Services for jobseekers under the age of 30

This website contains information about the employment services provided for young people under the age of 30 in Vantaa. Ohjaamo is a one-stop guidance centre for all permanent and temporary Vantaa residents under the age of 30. We answer your questions about job search, studying, finances, housing and health.

Are you a jobseeker under the age of 30?

Are you about to be unemployed? Do you need help in job search? Ohjaamo helps you register as a jobseeker. You need online banking credentials to start your job search in the Job Market Finland E-services. If you have completed your degree and are unemployed, please bring your diploma with you.

Remember to register as a jobseeker immediately when you become unemployed. You will not be eligible for unemployment benefit for days during which you have not been a registered jobseeker. If the status of your studies is being assessed by a request for clarification, include a link to Studyinfo in the clarification. This is an easy and reliable way to confirm that you have quit the educational institution, for example.

Ohjaamo Vantaa Register as a jobseeker Contact information for Vantaa Employment and Integration Services

Register as a jobseeker immediately when:

you have graduated from an educational institution
your employment relationship has ended
you are starting job search after parental leave, sick leave or military service
you have just moved to Finland
your imprisonment ends

You can also register as a jobseeker when you are working part-time.

You can register as a jobseeker before you lose your job or at the start of your lay-off. Make sure to register no later than on your first day of unemployment or lay-off.

How do I register as a jobseeker?

You can register as a jobseeker online in the Job Market Finland E-service.

When you register as a jobseeker for the first time and you have online banking credentials, you can start job search in the Job Market Finland E-service. You can also register as a jobseeker at Ohjaamo’s service point in Vantaa or the service point of Vantaa’s employment services.

If you feel that you need help in starting your job search, do not hesitate to come to Ohjaamo or the service point of the city’s employment services. We are happy to help you! If your job search has expired, go to one of the service points to restart your job search.

What documents do I need to start my job search?

Bring along an ID. If you are not a Finnish citizen, bring the following documents with you:

your passport or a certificate from the police of temporary passport seizure
your residence permit or a certificate of the registration of the right of residence of a citizen of the European Union or a certificate of the right of residence for British citizen under the withdrawal agreement
your Kela card
an extract from the population register from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency or other document that you use to prove that you have a Finnish personal identity code

Make sure to give the following information correctly

your contact information
your education and work history and any known changes to your employment status, e.g. a new job or upcoming studies
payer of your unemployment benefits (Kela or unemployment fund)
your language skills

Please note that if you provide incomplete contact details or information about your employment and education history, the assessment of your right to unemployment benefits may be unnecessarily delayed.

Where do I get help in other languages or concerning my residence permit?

If you have difficulties communicating in Finnish, Swedish or English, you can contact Vantaa’s multilingual advisory services. The multilingual advisory services help you use the services of the city of Vantaa and other authorities and organisations.

Unemployment benefit for persons under the age of 25

If you are under the age of 25 and you have not, after comprehensive school or upper secondary school, completed an education leading to a qualification that equips you with professional capabilities, you are required to apply for at least two study places every year.

You must have applied to study in the most recent application process for programmes starting in the autumn. For example, if you graduate from upper secondary school in June, remember to apply for at least two study places by the end of August.

Remember at least these points:

Apply for at least two study places
Apply for programmes you have a chance to be admitted to
If you are invited to an entrance exam, take the exam
If you are offered a study place, accept it
If you have a health condition that affects your studies, mention it to your employment expert

Unemployed, you may be entitled to unemployment benefit or adjusted unemployment benefit. You can apply for adjusted unemployment benefit if you have worked part-time. For example, if you have a zero-hours contract, you can apply for adjusted unemployment benefit.

Please note that even if you have completed the application requirement as described here, the payer of unemployment benefit may have separate terms and conditions for granting the benefit.

Neglect of the obligation to apply to higher education

If you do not fulfil the obligation to apply to higher education, and there are no acceptable situation-specific reasons for neglecting the obligation, you may be imposed an employment obligation of 21 weeks.

You can fulfil the employment obligation by, for example, working or participating in a service that helps you find employment. You can ask more about the termination or fulfilment of the employment obligation from your employment expert or at Ohjaamo.

Compulsory education

You are obligated to participate in compulsory education if

you are under the age of 18
you do not have a vocational qualification.

Persons of compulsory education age are required to apply for education after completing basic education.

The municipality of residence advisor will contact you when they hear of the suspension of your education if you remain without a study place or do not start at the new school as agreed. Vantaa residents subject to compulsory education are monitored and instructed by the City of Vantaa.

The municipality of residence advisor helps and instructs you to apply for further studies and, if necessary, other services supporting your learning and well-being together with your guardians.

Contact information of the Vantaa municipality of residence advisor and more in…

Joint application obligation

An unemployed person under the age of 25 who has moved to Finland may be obliged to participate in the joint application process. If you have completed a vocation qualification outside Finland and you can prove it with, for example, a diploma, you are not required to participate in the joint application process.

We encourage you to provide information on all your unfinished qualifications in your country of origin, because they may affect your eligibility for unemployment benefit in Finland.

