Self-motivated studies as part of the integration

Are you a jobseeker in the TE Office or Municipal Employment Experiment (kuntakokeilu) with an integration plan? Do you want to study? You can apply to the TE Office or your municipality for support for your studies via unemployment benefits. In this text, we refer to the TE Office and the Municipal Employment Experiment as PES, which stands for Public Employment Services.

Language courses as self-motivated studies

Once you have registered as a jobseeker and an integration plan has been created, PES invites you to an integration training. It includes learning Finnish or Swedish and provides an introduction to Finnish society and working life. During your integration time, you can also look for a training or language course on your own and ask PES to approve it. In order for PES to approve a course of your choice instead of PES integration training, it must consist of at least 20 hours of studying per week. For instance, there could be 16 hours of lessons and four hours of homework per week. When a course is approved instead of PES integration training, it means that it is supported as self-motivated (independent) studies.

Other studies as self-motivated studies

Act on the Promotion of Immigrant Integration (Integration Act, laki kotoutumisen edistämisestä) allows PES to approve studies that are taught mostly in Finnish or Swedish and that promote integration and employment. In addition to language courses, PES can approve e.g., vocational education, pre-vocational preparatory education (TUVA), studies in Open University and Open University of Applied Sciences, as well as basic education or learning to read and write. However, studies conducted in a language other than Finnish or Swedish, cannot be supported. The maximum support period is 24 months (48 months for basic education), but it can only last until the end of your integration period.

Applying for approval

Once you have been admitted to a school or institution, you need to apply for PES approval by submitting form 0714, which should be filled in by your school’s representative. The form must be submitted to PES before starting the studies, preferably as soon as you have been admitted. You need to wait for PES’s reply before starting your studies. If PES approves your studies, it will send a labour policy statement to Kela or your unemployment fund for you to claim unemployment benefits and expense allowance. Other factors such as your residence permit type may affect your right to unemployment benefits. If you are not entitled to unemployment benefits during your studies, you may be eligible for discretionary expense allowance (harkinnanvarainen kulukorvaus). You can ask your PES contact person about it. Please note that if a self-motivated course has a tuition fee, it is not compensated by PES.

Monitoring of studies

When studying with unemployment benefits, PES monitors your progress. Usually, one should notify PES about the progress of their studies every 6 months through their E-Services (Oma asiointi). When your studies have progressed according to your integration plan, you can mark the corresponding task completed by ticking the box "Kyllä".  If your PES contact person asks, include a transcript of records (opintosuoritusote) or other study progress report. Even if your studies have not progressed enough, please still provide PES with the required documents.

Studying is mandatory

When self-motivated studies have been approved according to the Integration Act, it is mandatory for the jobseeker to study. This means that you cannot interrupt your studies without a valid reason. However, studying itself is not a valid reason to quit a job or not to comply with a job search obligation (työnhakuvelvollisuus) in your integration plan. There is more information about the job search obligation in my colleague Panu’s text (in Finnish).

Supporting studies through Integration Act or Service Act?

In addition to the Integration Act, PES can approve jobseeker’s self-motivated studies (independent studies) through the Act on Public Employment and Business Service (Laki julkisesta työvoima- ja yrityspalvelusta, in this text: Service Act). The Service Act allows a jobseeker to apply for support if they are at least 25 years old and entitled to unemployment benefits. The conditions for support are that you have a need for education as determined by PES and that studying is considered to substantially improve your chances of employment. During the integration time, supporting self-motivated studies through the Integration Act is preferable.

Supporting jobseeker’s self-motivated studies through the Service Act differs somewhat from supporting them through the Integration Act. Studies supported through the Service Act must have vocational orientation. Thus, language courses cannot be approved. On the other hand, it is possible to support vocational studies conducted in languages other than Finnish or Swedish, when your school is based in Finland. It is also possible to withdraw from studies supported through the Service Act without losing unemployment benefits. Expense allowance (kulukorvaus), however, is not paid. If you want to apply for PES to approve your studies through the Service Act, submit forms 621 and 623 to your office at least two weeks before starting your studies. You can find more information about applying for the support in my colleague’s text (in Finnish).

Other options for studying with unemployment benefits

Other possibilities of self-motivated studies without losing unemployment benefits are short-term studies and part-time studies. Studies in Open University or Open University of Applied Sciences for a maximum of three months do not prevent unemployment benefits either. Take a look at Panu’s postings (in Finnish) about financing one’s studies and recent changes in studying with unemployment benefit.

There is also a Finnish-language version of this text.

Katja
Service Specialist, TE Services

References

Act on the Promotion of Immigrant Integration. Laki kotoutumisen edistämisestä (30.12.2010/1386)
https://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/2010/20101386

Instructions by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland for the application of the Act on the Promotion of Immigrant Integration in the Employment and Economic Development Office (unofficial translation of the title by author). Ohje kotoutumisen edistämisestä annetun lain (1386/2010) soveltamisesta työ- ja elinkeinotoimistoissa (01.04.2015 TEM/642/07.10.02/2015)
https://www.finlex.fi/fi/viranomaiset/normi/540001/42077

Unofficial English translation of the Act on the Promotion of Immigrant Integration 
https://www.finlex.fi/en/laki/kaannokset/2010/en20101386

Act on Public Employment and Business Service. Laki julkisesta työvoima- ja yrityspalvelusta (28.12.2012/916) 
https://finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/2012/20120916 

Instructions by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland for the application of the Act on Public Employment and Business Service and the Decree on Public Employment and Business Service (unofficial translation of the title by author). Työ- ja elinkeinoministeriön ohje julkisesta työvoima- ja yrityspalvelusta annetun lain ja asetuksen soveltamisesta (19.12.2017 TEM/2376/00.03.05.02/2017) 
https://www.finlex.fi/fi/viranomaiset/normi/540001/42910 

Unofficial English translation of the Act on Public Employment and Business Service 
https://www.finlex.fi/en/laki/kaannokset/2012/en20120916

Unemployment Security Act. Työttömyysturvalaki (30.12.2002/1290) 
https://finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/2002/20021290 

Instructions by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland on the duties of the Employment and Economic Development Office in the implementation of the unemployment security system (unofficial translation of the title by author). Työ- ja elinkeinoministeriön ohje TE-toimiston tehtävistä työttömyysturvajärjestelmän toimeenpanossa (29.12.2022 VN/34741/2022)
https://www.finlex.fi/fi/viranomaiset/normi/540001/48879

Instructions by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment on the jobseeker's service process and job search obligation (unofficial translation of the title by author). Työ- ja elinkeinoministeriön ohje työnhakijan palveluprosessista ja työnhakuvelvollisuudesta (12.4.2022 VN/10520/2022)
https://www.finlex.fi/fi/viranomaiset/normi/540001/48159