Testimonials
At the moment it is not important since I am not in the stage of my career to sign for projects yet. Even those who completed their studies here need work experience in order to practise, and the legislation is under change this year. But it is a progress for my personal career. To integrate in the Finnish Architecture community, participation and commitment are the key. In my plan there is to keep my knowledge up to date, be active within the association at a local level as well as in its focus groups, and keep importing and exporting knowhow playing actively my international role. I am willing to connect with other international architects in Finland and actively network!
☀️What advice would you give to other international professionals seeking to have their qualifications recognized in Finland?
Start the process as soon as you can, so as to accelerate your integration in the professional environment. Once your degree is recognised you can apply for joining the professional union of your field, in my example SAFA, the Finnish Association of Architects.
The process is simple: provide Opetushallitus official degree certificates from your university studies and pay the fees for processing the application. I suggest you take preliminary contact with Opetushallitus so as to understand what kind of documents you need to provide them, and if your documents need a transcription in another language. Once you have those, apply for the recognition!
Learn more about the Degree Amplify project: https://www.interprofinland.fi/en/programs-and-projects/
” To integrate in the Finnish Architecture community, participation and commitment are the key. Start the process as soon as you can, so as to accelerate your integration in the professional environment.
Once your degree is recognised you can apply for joining the professional union of your field, in my example SAFA, the Finnish Association of Architects”.
We are happy to share Junior Perri´s success story of recognizing Master`s degree in architecture from Italy. Here’s his story:
☀️ Can you share your feelings about getting licensed to practice in Finland? How does it feel to reach this milestone?
I am happy to have reached this milestone and it felt a bit like a relief. Architect is a title that is linked to the profession, so to be an architect you need to be recognised as that by the state in which you are practising. But first of all we are architectural workers, and in Finland most architects work in salaried jobs. I started working in my current occupation as an entry level, one year after I moved to Finland, and 2 years after completing my studies. Out of 5 people, employer included, I am the only one that has studied abroad. Two colleagues share an international background but did their master’s degree here in Finland.
☀️ What challenges did you face during the qualification recognition process, and what helped you to overcome them?
The recognition of a degree from another EU country (Italy in my case) is a pretty straightforward process, done in accordance with Directive 36/2005/EU. Preliminary they said that the process could have been 3 months long, it actually lasted only 20 days since I first opened the application. The person in charge of the process from Opetushallitus has been really helpful and has answered promptly to my questions while guiding me in what documents provide them.
☀️How do you think your experience and training from abroad will contribute to your work with clients here in Finland?
From studies and work experience back home I gained valuable experiences of interdisciplinarity with other fields of engineering and prime hand exposure to construction. Those experiences helped me several times overcome language barriers here in Finland. After all, architecture is about providing drawings that inform building processes. And I experienced that despite details, the general legal framework and those processes are more or less the same. At the same time I find ordinary things exotic and I don’t overlook aspects of buildings and places. I can also contextualise and assess critically what might be thought as a matter of fact and bring other options to the table due to a different sensibility.
☀️ What are you most looking forward to as you begin your practice in Finland, and how do you plan to integrate into the Finnish Architecture community?
The recognition of my degree doesn’t change anything and yet change everything.
“ I feel like a hero, who has gone though these all challenges. The first huge disappointment was when Valvira refused to accept my European certificate of psychotherapy. At that moment, I realized that this would not be an easy path. Don’t be afraid to ask help…”
Today we will be sharing the success story of Svetlana Bilevich who just got a positive decision from Valvira regarding her license application as a Psychotherapist in Finland. Here’s her story:
☀️How does it feel to get licensed to practice in Finland and what challenges did you face during the qualification recognition process, and what helped you to overcome them?
“Obviously, I feel like a hero, who has gone though these all challenges. The first huge disappointment was when Valvira refused to accept my European certificate of psychotherapy. At that moment, I realized that this would not be an easy path. The main challenges were bureaucratic hurdles and adapting to local standards. Translating and preparing all the documents, along with learning the local laws and regulations, was not an easy task. However, the support from my friends, colleagues, and my own persistence and self-belief helped me overcome these difficulties. I was searching help everywhere and telling to everybody about my Valvira process and asking help. This is how I found Annabel and PPF, my assistant and a lot of support and friends.”
☀️What advice would you give to other international professionals seeking to have their qualifications recognized in Finland?
“Don’t be afraid to ask help.”
☀️What is your experience with the Degree Amplify project, and how it helped you in the recognition process?
“When I joined the project, I had already made ready and sent the documents to Valvira. But i met so many wonderful and professional people in the project and I feel I’m not alone in my struggle.
After seeing how many professionals were rejected, I resigned myself to the fact that I would not be confirmed by the documents. And I start to think more it was also an amazing experience for me to get to know psychotherapists from different countries. While I, as a person from the post-Soviet space, felt insecure and planned to go to sell pies without Valvira’s licence, the colleagues from other countries look more confident and they plan to work as a psychotherapist anyway. It’s like there aren’t even any other options for them. Looking at them made me feel more confident. This is so important to be a part of community, especially at the situation where you don’t belong to the local group.”