You are not obliged to participate in the joint application process if

your Finnish, Swedish or English skills are not sufficient, or
you do not yet have the competence to apply for vocational education

If you are still in the middle of your integration period, you can study through integration training, for example. If your integration period has expired, you can study Finnish through language courses. You can also participate in adult basic education.

Education for immigrants Basic education for adults Search Finnish courses

Services and subsidies to support employment

The employment services of Vantaa offer a variety of services that aim to support you in finding employment.

An employer may be granted a subsidy for hiring you. The amount of the subsidy and the subsidy period depend on how long you have been unemployed and any health conditions that could impact your employment. You must present a doctor’s note for such health conditions that indicates your illness and any challenges the illness could cause in your work. Unemployed, you are entitled to a health check-up for the unemployed.

Discuss the option of pay subsidy first with your employment expert. If you are eligible for pay subsidy, you can tell your employer about the option. The employer must apply for pay subsidy in an e-service. You can start working only when the employer has received a favourable decision from the employment services.

In principle, pay subsidy does not contribute to the previous employment requirement. Thus, you are not eligible for earnings-related unemployment allowance based on the pay subsidy after the pay subsidy period.

In a work try-out, you can find out if a specific field is suitable for you or facilitate your return to work after a period of unemployment.

Work try-out is intended for jobseekers

with a lacking education,
who are considering changing careers, or
who have been out of the labour market for a longer period of time.

You do not have to be unemployed to participate in a work try-out, but if you are employed, you should think carefully about the appropriateness of one. For example, a work try-out may be a viable option for someone working on a zero-hours contract.

The purpose of a work try-out is not to gain work experience. If you have just completed studies that do not directly prepare you for a specific profession or job, a work try-out may be justified in order to gain a better understanding of your career options.

How can I participate in a work try-out?

If you think that a work try-out could be a suitable option in your situation, contact your employment expert. They will make an assessment of your situation, and together you will be able consider whether a work try-out is right for you. As a rule, it is the jobseeker who looks for an employer and a work try-out place. Before starting a work try-out, a work try-out agreement is drawn up.

What am I entitled to during the work try-out?

A work try-out is not an employment relationship. You will not be paid a salary, but you can get unemployment benefit during the work try-out. During the work try-out, you will carry out general work at the workplace. The organiser of the work try-out will be responsible for your guidance and supervision. The work try-out is not a probationary period for an employment relationship. The duration of the work try-out is up to 12 months. However, you can only work for the same employer for a maximum of six months.

The daily and weekly working hours may vary depending on your situation. However, your working hours may amount to a maximum of five days a week and four to eight hours at a time. During the work try-out, you will also receive an expense allowance of EUR 9 for active work try-out days. The work try-out can also be carried out abroad.

Work try-out at Vantaa’s youth workshops

In addition to the open labour market, you can participate in a work try-out through the city’s youth workshops. The youth workshops of Vantaa are intended for Vantaa residents aged 18–28. During the work try-out, the workshops offer support and guidance in life management, education and working life.

How do I participate in a work try-out through the youth workshops?

If you are interested in participating in a work try-out through the youth workshops, you can find more information about the workshops on their website. There, you can find descriptions of the workshops, contact information, and instructions for registering for a work try-out.

Rehabilitative work activities are a social service that aims to support the life management skills and working and functional ability of long-term unemployed persons and prevent their social exclusion.

Rehabilitative work activities help you establish a daily rhythm and develop your social skills. You are required to participate in work activities regularly 2–4 days a week. The work activities last four hours per day. You can agree on your participation and schedule with the activity organiser according to your situation. Rehabilitative work activities take into account your other support networks, and you will receive comprehensive support to improve your life situation.

You are referred to rehabilitative work activities by your employment expert. Leave your employment expert a contact request through the E-services.

Rehabilitative work activities are organised at the coaching houses of the Wellbeing Services County of Vantaa and Kerava.

You can get vocational and career counselling with a psychologist. The service is personal, free of charge and confidential. The career counselling experts are psychologists specialised in transitions in education and working life. They are informed about the ever-evolving working life, available training opportunities and consideration of health in working life, and they understand which steps will help you forward on your educational and career path.

A psychologist’s career counselling suits you if you want to approach your situation from different perspectives and identify your strengths, interests and goals to support your work or educational career. Discuss your interest in the counselling with your employment expert.

First, the psychologist assesses your situation and wishes in an interview. Then, you can continue to consider your options by discussing your situation or complete psychological tests and self-reflection exercises, the results of which the psychologist helps you interpret.

Well-being and working ability

The employment services of Vantaa work closely with the Wellbeing Services County of Vantaa and Kerava. We support you in matters related to health and well-being and encourage you to turn to the Wellbeing Services County for more information. In this section, we tell you about key services that could benefit you when you need support with your well-being and working ability during unemployment.

Health examination for the unemployed Integration services promoting health (in finnish) After-care to support integration

Unemployment Employment Work Hiring Young adults Young people in working life City of Vantaa