Why You'll LOVE (and HATE) Living in Finland

Join me as we dive deep into the Finnish way of life with my biased tier list ranking. We’re exploring everything from pristine landscapes to top-notch public services and the not-so-perfect parts that might surprise you. Discover what makes Finland one of the safest and most delightful countries in the world - both the good and the bad. 🌍✨
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THINGS I THINK YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:
🅰️ The Best Finnish Language Learning App: aleksihimself.com/fp101
🅰️ Find a Finn to practice speaking Finnish with: aleksihimself.com/italki
🅰️ How to find hidden job opportunities in Finland: aleksihimself.com/discover

[@AleksiHimself]

How to avoid dumb foreigner mistakes in Finland: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGXFo4Nvea6fmsk

[@AleksiHimself]

What do you think of these videos that are more relaxed, real and less edited?

[@TheEarleybird42]

Here’s my feedback: less is more. I like when you take the audience out on a walk in natural surroundings. It’s like having a conversation with friends. A+

[@daniil_berezhnov]

YES PLEASE. Just do whatever is easier for you, we are here for the info. (Although I understand it can also matter for attracting new viewers and followers, but I don't think KZbin recommendations depend on whether it's a video from a street or from a studio).

[@kasiaczaplewska3605]

just love these videos!

[@younggunpark]

I'm happy either way! Diversity is good, fresh new pallets once in a while.

[@cvspvr]

yeah, i prefer more chill less edited videos

[@socialbot4881]

So cool that you are back. ✌️

[@AleksiHimself]

Just so you know, I'm not telling you to cancel your plans for Finland with this video. My goal is to share important information that will prepare you for potential challenges that you may face. Overall, Finland is still an awesome place to live and build life despite the issues.

[@TheEarleybird42]

Nope, it’s a done deal. You can’t talk me out of it because I’ve accepted a job offer in Siikajoki ;)

[@XeonX__ASMR__METAL-experiments]

Ok. I love Finland. So I have no difficulties. I have a dream and motivation ❤

[@livinginthetropics8470]

I was in Finland last September (2023) and had to renew my Finnish passport, it only took 5 days - the system is very efficient. In Australia I had to wait weeks for my new Australian passport. I would agree that the government services work well. I enjoyed my time in Helsinki so coming back again this summer. Safety in Finland is way better than Australia - crime is totally out of control - youth detention centres are at 170% capacity, they are talking about building another two. Also DV is really bad, at least one woman dies very week, so at least 50 by December. I am seriously thinking about coming back to Finland to live, just because of the crime in Australia.

[@stefansantokhie845]

This video was quite comprehensive yet easy to follow and understand. Thank you so much for always giving such great info. You have helped so many who have come here. Thanks so much Aleksi. High quality Finnish tertiary education and ease of access to social and government services are my favorite things about Finland😊.

[@lenadykeman6779]

I went to Porvoo to visit my boyfriend for a week. The traffic lights are very unpredictable. I try to cross the street, but the stop hand only flashes for one second, even on a long crosswalk, before it switches the traffic direction. It was hard for me to trust crosswalks after that. For the language barrier, I had to ask my boyfriend to order at a cafe for me. For the jobs, I am struggling where I am myself, and have been trying to diversify my skill set with available courses. They are college courses, so expensive here in Canada. I thought of taking courses in Finland, but I don't know what it is I would really want, if it is in a spot my boyfriend and I would like for the time, if I even could get residency or citizenship. I thought possibly just across the border in Russia, Estonia, Sweden, or Norway could be economically better for me, else I trod away at the one job I have now and hope I can make the money to survive for long enough to find a new job in Finland. I appreciate the result-based work and casual atmosphere among coworkers. I am too used to it. Canada makes it indecipherable to do taxes, and it is always different.

[@danielmalinen6337]

I can confirm that it is difficult to get a job in Finland. Even from low-wage and labor shortage sectors. I myself have applied for jobs in shops, stores and supermarkets because it has been claimed that there is sometimes a shortage of salespeople and customer service staff. But for the past 9 years I have been unemployed most of the time after I graduated with a Vocational Qualification in Business from vocational school. And it had to be a growing industry that always has jobs and vacancies because "Finland is transitioning from an industrial society to a modern service society and digitalization reduces the need for office work like the automation in industry." Most often, the answer to job applications is that I was one of hundreds of applicants and unfortunately, I was not their choice as an employee to hire. And this is the situation for me, who has lived in Finland since I was born, so I can only imagine how difficult the job market is for someone who has moved to Finland from elsewhere and has to compete from the same jobs.

