Tips for an internship abroad in Finland! We know the country well at International Horizons, Sébastien spent 6 months in Mikkeli, and has had the opportunity to return there since! If Finland is one of the most popular destinations, you are often destabilized when you arrive there for 3 reasons: the cold, the people and the price! Here are our advices to make a success of your internship in Finland, whether it is in Mikkeli, Rovaniemi or Helsinki, you will be ready to face the polar cold!
1 – An internship in Finland: facing the weather!
If the cold in winter is particularly intense, the same goes for the heat in summer. If you go from November to April, I strongly advise you to take very warm clothes and a coat adapted to the extreme cold! Leggings under your pants: no need to be clever, you won’t be able to face the cold without them … Summer is more like t-shirt and hardrock festival on the lakes when winter is skating and ice hockey. One weekend in Turku – the old capital that I strongly advise you to visit – I had the right to – 42 degrees.
2 – An internship in Finland: understanding the vision of individualism!
If you think you need to go around the world to get an intercultural slap in the face: nay! Just go to Finland: they have a vision of individualism opposite to that of our Latin countries; and as a result, a lot of surprising situations arise! No need to rely on people’s spontaneity: you have to make an appointment to go and have a beer. The same thing happens when you meet someone in the evening: no boyfriend or girlfriend despite the many shots shared, the next day nobody knows each other anymore (and that, even when you pretend to like soccer to talk with locals, true anecdote).
3 – An internship in Finland: come and blow your bank!
Finland is one of the most expensive countries in Europe: rent, food … only transport is an exception! It is necessary to plan a nice French minimum wage per month to cover the rent and to feed yourself. So count 1300€ monthly budget to go out and walk around a bit; because the internship abroad, takes all its meaning when you can go and visit the country, and kiffer the week-end!
For more advice for your internship in Finland, don’t hesitate to contact us!