Early Childhood Education Teacher (language training and employment)

Have you completed a degree in early childhood education abroad? Would you like to work in a Finnish-language daycare center, but need more practice with your Finnish language skills? If you answered yes, read on. We have an excellent opportunity for you to advance to an early childhood education teacher position through language training.

Language Training

We offer you a year-long free Finnish language course at Finnish Adult Education Centre (Helsingin Työväenopisto). The training begins in February 2026 and continues until January 2027.

Classes are held two weekday evenings between 5-8pm, totaling five hours per week. During the spring semester of 2026, the training takes place at Silkkikutomo in Herttoniemenranta.

Your starting level of Finnish should be around A1.3-A2.1. After the year-long language studies, your target proficiency level is B1. With active participation and independent practice, you have good chances of reaching this goal. We will monitor your progress and support you along the way.

The training is free for you, but you will get the textbooks Suomen Mestari 1 and 2 yourself. Additionally, we will guide you through the Finnish National Agency for Education’s degree recognition process, if needed.

What Happens After the Training?

If you achieve B1 language proficiency by the end of the training and have a positive decision from the Finnish National Agency for Education regarding degree recognition, we will enter into a permanent employment contract with you as an early childhood education teacher in January 2027. Your employment as an early childhood education teacher would begin at a City of Helsinki daycare center in February or March 2027, at a time suitable for you.

Work as an Early Childhood Education Teacher

As an early childhood education teacher, you will work in a child group and be responsible for the pedagogical activities of the group in accordance with the early childhood education and pre-primary education curriculum, the early childhood education unit’s operational plan, and the child’s individual early childhood education plan objectives. Together with your team and the children, you will plan, implement, document, and evaluate activities. In addition to orientation, you will receive support in your work from your colleagues, the daycare center director, the unit’s special education teacher, and important partners.

We Are Looking for You

We are looking for teachers who understand the principles of early childhood education and know how to plan and implement pedagogical activities in a child group. You meet children respectfully and sensitively. You have good collaboration and interaction skills when working with colleagues and parents. You take responsibility for your own work and can adapt to changing situations. You want to develop professionally as a teacher and are also willing to commit to long-term Finnish language learning.

Criteria for Participation in Language Training

– Your starting level of Finnish is A1.3-A2.1.
– You can participate regularly and actively in the year-long language training. Training dates: February 9, 2026 – May 29, 2026 and August 31, 2026 – January 29, 2027. There is no course during weeks 8, 42, and 52.
– You have at least a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education.
– You demonstrate pedagogical competence and suitability for the early childhood education teacher position.
– If you do not yet have a decision from the Finnish National Agency for Education (OPH) regarding degree equivalence, you intend to apply for it during the language training.
– An existing positive decision from the Finnish National Agency for Education regarding qualification for the early childhood education teacher position is considered an advantage.

Prerequisites for Permanent Employment

– OPH decision demonstrating eligibility to work as an early childhood education teacher in Finland
– Finnish language skill level B1 at the end of the training
– Criminal record extract from the Legal Register Centre before signing the employment contract (Act on Checking the Criminal Background of Persons Working with Children (504/2002).
– Documentation that you do not have respiratory tuberculosis (Section 55 of the Communicable Diseases Act)

We can only enter into a permanent employment contract with you if you meet all the above requirements. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the Finnish National Agency for Education’s degree recognition process (https://www.oph.fi/en/services/recognition-and-international-comparability-qualifications/recognition-foreign).

Employee Benefits

– You will receive commuting, sports, culture, and wellness benefits worth €550/year.
– You can participate in interesting and diverse continuing professional development activities.
– We reward your good work performance.

How Does the Recruitment Process Work?

1. Complete the application and tell us about your pedagogical competence.
2. We will process applications and invite suitable applicants to a language test. The language test will take place during the week starting 12 January 2026.
3. Interviews for applicants who pass the language test will be held between 19.-30.1.2026.
4. We will make decisions on those selected for language training by 3 February 2026.
5. We will notify all applicants of the decisions.
6. Your language training begins during the week starting 9 February 2026.

We would love to hear from you! Join a work community that values your strengths and sees potential in both you and the children!

Tagged as: Education & teaching, Social services & healthcare