Did your service end and you do not have a job lined up?
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If you do not have a job lined up immediately after completing your service, register as a jobseeker at the TE Office. You can register as a jobseeker already before your service ends and inform us of your first day of unemployment in advance. If you register as a jobseeker only after your service ends, your right to unemployment security begins at the earliest from the date of registration.
Register as a jobseeker
The easiest way to register as a jobseeker is via the TE Services’ E-services. You will need online banking codes or a smart ID card for identification purposes.
Report all your employment relationships from the last two years, as well as other employment relationships and education information relevant to your job search. Your job search will start as soon as you have answered the questions in the online service and submitted the information. After submitting your reply, you will receive instructions on how to continue. Be prepared to present your diplomas and employment certificates, as well as a certificate specifying the length of your service.
If you do not have online banking codes or a smart ID card, please contact your local TE Office as soon as possible.
After registering
The initial interview is organised for all job seekers within five business days since the start of the job search. Interviews are mainly organised at the office of the TE Office or the local government pilot, but they can also be arranged in some other way due to a weighty reason, for example, an inordinately long trip to the relevant office.
Alternatively, the TE Office or the local government pilot will organise a supplementary job search discussion in which an employment plan will be drawn up for you. However, the initial interview must be arranged without delay thereafter.
In the initial interview your situation will be analysed, and an employment plan will be prepared for you. In the interview, you and your expert will discuss what kind of jobs you could apply for or whether you need to acquire training or change fields.
Your service needs will also be assessed in the initial interview. The assessment of service needs is a key part of supporting your employment and directing you to services.
In the initial interview, you will also agree on the service use method and communication with the TE Office or the local government pilot.
We will send a statement to Kela or an unemployment fund for the payment of your allowance as soon as we have determined your entitlement to unemployment security.
Apply for unemployment security
You can apply for unemployment benefits either from your own unemployment fund or from Kela, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. In order to be entitled to unemployment security, your job search has to be valid. The waiting period begins only after you have started your job search. You will not receive unemployment allowance for the duration of the waiting period.
- Kela Quick guide for conscripts (kela.fi)
- Kela Labour market subsidy (kela.fi)
- How to apply for labour market subsidy from Kela (kela.fi)
- How to apply for earnings-related allowance from the unemployment fund (tyj.fi)
Look for employment independently
After registering as a jobseeker, you will be included when we look for suitable candidates for open positions advertised at the TE Office. However, having been registered as a jobseeker is no replacement for your own active efforts to find employment. In other words, start applying for jobs before your service ends or immediately thereafter.
As an unemployed jobseeker, follow the agreement you made with the TE Office
In the employment plan you have agreed on the goals of your job search, your own duties and the required services. By acting as agreed in the plan and reporting any changes in your job search situation, you will ensure that you will receive unemployment allowance and find a job as quickly as possible.