For employees covered by a general working time arrangement, regular working time shall not exceed eight hours a day or 40 hours a week. Alternatively, the weekly working time may be organised in such a way that it averages 40 hours over no more than 52 weeks.

The Arctic Circle marks the southern extremity of the polar day (24-hour sunlit day, often referred to as the midnight sun) and polar night (24-hour sunless night). In Finnish Lapland, the sun sets in late November and generally does not rise until mid-January. This can last as long as 50 days in northern Finland.

A person working in Helsinki typically earns around 5,010 EUR per month. Salaries range from 1,270 EUR (lowest average) to 22,400 EUR (highest average, actual maximum salary is higher). This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits.

If the daily working time is at least 6 hours the employee is given a rest period of at least 30 minutes (lunch break), a daily rest period of at least 11 hours must be given and a weekly rest period of at least 35 hours.

Salaries in Finland are generally good, with yearly salaries ranging between €7,679 and €259,222. The median salary stands at €54,564 per annum.

If you are self-employed, you can go ahead and apply for a residence permit. However, if your move to Finland is based on employment, then you need to have a job before you can apply for a residence permit. Generally speaking, foreigners must apply for a residence permit at the Finnish embassy in their home countries.

According to the data of Statistics Finland’s employment statistics, the most common occupations at the end of 2016 were shop sales assistants (101,300), health care assistants (75,100) and cleaners and helpers in offices, hotels and other establishments (69,000).

The most difficult part is to adapt to the culture of Finland and learn the language. For many foreigners, it’s also hard to handle the long dark winters. The immigration policy is strict, unless you are a citizen of another EU-country. Basically, you must have skills that are in short supply in Finland.

Without obtaining a permit, it is only possible to live in Finland for up to 90 days. You must obtain a residence permit to stay longer than that amount of time. Immigrating to Finland is impossible without getting these permits, so it is integral that this is completed before you begin to move.