Finnish language teacher

Berätta kort vad du arbetar med.

I'm the owner of the Ihana suomi (‘Wonderful Finnish') company, where I offer Finnish courses mainly online. I have three types of customers: Finnish companies that provide instruction in Finnish for their foreign-language employees, Swedish and Swedish-speaking Finns living in Sweden who use Finnish with their family or in their work, and private individuals who want to study Finnish under the guidance of a private teacher. 

Hur har du hamnat i det yrke du valt?

I have always been interested in languages and have studied several of them since secondary school. I originally wanted to be a Swedish teacher and first studied Nordic languages at the university, but when I started studying Finnish, it rose above the others. Most of Finnish teachers teach the language to native speakers, but I felt it straight away that it was not my calling. I knew I wanted to teach Finnish as a foreign language to people whose mother tongue is not Finnish. 

Beskriv en typisk arbetsdag eller arbetsvecka.

Each of my working days includes two to seven hours of Finnish lessons, and I also plan future lessons. As an entrepreneur, I also have to send invoices and plan the finances. In addition to these, I have recently been writing a Finnish textbook and adapting a novel into simplified Finnish. 

Hurdan är din arbetsmiljö eller vilka är dina arbetstider?

I work at home in my own office. In the coming spring, I will also teach one lesson a month at a company. 

My lessons take place between 9.00–22.00. Sometimes I have to work late in the evenings, but that allows me to wake up at 8.00 in most mornings, go for a walk while it's still sunny and wash laundry. Sometimes I even go to the sauna in the middle of the workday! As the working hours centre around the evening, I can meet the pupil before and right after their school day and really listen to how they are doing. 

Vilka kunskaper eller egenskaper krävs i yrket?

Language teachers must be experts in their choice of language and have the ability to encounter people. Finnish teachers must master Finnish grammar and the language as a whole, but those alone are not enough, as you need pedagogical skills and human knowledge to make students actually learn.  

Entrepreneurs also need entrepreneurial skills regardless of their field. You must be able to market your competence and manage a company, its finances and, above all, yourself. You must also be able to tolerate uncertainty and risks, as the income is not as regular as in paid work. 

Vad är det bästa med ditt yrke?

The best part is that I can help people through teaching them a language. As my students learn Finnish, it's easier for them to integrate into the society, find a better job and build deeper relationships. 

In terms of my life, the best part about my work is the freedom, the independence and the fact that I can work with both my brain and my heart. 

Vilka är skuggsidorna i yrket eller vad känns utmanande?

Unfortunately, many Finnish teachers have a fixed-term employment contract and, at worst, don't get paid for the summer. This is not the case for everyone, but it still happens in our field, which is a shame. 

As an entrepreneur, the most challenging part is time management. I tend to work too much, and I'm bad at taking enough time off to relax. 

Vad skulle du berätta för en person som överväger att bli lärare i finska?

If you are interested in languages, cultures and working with people, you can combine all of these as a Finnish teacher, even better than as a foreign language teacher. As a Finnish teacher, you can have a significant impact on the lives of dozens and hundreds of people – on the entire society, in fact. 

Hur ser framtiden ut för ditt yrke?

There is currently a shortage of qualified Finnish-language teachers. More Finnish language courses would be organised if there were more qualified teachers, so the employment prospects are very bright. I believe that you will be able to choose a job in the future, as our field is becoming a jobseeker's market. 

People are constantly moving to Finland to learn the language, integrate and find employment, and it won't change in the future. The need for Finnish teaching will not decrease but grow.

Photo: Nelli Kivinen