❗️Our Degree Amplify project for Psychologists and Psychotherapists is in partnership with Psychological Practitioners Finland ry.
“Taking part in the Degree Amplify project opened my eyes to information I didn’t know before. For example, I got to understand the main idea about recognition of diplomas in Finland…”
According to Mariam, one of the participants of the project:
“Taking part in the Degree Amplify project opened my eyes to information I didn’t know before. For example, I got to understand the main idea about recognition of diplomas in Finland, opetushallitus (OPH), and what are regulated professions in Finland, and details related to my diploma in electrical engineering. I also got to know about Ely-keskus and the role they play with regards to the recognition of previous diplomas. It was a challenge for me to find out that I do not qualify for the TE toimisto training where they can assist in paying the application fees for the recognition because I have already lived in Finland for more than 3 years. So that is why I have to participate in this project and also pay for the application fees by myself because I need to get my diploma recognized so I can move on to the next steps in my career.”
This is one of many common challenges that international professionals in Finland are facing. It’s important that everyone have access to the information needed to integrate into society and use their skills to work and continue the career from the very beginning.
We’re happy that this program helps Mariam with the application process and start her first step in her career path.”
“I found out that I need to apply for a license from Valvira, in order to work as a psychologist in Finland. This was something new and confusing for me…”
Kristina, one of the participants of our Degree Amplify project, shares her experience trying to start the process of getting her diploma recognized in Finland.
“I found out that I need to apply for a license from Valvira, in order to work as a psychologist in Finland. This was something new and confusing for me. I tried a couple of times to start the process, but I always felt that I should focus on the Finnish language because without that I couldn’t go further, also I felt alone not knowing where to start. With Degree Amplify, my mentor to whom I am very grateful gave me the courage to continue with the process, focusing on the things that I already have. Also, she provided me with new information and answered all my worries and questions. Having someone to guide you is great support mentally and also an opportunity to meet new friends. Thanks to all the team for the support!”
“My mentor guided me in discovering my interests and assisted me in overcoming some work-related challenges…”
Kelly, is one of the participants of our One Mentor One program.
“Through this mentorship program, she discovered her interests and overcame some work-related challenges. Interests, unfortunately, can often be overlooked during one’s career journey. However, when identifying competencies and interests, individuals can align their careers with them. Therefore, they may feel more motivated to acquire relevant knowledge and skills, set high career objectives, and take action to meet those objectives.
As for the work-related challenges, we all face them, sometimes to a big, sometimes to a small extent. Nevertheless, it is good to discuss them with peers and find out a way with their help to overcome them, as it is part of our professional journey.”
“I was able to save time because my mentor knows how the diploma equivalency process works and gave me great advice about it. This mentorship made me gain confidence in my integration process and therefore accelerated it…”
Another international professional, Cyrille, a participant in our mentorship program One-Mentor-One, has this to say:
“I was able to save time because my mentor knows how the diploma equivalency process works and gave me great advice about it. This mentorship made me gain confidence in my integration process and therefore accelerated it.”
Talents with higher education diplomas relevant to regulated professions (e.g. teachers) need to have the qualifications claimed from abroad recognized in Finland to work in those sectors. Unfortunately, many foreigners arriving in Finland do not know this, and hence their integration process becomes more complicated and slower. Therefore, internationals need to become familiar with such procedures and gain an insight into them so they do not feel lost.”
“If you need any support, or have any questions, feel free to reach out to the organization, they are as helpful as good family members.”
Maha is one of the participants of our SATAtalents project.
“I’ve come across endless bittersweet stories since I got into the international professional circle. That’s when I started stalking the International Professionals Finland ry community, and started bugging Olivia Kumpula every now and then to help me out. I owe you.
For being so generous with your time, energy, contacts and for taking it upon yourself to come up with answers to my very specific case. I met my employer Spear Innovations at a networking event held by International Professionals Finland ry in Pori. And I will be forever thankful they saw past the language barrier.
To the world, this is no major news. To me, I know this is a matter of trajectory, and that it’s put me on the right one.
If you need any support, or have any questions, feel free to reach out to the organization, they are as helpful as good family members.”
“I highly recommend everyone to get involved in events like the #satatalents project. You will gain more than you think.”
Another international professional Jichen, a participant in our SATAtalents project has this to say:
“This project largely helped me to develop my career. I received support and encouragement from Olivia Kumpula, who is the CEO of International Professionals Finland ry, and my career coach Minna Franck. This project helped me to find my current job to some extent. I highly recommend everyone to get involved in events like the #satatalents project, you will gain more than you think. As an international student in Finland, I understand very well that living in another country you will encounter many challenges, so it is important to have an optimistic mind. You will learn and grow from the difficulties and eventually overcome them.”
