trains and airplanes. Buses used little. Trains are very comfortable and fast, just late constantly. From Vaasa to Helsinki by train 3.5 hours (costs € 41 the full price, and half as much if taken in advance), by car 5 hours. You can go to St. Petersburg by train, transferring under Helsinki; I don’t intend to travel by car to Russia anymore (there are problems with this if there are Finnish numbers). In all decent cities there is an airport, they fly to Helsinki, sometimes somewhere else, for example, from Vaasa it is still possible to Stockholm, and from Oulu - to Luleå and Tromsø.
There is also a sea transport. From Turku there are ferries to the Aland Islands and to Stockholm, from Helsinki to Stockholm, Tallinn, St. Petersburg and there seem to be some to Germany. From Vaasa, there is a much lesser known ferry to the Swedish city of Umeå that crosses the Gulf of Bothnia at its narrowest point. Turku-Stockholm and Helsinki-Tallinn are the most popular and cheap, on the second they all go to Estonia for a cheap booze, and on the first they simply thump. (In Finland, alcohol is expensive, beer is from 2 €, wine is from 9 €, this is if mass brands for unassuming people are good, more expensive; I don't even remember how much strong; except beer, everything is sold only in specialized stores.) For all ferries you can with the car, then they are ferries.
Taxes
Taxes are considered difficult. The main part - these are two taxes - state and municipal personal income tax. State progressive, and municipal flat. But both are given automatic deductions, so the municipal one is also progressive. Plus fixed (without deductions) rates of pension and social contributions. The more you earn, the closer the total tax rate will asymptotically approach somewhere around 55%. But it is necessary to earn a lot. For the mentioned senior wages will be about 30% .
How to estimate the tax: open the calculator, choose a city in the first field, in the second - that you do not belong to the church (they will not record you in any church, well, there is also a church tax), in the third - the year of birth, further down Continue. On the second page in the very first (topmost and leftmost field), enter the annual RFP dirty, and at the bottom click Calculate. Nothing more is needed. The tax calculation will be shown to you, find the Basic rate line and add the number from the footnote below (“Please add 8.25 percentage points ...”). There will be a final percentage.
The employer pays additional fees from your RFP.as in Russia. They, too, are nowhere to be seen, but they are. Your own taxes, the employer also pays for you, but you need to tell him the percentage of tax. In tax, you report your expected income and other factors (all the same as in the calculator), you also consider the percentage, and give a piece of paper with this percentage, which must be given to the employer. (You can do all this online through your personal account at the tax office, and send the employer just a scan.)
Taxes, as they say, “can be seen where they are going”. This is yes. If you are interested in the details of where you are going, and you know some Finnish, you can read the financial reports on the website of the municipality;
Language and Culture
Finnish is difficult , everyone knows that. It belongs to the Finno-Ugric group, and almost all other European (including Russian) - to the Indo-European. Therefore, absolutely all the vocabulary is different, there are almost no similar words. Even borrowed words are often distorted beyond recognition. The grammar is also complex, with nouns / adjectives 16 cases. However, there are positive aspects. Very simple pronunciation (few sounds, for a Russian-speaking person in pronunciation, they are all simple, everything reads exactly the same as it is written), some cases - they simply replace prepositions, some are rarely used, there are no articles, no birth (even some words “he "And" she "no), the word order is not very critical. The language is agglutinative, that is, words are formed according to the principle of stringing heaps of suffixes and other roots on them. If you already know the root and suffix, the meaning of the whole word is often easy to understand.
The big difficulty is that the spoken language is very different from the written one. Textbooks and courses will teach only writing, but they really only speak in “official” contexts (on TV, for example), and in the spoken language grammar and vocabulary are significantly different. Plus, there are a lot of dialects, however, with a stranger, they will usually at least speak in "average" conversational, and not in their own dialect.
However, language must be taught. To live with one English, as well as ride a bus, you can, but bad. For the first time, this is enough (almost everyone speaks English more or less, there are almost always any forms of statements everywhere in English), but neither the local cinema can be seen, the book is not read, the TV is not watched, and everything is usually between them -these speak Finnish (even if at work the official language is English). You can go to courses, they are inexpensive (less than 100 € for each of several levels), but you still need to be able to get into them, in Vaasa, at least they are only a couple of times a year. Well, anyway, you don’t speak directly freely, but at least some practice will be conversational there.
5% of the population speaks Swedish, and in Vaasa just one of the major cities has the largest percentage, a third of them, it seems. The villages in the region are almost entirely Swedish-speaking (not Swedes! Swedish-speaking Finns). You can learn Swedish, it is much simpler, more useful internationally (knowing Swedish, you will also understand Norwegian and to a lesser extent Danish), and you can take it for citizenship instead of Finnish. But in Finland itself the benefits of it are very limited. Swedish is taught in schools, but only a few years, and the Finns speak it usually much worse than English, many do not speak at all. Swedish-speaking Finns, respectively, also learn little Finnish and speak it poorly. But in a bilingual region like Vaasa, most of the people are somehow bilingual (well, trilingual, considering English).
I cannot say anything supernatural about working culture, it is not so very different from Russia. In our company there is a free schedule, you can work remotely when there are no meetings (those who live far away often use this). In the afternoon, part of the people goes to a cafe in a center in the middle of the day; some of them eat themselves. Corporate events are rarely available and usually the program is not much wider than stupidly buhalov and saunas. Many people like to drink, Finns after all. Vodka from Russia brought a couple of times :)
According to Finnish law, 4 weeks leave is granted for the first year of work, beyond 5 weeks. Even maternity leave is good, for both women and men. And it is difficult to dismiss without compensation, so they usually give the maximum possible probationary period - 4 months. There are still trade unions, however, as usual, this is not about IT people (although they seem to be taken to the union of engineers). In general, in which case the law is on your side.
The development team is small, the product on technology and code quality is quite ordinary (PHP is set on a framework), but there is a good space for creativity, for example, I implemented the React here, no one about him was in the subject :) Trying to practice Scram, like everything - not god all as successful. Recently hired an Indian scrum master here. The company is quite open, sometimes there are general meetings, where, over coffee and bread rolls, the management tells what is happening at all, but here it is also due to its small size. The team atmosphere is good, but there are difficult people in the rest of the company, as well as everywhere else. Govnokoderov not, but everyone says that they used to be :) All the other developers on Windows or Linux are sitting, wild people. But they found the MBP lying around.
Such cases, that's all I can say for now. I'm still happy with everything as an elephant . I do not exclude that someday I will move to another city. Maybe in Helsinki (or rather, in a distant suburb then I really would like, not Helsinki itself), almost all the work is there, I like Oulu - he is in the north, from there you can drive to the mountains for the weekend. Well, wait and see. If you still have questions, ask.
The photo is mainly Vaasa and its surroundings. Disclaimer: Some photos also include the national parks of Salamajärvi, Koli, Pyhä-Luosto and Malla Nature Reserve, located in other regions of the country.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/358362/
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