[@MT-mr7iu]

Assuming that your Finnish skill is close to native, it is really concerning that you havent managed to find a job there 😕

[@Q-Mac_]

Good to see you're back creating content Aleksi!

[@johnmike9853]

Good stuff ! thanks for sharing Aleksi

[@geoptus]

Moikka Aleksi, good to see you back and putting content out again. I realise from your recent videos things have been rather tough in many regards lately. During your last live stream you mentioned possiblyl organising a meet-up. Do you have an idea of when you might do this. If there's enough notice I would definitely consider taking the time off to come over for this...see a part of Finland for myself and meet you in person - after all these years of following your channel I think it's about time I finally visited Finland. Please do let me know your thoughts about a meet up. 👍

[@Cutiehippo]

Hi Aleksi! I’ve been following for a while but I don’t comment often. Can you tell me what you think about these things? 1) Outside of equality laws, how friendly is society to LGBTQIA+ issues / people? 2) Would you describe Finland as a fat inclusive place? How do the people respond to seeing people (and especially foreigners) out in public existing in bigger bodies?

[@olanfolarin1556]

First time fan. And I’m impressed. Finland is on my list of place I’m considering relocating to l, but the language is the only drawback. Thanks for making this video Aleks.

[@AleksiHimself]

Go for it! The language is tricky but not impossible. Don't let that hold you back.

[@furanduron4926]

Been trying to find a job for years. At first I really wanted one but now I am feeling so jaded.

[@jose_eh_eh]

Kiitos.

[@Lereena7]

Thank you for the video! The only problem is that the sound is hard to hear because the voice volume and a background noise volume are almost equal. It would be nice if you could make something with this in the next videos

[@AleksiHimself]

Noted!

[@oleksiidanyliuk1122]

Kiitos 👍

[@AleksiHimself]

👍

[@sendia4744]

Tervetuloa takaisin! Missä kaupungissa kävelet? Hyvä video!!!

[@cvspvr]

he's in helsinki, near vantaa airport

[@sajidshaikh2810]

Hi @Aleksi, Thanks for details explanation on life in Finland. I just wanted know how is the IT Job market currently? Do we have opportunities for foreigners?

[@Federico82.]

Hey Aleksi can you make a video about Mummotunneli in Summer? I had such a blast there hehe

[@beefxcake2523]

found out recently i qualify for finnish citizenship through my dad who's a citizen still, the idea of finally getting to live there feels so much closer! great video!

[@AleksiHimself]

That's great! Hope you can make it happen.

[@KingsleyAmuzu]

Aleksi, I have a request for you, could you make a video why Finnish sounds similar to Japanese or is Finnish related to Japanese, because Finnish and Japanese share some similarities, they maybe different languages, but have some similarities, I mean, Finnish and Japanese are different from European language, though I'm not sure if they would be related, just because they different from other European languages, usually they remain as different languages, but some people say that Finnish and Japanese sound similar, so could you make a video about that 🇫🇮 and 🇯🇵?

[@iwona917]

Hey Aleksi. I have a question about running your own business in Finland - do you have to pay taxes, health insurance and social security if you happen to have no income in a month? Or is it dependent on the earnings and if you have a bad month you don't pay anything? I'm asking because this is the only thing that's stopping me from setting up my own company in my country - the fact that even though you don't earn anything (which may happen, especially in the beginning), you still have to pay to the state and you end up in debt even before you get a chance to get your business going.

[@Nevis1988]

Oh nice, few new videos :) So summer is coming because Aleksi come to surface from under the rock :D

[@buruno2m]

Is it possible to bump into Ville Vallo walking on the streets of Helsinki?😆

[@VampiraVonGhoulscout]

Bro I met a dude last time who said he sees him at the local grocery store all the time. From time to time in Helsinki, you can often spot a celebrity or two. I met Lamb of God on my first visit and also Ville's dad! And also, fucking everyone seems to have known Alexi Laiho when he was alive - even my friend from LDMV who said he used to see him around where he lived all the time. I swear, 1 in every 20 Finns I met knew that guy 😂

[@buruno2m]

@@VampiraVonGhoulscout Awesome! Imagine meeting Ville at the grocery store picking up some blueberries 😂

[@user-hb8pp5ml8n]

There is not only one research about the struggles of a foreigner to find a job in Finland. There are plenty of them (and some are also coming from EU researches).

