General information:
the program is for young people who study or had just finished their study in agriculture, horticulture, forestry or veterinary medicine, and would like to go and get a practical training in Finland, meet its people and understand its culture. Those young people will live and work on Finish farms mainly during the summer season, but in some cases they owul dbe able to stay and work longer.

To participate in our program the applicant should meet the following criteria:

All applicants to the program should provide the following documents:

Employers emphasize that they should have more accurate information on the trainee’s skills. Car and tractor driving skills and skills in using other farming machinery are essential to know for the farmers. Experience in cattle and pig breeding is essential to know for the farmers as well. (In some cases the training period has been canceled because the trainee has given false information about his skills.) The operator cannot guarantee arrange friends or couples to the same farm. It might be possible in some cases, for example, if the employer needs two trainees at the same time. It is easier to find a placement for a single trainee, though. The trainees should be aware that the training period is serious work. The trainee works among the other employees and trainees of the farm. At a same farm there might be trainees from different countries, and sometimes the trainee might be the only one representing his country and speaking his native language. It is important that the trainee gets along with different kinds of people from different cultural backgrounds.

Trainees are recommended to contact their employers before the training to introduce themselves and to express their wishes concerning the training. They may also ask the employer about suitable work clothes. Please note that trainees cannot expect the employer to give them any other tasks than those mentioned in the placement offer. We advise trainees to make a written contract of employment with the employer after the arrival to Finland.

Employment in Finland always involves an employment contract, whereby the employee agrees to perform some specified work for an employer in return for agreed wages or other compensation. There's no absolute need for this contract to be written down, but the employer is legally bound to give the employee a written certificate of the employment terms. Although employment contracts should generally be open-ended arrangements that are valid until further notice, such a contract may also be made for a temporary, specified period, so that the contract ends automatically when this period expires. There must always be a concrete and justifiable reason for making a temporary employment contract. A trial period of no more than four months may be agreed when the employment begins. During this trial period the employer or the employee may cancel the employment contract without notice.

The trainee salary covers basic living costs in Finland. In 2003the standard salary is about 808 €/month (weekly working hours 40) in mixed farming before taxes. On horticulture farms the standard salary is about 751 €/month before taxes. For the year 2004 there is probably going to be a small raise to the salary and we will inform you about that as soon as we know the details. Trainee salary is confirmed in The Trade Union Contract in the agricultural field. Notice! Room and board are deducted from the trainees’ salary!

Agricultural trainees live on the farm. In 2003 the taxable value of full board was 346 €/month and it is deducted from trainee’s salary. If the trainee chooses to have only accommodation (without food), the deducted sum is 82 €/month. If employer arranges any other kind of accommodation, it is mentioned in the placement offer.

Foreign trainees have to pay taxes on their income. The tax rate is determined by the length of the training period, and the tax agreement between Finland and the trainee’s home country. Note that social security insurance (4,8 % in the year 2003) is automatically deducted from trainee’s total salary. Further information is available at http://www.kela.fi/english, see Social Security Contributions. In Finland, fringe benefits (such as free room and board) are taxable because they are considered part of your wages/salary. For this reason, the pay slip you receive from your employer will also include a statement of any fringe benefits you might have. Notice! If a trainee stays on a farm less than 6 months and works 40 hours per week, the salary after full board and accommodation deduction and taxes is approximately 286 €/month). The trainee salary at Finnish farms for foreign trainees is the same as it is for Finnish trainees.

Finnish employers collect a final 35-per-cent tax at source of the pay of a foreign employee who only stays in the country for six months or less. The tax rate is the same also for small amounts of income. The only deductible amount from gross pay is the students' deductible on which you'll find information below. During the first couple of days into your working in Finland, please visit the local tax office address. Your employer will give you the local tax office's address. At the tax office you have to apply for a tax-at-source card. Give your employer the card, which instructs him to collect the correct amount of tax from your pay. A special tax deduction is available for students and trainees. The deduction means that part of your pay is free from 35-per-cent tax. Before collecting the tax, your employer will deduct € 510 per month, or alternatively, € 17 per day. You can get the deduction of you stay in Finland for 6 months or less, and fulfill the requirements. If you stay in Finland 6 months or less, you don't have to file a tax return in Finland. Also, if the tax at source was collected correctly, there will be no possibility for any tax refund. If the income from Finland will be taxed in your home country, they will eliminate the double taxation. If the tax is higher in Finland than in the home country, there will be no credit for the exceeding Finnish tax.

