In this article, I would like to share with you my story of how I didn’t move to Finland. It’s quite a long story, but I hope it will help you in deciding whether you truly want to move to Finland.
How did it start?
It all started about a year after I finished my university education. I got a job at a local corporation as an administrative officer. During the first year, I quite enjoyed the job, mainly because it was my first job, it covered all my living expenses, and I could even save a bit of money each month. However, I always knew I didn’t want to stay in the Czech Republic.
After several weeks of searching for the ideal country to live in, I narrowed down my options to four countries: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Each of these countries is unique and offers different opportunities.
Denmark
Denmark is a small country in Northern Europe that caught my attention with its high salaries, high standard of living, and proximity to my home country. On the other hand, the high rental costs were the biggest downside. Moving there would immediately put a lot of pressure on me to find a job. With my modest savings, I could only survive in Denmark for 2–3 months. At the time, my view of moving abroad was still quite unrealistic. Another negative aspect of Denmark compared to the other countries was the lack of interesting natural features. I enjoy walking in nature, and Denmark is mostly flat terrain. The highest point in Denmark is just 170 meters above sea level. There are no hills for hiking, no waterfalls, and forests cover only 12% of the country’s area.
The final drawback was the Danish language. Its written form is very similar to Norwegian, yet even some Norwegians struggle to understand fast-spoken Danish. As you can see, the list of negatives outweighed the positives, and after some consideration, I decided to remove Denmark from my list of potential countries to move to.
Norway
The next country that interested me was Norway. It shares a lot in common with Denmark but also has many differences. If I were to list the positives, they would include high salaries and a high standard of living, just like in Denmark. Another positive is that Norwegian is considered one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn. My English isn’t exceptionally advanced, but combined with my basic knowledge of German, I believe I have a sufficient foundation in two Germanic languages to learn a third. Norway is renowned for its natural beauty, which was one of the biggest positives of this Scandinavian country.
However, there are negatives too. These include, of course, high living costs that don’t align well with my limited budget and the fact that finding a job in Norway is often very challenging and time-consuming. The only easy way to find work in Norway is through seasonal agricultural jobs or work in hotels. Neither of these options appealed to me, as I was looking for a country where I could start a new life, not just earn money quickly and return home. That’s not to say this approach couldn’t work for someone else. If you don’t want to move abroad permanently or have family waiting for you back home, this kind of work might suit you. However, it wasn’t what I was looking for.
Sweden
The country that was at least somewhat familiar to me and also on my list was Sweden. It’s the only country I had previously visited, as I worked in Stockholm for two months. It wasn’t one of my most enjoyable jobs, but I see it as an experience that shaped my future. Despite the job not being ideal, I really liked Sweden’s nature and the way the country operates. Living costs aren’t as high as in the previous two countries, and job opportunities aren’t limited to seasonal agricultural work.
However, an insurmountable obstacle for me was the security situation in Sweden, caused by the past influx of migrants into Europe. Sweden, along with Germany, was one of the countries most sought after by migrants, mainly because of its high quality of life and generous social benefits. This factor played a significant role in my decision, as I wanted to start a new life in a safe country where I wouldn’t have to worry about my safety or the safety of my loved ones.
Finland
Now we come to the last of the four countries: Finland, the land of a thousand lakes—or more precisely, about 188,000 lakes. This country has everything anyone who enjoys a calm, introverted lifestyle could wish for. Finland is one of the safest countries in the world, with a phenomenal education system that many countries worldwide try to emulate.
For several years in a row, it has been awarded the title of the happiest country in the world. In my opinion, this is mainly due to the fact that Finnish citizens know they will be taken care of in any life situation. People trust their government, which is why they pay some of the highest income taxes in the world. A good relationship between the state and its citizens is based on trust. This was one of the most important factors for me when searching for the ideal place to live. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how much money you make if you’re confident that the government won’t squander your tax money but will use it to improve living standards and modernize the country.
A prime example of this is the fact that Finland has zero homeless people. It’s not possible to be homeless in Finland. If someone ends up in a bad life situation and loses their home, the state takes care of them and helps reintegrate them into productive society. In my opinion, this is a good way to build a healthy and happy society, as marginalized individuals cost the state far more annually than the expenses for prevention.
