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Eurydice

EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice

Finland

The organisation of the academic year in Finland is as follows:

Beginning of the academic year1st of August (regulated by the Universities Act and Universities of Applied Sciences Act)
End of the academic year31st of July (regulated by the Universities Act and Universities of Applied Sciences Act)
Period(s) when there are teaching activities

The scheduling of teaching is at the discretion of HE institutions and may vary between institutions.

National information

Finland - Teachers' salaries and allowances

Teachers' salaries and allowances

  • Teachers’ remuneration is regulated by collective agreements for all education levels.
  • The minimum qualification requirement for teachers at pre-primary level is ISCED 6 and at all other levels ISCED 7. In addition, pedagogical studies are required for primary and secondary education levels.
  • The salary progression of teachers depends on individual arrangements. It changes with the different roles and duties of the teacher. The most common criterion applied is the work experience as defined in the collective agreement.
  • Teachers are mostly municipal civil servants.

School heads' salaries

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    National information

    Finland - School heads' salaries and allowances

    School heads' salaries and allowances

    • School heads’ remuneration is regulated by collective agreement for all education levels.

    • The minimum qualification requirement for school heads at pre-primary level is ISCED 6 and ISCED 7 at all other levels. In addition, at pre-primary level sufficient teaching experience and sufficient experience in performing administrative duties are required. At all other education levels sufficient teaching experience together with leadership and management experience or qualification are required.

    • Salaries are individually negotiated and progression depends on change of duties and years of experience.

    • School heads are mostly municipal civil servants.

    Teachers' salaries

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      National Information

      Further readings

      National education systems - Finland | Eurydice (europa.eu)

      Organisation of the Academic Year in Higher Education

      In Finland, ECEC is provided in early education centres and family daycare premises, or as open ECEC services. Open ECEC services usually refer to activities organised by a municipality or the private or third sector, including club and play activities, playground activities and open ECEC centres. The goals of the ECEC Act and the national core curriculum guide all three forms of ECEC.

      ECEC is provided by municipalities and private service providers. Parishes and various organisations and communities play an important role in providing open ECEC services.

      Objectives and accessibility

      The two main forms of ECEC in Finland are centre-based ECEC and family daycare. Same authorities, legislation and national core curriculum steer both forms of ECEC. Also the funding model and fees are the same.

      The forms differ, however, in terms of their learning environments, qualification requirements for personnel, personnel structures, group sizes as well as the children to personnel ratio. Family day care is provided in the family daycare childminder’s own home or in a premise designated by the municipality. 

      Admission requirements and choice of settings

      ECEC

      Municipalities must ensure that all children who need ECEC are assigned a place within 4 months of applying. In urgent cases where it was not possible to foresee the need in advance, a place must be assigned within two weeks of applying. Due to capacity constraints, the place can be assigned in another setting than the one that the parents applied for.

      Place guarantee to ECEC

      ECEC

      All children under school-age have a right to publicly subsidised early childhood education and care if their parents so decide. The universal entitlement to full time ECEC starts after the end of parental leave period when the child is usually 9 or 10 months old. In practice, most children start later (from around age 2) because parents are entitled to a child home care leave and allowance until the youngest child in the family turns three. Home care allowance is also paid for older siblings if they are cared for at home