Studies, Jobs and Career options in Finland

Dear friend,
I came accross your site and found it to be very helpful for Nepalese students like me who are planning to study in Finland. I personally have been searching information like in your site from many days. I have applies in following collages:

1. Turku UAS, Turku, International Business Degree Programme in International Business
2. Metropolia UAS, Technology Espoo Degree Programme in Information Technology
3. Arcada Degree Programme in International Business
4. Vaasa UAS, Technology, IT Degree Programme in Information Technology

Even if i have applied for IT i am planning to study International Business.
So please tell me (if you know) what sorts of questions are asked in the
entrance examination of International Business and from which level course do we have to
prepare. Does the collage provide us syllabus to prepeare if asked for?

I am not sure which level have you applied to. But, after reading your mail, I felt you are talking about Bachelor level. I got confused about the level since some of those colleges also offer Master's degree in both IT and International Business.

First thing, if you prefer to study International Business, why did you apply to Information Technology? Anyway, you can change them later however some colleges do not allow the change, so let's hope the college in which you will be accepted would allow to change it later. But remember, the change would occur only after completion of some minimal credits on the same course in which you are accepted. It means, you need to come on IT itself and study for some period and then only you would be eligible to change the program. However, during that study period as well, you might be able to study courses that are relevant and useful for International Business as well though it totally depends upon the college itself whether they have such flexible course structure or not.

About the entrance question structure, don't get afraid. Its bit easier as I had mentioned on one of my previous blog. College may provide you a set of sample questions if you ask. But, some colleges does not provide them. The better solution might be, you go and consult with Finnish Embassy in Bishal Nagar, they would certainly help something on this matter.

And regarding Job few days back a guy I met told me to take Italian cook training so that it will be easy to get job in europe (currently he is in Denmark).

Definitely some sort of trainings would be positive point to stand in front while searching for jobs. But, I don't think the Italian cook training is really useful in case of Finland. The only training I would recommend you to have is Finnish Language Training. If you know Finnish, that is really a great advantage for you. In addition to that, any kind of training might be useful. In case of cook trainings, Finnish people and restaurants give preference to the one which have cook degree rather than just a training.

Are people frequently rejected by Finnish Embassy?

We hardly hear rejections from Finnish Embassy. Mostly, Tourist visas are rejected. I have heard only two cases of student visa rejection yet. And, both of them due to the services obtained from Consultancy. As I wrote on some earlier blog, Finnish government is giving you an opportunity to study Free of Cost and they really hate those who pays more than a lakh amount to consultancy for doing nothing. So, visas are rejected if they come to know that you are taking help from a consultancy by paying them a large amount. That is why, even consultancy people use convince their students that not to say that they applied through consultancy during interview.

Which of the above place is best for nepali student?

It depends upon your need. If study is your priority and you have enough funds to finance your studies, you can come to any place of your choice. But, if you need to have job during your studies even for your survival cost, only Helsinki is undoubtedly good. Other cities are really poor in terms of job opportunities. You need to think twice before coming to other cities if job is necessary for you. If I need to sort out your list of colleges, let's pray to god for admission in Espoo since Espoo is a part of greater Helsinki. Other than that, Turku might be bit good, but again; think twice before deciding.

What is the scope of International Business?

Ya, its good. But, working in Business field actively requires adaptation to Finnish Language, Culture and Civilization structure. So, you need to work hard and give optimum input to studies, if you want to search for a career in Finland for this field. But, I do not mean to scare you. Education in Finland is comparatively easier than Nepal but Finnish Education demands your work and genuine studies. So, if you really want to study, its easy. If you want to get it passed, its really difficult.

Do we get credit transfers to other Universities of Finland and other countries from there?

It depends. If you come to scholarship, no transfer would be available. You need to complete same course on the same college. If you come to normal admission, you might be able to transfer to other colleges but the transfer process is not much easier. Since your list of colleges contain only polytechnics, you might not be able to transfer to universities in between your degree however you degree is equally equivalent to Bachelor's Degree if you complete it.

What are the things that we need to take care of while preparing
for Visa?

First, you concentrate admission. If you get admission, it means you are almost in Finland now. Visa documents require your Bank statement showing that you have enough balance on your bank account at least equivalent to 6000 Euro, your acceptance letter from college, your recent academic certificates, health insurance (almost every life insurance company of Nepal offers this insurance), passport, photos and filled visa application form. Finnish visa document does NOT require Property Valuation, Income Statement or any kind of such other documents.

Does time gap matters?

Of course, for the admission, the time matters. The university really tries to find the answers from your document how are you managing your times. If you are applying for Bachelor degree and have a long time gap, it might be a negative point for you however you can fill that gap by any kind of job involvement. If you are applying for Master's degree and you have a long time gap, you must be able to justify how this gap utilized. And, if you show the job during that period, show it related to the studies or the subject which you are applying for. It really makes a difference and they would be happy to see that you are a working professional on the same field. It would be a good positive impression over them.

What is the total cost till we reach there excluding 6000 Euros that we need to take there?

It might be a most difficult question. It all depends upon how much luxurious you are. Except 6000 Euro draft, count 50000 NRS for shopping, another 60000 NRS for Plane ticket and average 1500 Euro of backup amount, if you do not wish to expense from that 6000 Euro draft. So, if you are taking 6000 Euro for expending here completely or partially, you can exclude that backup amount. But, if you wish to return completely that amount back, I would recommend you walk out with minimum 1500 Euro of backup amount if you are coming to Helsinki and minimum 2500 Euro backup if you are coming to other cities except Helsinki. In average, you can survive here with 300 Euro per month. So, this 1500 would make you about 4 months of expense and 300 extra for starting settlement amount including various payable subjects on colleges.

Do not hesitate to write me on nepalfinland@gmail.com if you have any further queries.