Helsinki city
Class content
University system
Finland is usually among the top countries in the PISA ranking. PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) is a set of studies conducted by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) to measure the performance of education systems in different countries.
University education is based on scientific research. At university, it is possible to take a lower-level higher degree in about three years and after that a higher-level college degree in about two years. Universities provide English language teaching in some study programmes. In most study programmes, however, the language of instruction is Finnish or Swedish.
Finns who have attended upper secondary school go to university, yliopisto. Universities select their students according to their marks in the high school leaving examination. In most fields of study, the curriculum is of the LMD (Bachelor-Master-Doctorate) type, as in the whole of the European Union. The majority of students study for 5 years (Master's level).
Finns who have attended vocational school can enter what are called polytechnics, ammattikorkeakoulu. They provide a more practical and hands-on education than the university. These studies last 3 years.
Whatever the course of study, the future student will have to pass an examination, the pääsykoe, which is different for each course of study
The particularities of the finnish education system
The school rhythm
At school, the timetable is generally 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. from Monday to Friday, then about 3 hours a day are added gradually until high school. Students have a 15-minute break every 45 minutes (75 minutes in a day).
The school year starts in mid-August and ends on 31 May. There is a one-week holiday at All Saints' Day, two weeks at Christmas, one week in winter and one week at Easter.
The subjects taught
The two official languages of Finland, Finnish and Swedish, are taught at school. Finnish is a simple language, it is written as it is pronounced, it is unambiguous and the grammar is not as complicated as in French for example. So Finns do not need to spend as much time as French children learning their mother tongue.
The emphasis is on making the child responsible and on learning autonomy and self-discipline. There is hardly any "par-coeur": learning is concrete and based on understanding.
In primary school, pupils have handicraft classes: they learn to knit, to work with wood, etc.
In secondary school and high school, in addition to the compulsory classical subjects, pupils choose 3 optional subjects (from a 4th foreign language to photography, cooking, accounting or philosophy,...).
Homework does not exist, or very little (at least in primary school).
The teachers
The entrance exam to become a teacher is very selective. The studies last 5 years. The profession is valued and very well paid.
The relationship between children and teachers is warm and respectful, based on trust, cooperation and friendliness. A child will not hesitate to ask the teacher if he/she has a problem. Moreover, if necessary, pupils with difficulties are given private lessons after the school day.
In general, children keep the same teacher throughout primary school.
My courses
I have chosen as my course
Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Management
Investment and Portofolio Management
Marketing Strategy and Practice
Management Accounting
International Trade Operations
Classes last 3 hours and we have a 15 minute break every 45 minutes.
Often we have classes from 11am to 2pm so we agree with the teacher to have a break for lunch during the class. I only have classes from Monday to Wednesday but I also have to do some personal work, especially on the exercises.
The teachers are very pedagogical and open. If they see that you are in difficulty, they come and help you.
As far as the atmosphere in class is concerned, I would say that it is rather calm. The students respect when the teacher speaks and vice versa. I must admit that this is very different from France where the students talk to each other.
In terms of scoring, our final score is out of 5. This is really special because it doesn't leave much room for error. As for the final exam, each teacher organises its own exam and it is only supervised by the teacher. To validate your semester you need to have 50% of the course validated.