[@Philippes_Blueprint]

Hey Aleksi. I just wanted to ask if you have any experience with people with Danish language skills learning Finnish? I´m driving to Finland in 48 hours to live in Helsinki, I have a Master of science degree in architecture, but I really struggle to find a non-finnish speaking job. I am thinking about learning Finnish, but I will only be staying for 5 years and then I am off to Australia. I think 1 year would be my limit, but I am not sure if it is possible to learn it enough to get a manager job in that timeframe? What is your take on this?

[@sundayalex3262]

Hi..Aleks please what about people coming form Italy.....

[@ohadish]

the first thing id do when i come to finland is probably join a chess club just so that i wont be lonely. idk just wannted to mention it

[@AleksiHimself]

Great idea! Chess is popular in Finland.

[@hannadegerlund3227]

Sauna ☝

[@baronessVanDerHeyden]

Nice shopping mall!What’s the name and where is located?

[@AleksiHimself]

That is Sello shopping mall in Espoo.

[@earlh]

I would disagree about the work life balance. It can be S tier as you said, but more often than not people do work overtime. I believe it has to do a lot with what you said that companies are result driven and you can feel that. Companies are reducing numbers, making the work pile up and you of course have to pick up the slack. Most people that I know that work an office job, especially in IT, they do work overtime a lot. What's worse, 99% of the time they do not get compensated for their overtime, they might at best have a spreadsheet where they can record their overtime and take extra time off later, which is better than nothing but not ideal. Many people don't even keep track of all the overtime because it makes their bosses look bad, so it is all hidden.

[@nightwoo_]

learning finnish is a pain 😭 and im currently trying to learn korean aswell cause i like this one kpop girl group, so learning both is just difficult

[@elyeye4841]

IDK why I'm preparing to a hypothetic future where I get to live in Finland, like it's going to ever happen lol all the jobs that would give you citizenship are not related with my area

[@moopkyupi]

82 views 🎉🎉

[@yassirkhay]

I like bleu berries 😅 Finnis are reliable

[@thoughts4872]

A dare for you Come and see india in May and July 😂😂😂.

[@paolosantiago3163]

To be honest despite of these facts Finland 🇫🇮🇫🇮 is still way better than living in the Philippines 3 things about Finland that I love: nature, cleanliness and well structured society 😊❤ which my home country is poor, hot and humid tropical ones.

[@mikeh2772]

The health care... You need a hip replacement. How many years do you need to be on the waiting list?

[@user-hb8pp5ml8n]

I can´t find any cons about the work-life balance as well! The important thing is TO HAVE A JOB which is very difficult for a foreigner and now it is also for Finns! The taxation system is truly fair and liberal but forget about becoming rich. Contrary to the video, I see that with the new government there is no such a thing as social benefits for unemployed people anymore. You will be lucky if you receive any kind of benefits...People that had been here and worked for some time are STILL elligible for money from their unions but the new government announced that their are plans to cut that money too. So there will be nothing as a safety net very soon (it has already started with most social benefits). So please take these facts under account before moving to Finland.

[@omppu65]

They're not removing all of the safety nets but making it so that people would not abuse the system as easily as currently

[@mikeh2772]

Takatalvi... I will leave it at that.

[@arttuvesterinen6984]

Camoon… ofcourse bullying, unfortunately happens everywhere, where happen to be humans. Not only in finnish-schools.

[@AleksiHimself]

True but I think it's still worth mentioning.

[@arttuvesterinen6984]

Also true. Kerep it up! Good this phenomana it’s more spoken.

[@karinelaxa959]

Words of wisdom: Ignore the idiots.

[@AleksiHimself]

Amen

[@Veruska75]

Yet the word yrittäjä is kind of pessimistic😂 ”Sil oli joku yritys, kyllähän se nykyisin on yrittäjä…!”🤷🏻‍♀️😂😂😂

[@AleksiHimself]

Yeah I know. 😅

[@iveiveve]

does people with epilepsy work? it's not a stupid questions, here where I live, if you don't have help from family you can just die, no help from health care, epilepsy is not invalidity but no one will hire you for job.

[@back2sqr13]

More hostile environment for business -> less jobs. It is likely that recent political strikes have cancelled foreign investments and will do so in the future.

[@AleksiHimself]

I see your point. The strikes were just temporary I believe. It should not have a long-term impact. Plus, the new government is planning tax incentives for foreign investments so I think things are going to the right direction.

[@bufordghoons9981]

Finland looks like a fantastic country to live in until you realize right next door is Russia, who could invade again like in 1939, Then comes the Winter, no sunshine, more dreary than Britain. Spring and early summer is a cold and constant drizzle and still no sunshine. Spain or southern Italy is starting to look a whole lot better.