These were some of the positive reasons why I decided Finland was the ideal country to live in. The only negative factor was the weather.
My story
As soon as I decided that I wanted to move to Finland, I began learning Finnish. Even though almost all Finns speak English, it’s very challenging to find a job in English. As you probably know, Finnish is considered one of the hardest languages in the world, mainly due to its complex grammar and vocabulary that is unlike any other language I had encountered before. The only similar language is Estonian.
In the first few months, I used textbooks and paid online courses, spending a significant amount of money. My determination to learn Finnish was so strong that I managed to spend several hours a day studying. Besides Finnish, I also worked on improving my English because I was certain that learning Finnish would not be fast enough for me to become fluent within a year. I primarily used the platform Italki, where you can book private language lessons at reasonable prices.
The next step in learning Finnish came when I booked a 30-minute private Finnish lesson with a native speaker on Italki. At that time, I wasn’t ready for a conversation in Finnish, so I gave myself 30 days to prepare. One of my strengths is that I can work effectively under pressure, so I stuck to the deadline and attended the 30-minute Finnish lesson after 30 days.
If I’m honest, it was both terrible and amazing at the same time. Despite having studied Finnish for only four months, I managed to understand about 50% of what my tutor was saying. However, I couldn’t respond well enough to hold a proper dialogue. Now, I can laugh about it, but back then, it was a harsh reality check. My moving date to Finland was only seven months away, and I still had a long way to go. Nevertheless, I didn’t let it discourage me and kept pushing forward.
The journey wasn’t easy. I frequently searched online for information about life in Finland, and what demotivated me the most was the unemployment rate among expats. I read posts on social media from expats who took over a year to find a job in their field, even with years of experience at prominent companies. The Finnish job market was—and still is—very challenging for expats. During these moments, I started to doubt whether I could make it.
A Trip to Finland
The final chapter of this story was my visit to Finland, five months before my planned move. My girlfriend and I flew from Vienna to Helsinki, where we planned to spend two days before taking a ferry to Tallinn and flying back to Vienna. We arrived in Helsinki on my 26th birthday—the country I had been dreaming about for months. It was late April. The weather was gloomy and unwelcoming. We landed at Helsinki Airport and took a train to the city center, where we had booked accommodation. Just minutes after arriving, the silence in the airport hall struck us. Airports are usually noisy places, except in Finland. Even though it was full of people, the silence was almost eerie.
Silence everywhere
Once we boarded the train, we realized we hadn’t just landed in another country but in a completely different culture. Finns don’t feel the need to talk unless it’s necessary. The train ride lasted almost half an hour, and we tried to stay as quiet as possible, feeling like we might disturb someone. The same atmosphere continued on our way to the hotel. We walked through quiet streets, surrounded by dozens of other people, yet there was an almost tangible silence.
Later, we went to eat at a shopping mall on the way to our hotel, and again, we felt out of place. Everyone was quiet, the silence broken only by the occasional creak of chairs as people got up to leave. It felt almost depressing. The weather didn’t help either—it was rainy, windy, and overcast. After dropping off our belongings at the hotel, we went for a walk in the city. There weren’t many people on the streets, but something felt different. We didn’t enjoy the walk at all and found ourselves walking side by side in silence, not even talking to each other.When we returned to the hotel, we didn’t need to say anything; we both knew what it meant. Finland is not the ideal country for us.
I can’t imagine living in Helsinki and enduring such depressing weather for more than six months a year. By no means do I want to say that Finland isn’t a good country. I just want to say that it’s not the right country for everyone. Maybe I can imagine living here for four months every summer in my own house in the middle of the forest and then leaving for eight months. I would find a place where the weather is pleasant even in winter. However, the problem is that this kind of lifestyle doesn’t align with a regular job.
The end of the story
That’s why I decided I would either find a job where I could work remotely or start my own business. And that brings us to how this blog came to be. I wanted to make use of all the information I had gathered while preparing to move to Finland. I’ve always enjoyed sharing useful information, so I decided to create a blog that would help students and expats move to Finland and fulfill their dreams.
If you enjoyed my story, feel free to check out my other articles and be sure to visit my Instagram, where you’ll find lots of useful content.