If you stay in Finland over 6 months, your earned income is taxed at progressive rate. For higher incomes, the tax is higher. Before visiting the local tax office you should get a Finnish identity number. You also will have to apply for a tax card from the tax local office. On the basis of this card, your employer is able to withhold the right amount of tax from your pay. If you home country has a tax agreement with Finland, the agreement may sometimes allow you a special deduction based on studies or a traineeship. If you stay in Finland longer than six months, you must file a tax return in Finland. The purpose is to give the tax office enough information to calculate your final tax. If the amount of your employer has withheld from your pay was too large, you'll get a refund. If the amount withheld has not been sufficient, you'll have to pay the difference afterwards. According to the tax agreement between Finland and Bulgaria € 510 per month can be deducted from pay if the period of presence in Finland does not exceed 183 days within a calendar year. You can find more information on taxation at http://www.vero.fi/english.

The weekly working time is usually 40 hours. Trainees are entitled to 2 days off per week. Trainees are also entitled to the benefits and rights under the Trade Union Contract in the agricultural field. (Matters concerning salary, working time and employment contract are determined in the contract between Finnish Trade Unions.) The shortening may be days off:

“Working day“ means a regular working day. If the shortening is granted weekly, the working time will be 38 hours/week.

The employer needs the trainee to work overtime: In case trainees are asked to work overtime they should agree on the compensation with the employer in advance. The compensation can be a corresponding amount of free time or money. Trainees should remember to write down the hours they work overtime. The trainee wants to work overtime: Trainees cannot expect that they can work overtime and earn some extra money that way. It is recommended that trainees do not work overtime and therefore most of the trainees work a maximum of 40 hours per week.

The students' exchange operator cooperates with regional and local employment authorities. For the summer period they employ coordinators who arrange free time activities and help trainees with practical problems. The coordinator will contact trainees when they arrive in Finland. Some of the excursions may be arranged during the working hours. Trainees can ask the employer if it is possible to participate in them. It might be useful for the trainees to bring their sleeping bags with them because they may need them for some weekend excursions. If trainees are in need of advice or help regarding their working conditions or free time activities, they can contact the coordinator of their local employment office. In case trainee’s training period is not in the summer, there will be no organised free time activities, but trainees can contact the local employment office if they have problems concerning working conditions. Every town has a tourist office where trainees can find brochures and information on local sights and events, sightseeing tours, etc.

Here is a list of things that the applicants have to take into account when filling in the application and its appendices in your guidance. Please note that:

IMPORTANT! The applicant’s contact telephone number and/or e-mail address must be on the application. The farmers usually want to contact the applicant personally before making their decision about employing a trainee.

• All information in the application and its appendices must be correct. The operator is not responsible for the consequences of the false information on the application. (For example employer’s cancellation of placement offer, or employment contract for the applicant/trainee. You should also note that if the trainee has come to Finland as a trainee under false pretenses, e.g. as a student, the residence permit will be canceled)

After the operator has found a suitable employer for one of the applicants we will send the application to the employer. (Please remember that usually employers want to contact the applicants personally, by telephone or e-mail.) If the employer wants to employ the applicant, the operator will send an information and document package for the accepted trainee. The package includes necessary information and documents for the trainee. The package (enclosed) includes:
Introduction card
This is a certificate for obtaining residence permit, see details on page 10.
Operator's Certificate
Certificate to prove that the person is official trainee in Finland.
Placement offer
In the placement offer the employer states all necessary information concerning the trainee placement: employer’s contact information, what kind of training is offered, details about working time, salary, rent, meals, special skills and wishes concerning the trainee etc. In many cases the employer also has filled in a Training plan, in which he gives more detailed information about the training offered. After the applicant decides whether to accept the offer, he has to inform us, the operator and the employer immediately about his decision. See the next point, Acceptance Form.
Acceptance Form
After accepting or declining the placement offer, the applicant/trainee should inform the operator and the employer about his decision as soon as possible, preferably first by telephone or e-mail. The applicant should also send the acceptance form as soon as possible, including information about his/her insurance.
Welcome to Finland -brochure for trainees
This brochure includes basic information about traveling to Finland and practical training in Finland. We hope you will go through this brochure together with the applicant, especially with those with less knowledge of English language.
Foreign Citizen Travel Insurance -leaflet
Trainees to Finland must have a valid insurance against illnesses and accidents covering the period of their stay and travel. (The operator has an agreement with a Finnish insurance company, Eurooppalainen, which offers insurance also to foreign trainees. This insurance can be bought only from Finland, though. Leaflet is included.)
Information about taxation
Information leaflet about foreign trainees’ taxation in Finland.
Trainee employment agreement
This is a basic employment agreement for the trainee and the employer to fill in. (Also different form of agreement may be used.) Notice! Trainees should always make a written agreement with the employer. This is to avoid problems concerning, for example, salary, working time etc., in case the opinion of the trainee and the employer differ. However, a written agreement is not compulsory according to Finnish law.
Living in Finland
Living in Finland is a practical guide for international students and trainees. In this information guide the trainee may find useful information about coming to Finland, higher education in Finland, training in Finland and the Finnish way of life. Notice! These packages for the trainees are sent directly to your organisation and it is your responsibility to see that the trainees get all the documents and information included in it. It is very important that you inform us if you are not able to reach the trainee for some reason or the trainee cancels. In that case you should send the package back to us, especially the personal documents for the trainee.
Facts for foreigners working in Finland
Residence Permit
The operator’s trainees are entitled to live and work in Finland up to three months without any permits. A visa, however, may be required. If the training period is longer than 3 months the trainee will need a residence permit. If the trainee is an EU citizen, he should apply for the residence permit at his local police station after his arrival in Finland. For obtaining residence permit trainees will need:

If the trainee is not an EU citizen and his training period in Finland is longer than 90 days, he must have the residence permit marked on his/her passport before entering Finland. The residence permit is obtained by presenting a valid passport, the enclosed introduction card and the enclosed placement offer at the Finnish embassy, consulate or legation in his country of residence. Residence permit is given for an appointed employer. Please, note that the introduction card is not the actual permit!

Visa
From some non EU-countries visa is required before entering Finland. Please, see the web site of the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs at http://formin.finland.fi/palvelut/ for visa-free countries. Visa is obtained by presenting a valid passport, the enclosed operator's certificate, placement offer and a certificate of the insurance at the Finnish embassy, consulate or legation in his country of residence. If the trainee wants to travel in Finland before or after the training period as a tourist, he should remember to apply some extra time for the residence permit. Notice! The trainee must leave Finland at the latest the same or the following day of the expired residence permit. If the employment contract for some reason (by the trainee or by the employer) is being canceled before the last date marked to the residence permit, the trainee should inform the operator about the situation immediately! The residence permit is valid only for the time the trainee is under an employment contract with the agreed employer in Finland.

Insurance
Trainees to Finland must have a valid insurance against illnesses and accidents covering the period of their stay and journeys. Trainees should bring valid insurance policy with them. The easiest way is to buy the insurance in trainee’s own country. If this is not possible trainee may buy a special insurance for trainees in Finland. Note, however, that in this case trainee must have another insurance covering his journey to and from Finland because this insurance is valid only in Finland. If trainee is going to travel outside Finland during his stay (like Sweden, Estonia, Russia) he should make sure his insurance is valid in these countries as well. The employer insures trainees against accidents at work during the actual working hours.

Applying for the extension of residence permit
If the trainee and his employer agree to lengthen the training period, the trainee should ask the employer to contact the operator first, at least three weeks before his current permit expires. After the trainee has received the necessary document from us he can contact the local police station. Trainee’s maximal training period in Finland can be 18 months, including all training periods, also with different employers. Please remember that trainee’s insurance must also cover the new period. Notice! After the original traineeship the trainee is not allowed to accept any new training in Finland without consulting the operator first.

Travelling and arrival
The trainee may agree with the employer that someone will meet the trainee on his arrival. The staff of the operator is unfortunately not able to do that. Trainee should inform the employer of the exact date and time of his arrival. On arrival to Finland the trainee is expected to have a return ticket or the amount of money that is needed for it. Trainees should try to avoid arriving on a Friday afternoon, at weekends or the mid-summer weekend (June 23-25). May 1st is also a national holiday. The Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport is located 25 km away from the city centre. Airport buses to the main railway station leave every 20 minutes. The trainee should bring an international student card with him. The trainee may get some reductions for example at museums. Unfortunately foreign trainees cannot buy reduced-rate bus or train tickets in Finland.
Further information:
http://www.vr.fi
timetable for trains in Finland
http://www.matkahuolto.fi
long-distance buses
http://www.finnair.fi
flights

Registration
Foreign trainees who stay longer than one year have to be registered. The registration takes place in a local Registers Office after the arrival in Finland. The registration is free of charge.

Placement changes and cancellations
The trainee should inform as soon as possible about all the changes in his traineeship to the operator! This means cases of:

The operator cannot be held responsible for the possible consequences or difficulties the trainee might have if he has not followed the rules of the operator's traineeship.