EURES helps you find a job abroad 

EURES (European Employment Service) supports free movement between its Member States. In addition to EU countries, EURES covers Norway, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland.  

Free movement gives all citizens in the region the right to work in another Member State. As a Finnish citizen, you have the same rights and obligations when working in the EU and Switzerland as the nationals of those countries. You must register your residence in the new country, but no separate residence permit is required. 

If you want to work in an EU or EEA country or Switzerland and are looking for information about open jobs in the country, education and training, or the labour market, check out the EURES online service.

EURES advisers provide guidance on international job searches and help you prepare a country-specific CV and cover letter. In addition, you receive support from EURES member and partner organisations throughout the job search. The service is free of charge. 

Job seeking trip to an EU or EEA country or Switzerland 

As an unemployed job seeker, you are allowed to go to another EU or EEA member state or Switzerland for three months to look for work and still retain your entitlement to the unemployment benefit you receive in Finland. During your job seeking trip, you can receive earnings-related unemployment allowance or basic unemployment allowance. In other words, you cannot receive the labour market subsidy during the trip. 

To be able to receive unemployment benefits while you are abroad, your unemployment before your trip must have lasted for at least four weeks. The employment official may, at its discretion, shorten this period for a special reason, for example if you have already agreed on a job interview or your spouse has got a job in the destination country. Your unemployment period can also be calculated to include the time that you have participated in a service that promotes employment. 

Please report your travel dates to your local employment official in good time before your departure. The official will inform the payer of the unemployment security that you will be leaving to look for work in another EU or EEA member state or Switzerland. 

Remember to order a U2 form from Kela or your unemployment fund well in advance of your departure, as you will need to take this to the employment official of your destination country. KELA or your unemployment fund will determine whether the prerequisites for transferring the unemployment allowance that falls within their domain are met. 

After you have arrived at your destination country, remember to register as a job seeker with the local employment official within seven days. This will allow you to receive your allowance for the duration of your trip. If you register later, you will only receive money from your registration date. You can search for your future country of employment on the European Commission’s website.

During the job seeking process, you are required to comply with the obligations and supervision methods that have been mandated by the labour officials of your destination country. 

Your unemployment allowance is paid by KELA or an unemployment fund. During your job seeking trip, you can apply for unemployment allowance online as usual, or you can post your unemployment period notice to the payer.  

Register as an unemployed job seeker after the trip  

Once you return to Finland, notify your local employment official immediately. Your unemployment security may change if you do not return to Finland and you do not notify the official at the latest on the return date mentioned in the U2 form. This means that you would not receive any unemployment allowance before you have been employed or participated in labour market training in Finland for four weeks. You may be entitled to receive labour market support. 

For more detailed instructions, contact the employment official, Kela, or the unemployment fund.  

If you are not a citizen of an EU or EEA member state or Switzerland, contact the employment official and the payer of your unemployment benefit. 

For more information, contact your local EURES adviser.

This website is part of the European Commission's Your Europe portal. Did you find what you were looking for? Give feedback! (europa.eu)

Studying abroad

You can study abroad at different stages of your life. The study period can be anything from a few weeks to several years.

If you are studying in Finland, you can apply to a student exchange programme. While abroad, you can complete part of the studies for your degree in Finland. Contact your own place of education for more information on student exchange.

You can also complete an entire degree abroad. In this case, the studies will take several years depending on the scope of the degree.

Interning abroad

If your studies include an internship, you can do this abroad. This opportunity is primarily open to students and recent graduates. An internship supports

• professional development,
• language skills, and
• international connections for you and your employer.

If you are in vocational education, you can apply for an internship abroad through your own institution.

If you are in higher education, you can use, for example, the following means to find internships abroad:

• the contacts of your own place of education,
• the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI traineeships),
• international student organisations, or
• contacting employers directly on your own.

Check with your own educational institution whether you can apply for an internship subsidy. You may be eligible for an Erasmus+ grant if you intern in a member state of the European Union, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, or Turkey. You can search for available internship positions via the EURES portal, for example.

Newly graduated or unemployed young persons can apply for

• an internship abroad via various programmes and initiatives, or
• preparation for working life abroad.

If you are between the ages of 18 and 35 and have recently graduated from upper secondary vocational education, you can apply for an Erasmus+-supported internship abroad through the Allianssi Youth Exchange Ready for Life project.

If you are currently attending higher education or have graduated with a higher education degree no more than a year ago, you can apply for an EDUFI traineeship through the Finnish National Agency for Education. The EDUFI traineeship supports your studies and helps to expand your competence. The Finnish National Agency for Education will also grant you a subsidy for the duration of your traineeship.

You can find more information on different international experiences on the Maailmalle.net website maintained by the Finnish National Agency for Education or their advisory services.

Volunteer work abroad

If you are taking a gap year, longer-term voluntary work could be a good option for you. A period of voluntary work often incurs some expenses that you have to pay on your own. However, the European Voluntary Service does offer young Europeans aged 17 to 30 years an opportunity to volunteer for a longer time with financial support from the EU.

International camps are a great way to get to know the culture of the target country while doing voluntary work in a multicultural group to benefit a local non-profit organisation.

The camps usually last two to three weeks. They are organised all over the world, primarily in the summer. Most attendees are between the ages of 18 and 30, but there is no maximum age. You are not paid for the work, but food and accommodation are provided as compensation. If you are interested in an international workcamp, you can apply through organisations such as Kansainvälinen Vapaaehtoistyö ry.

This website is part of the European Commission's Your Europe portal. Did you find what you were looking for? Give feedback! (europa.eu)

If you need help in applying for unemployment security, read the contents of Job Market Finland or call the national Unemployment security advice.

You can receive financial support when you move to another EU country, Norway or Iceland for work.