Welcome to work in the Finnish countryside!

Finnish countryside offers job opportunities in different fields and contracts around the year. Seasonal work refers to work in agriculture and tourism that is tied to a certain time of the year. Seasonal work requires a significant increase in labour levels during a certain time of the year compared to the ongoing work performed outside that time period.

The maximum length of seasonal work is nine months during a period of twelve months. The branches of agriculture involving seasonal work are defined as follows: 

1. Crop and animal production and related service activities, excluding Hunting, trapping and related service activities;
2. Silviculture and other forestry activities.
   
   

In this part of the site, we concentrate especially on seasonal work in agriculture. If you interested in tourism, check out open job opportunities (above) and information about Finnish Lapland. Winter in Lapland offers many opportunities. 

Please take notice that the need for seasonal staff in agriculture is mostly in the summer months (June-August). Some work is available in the spring (April-May) and in the fall (September-November) but most of the jobs are available for 1,5 – 2 months in the summer. 

You can also work in different farms with different production lines and have a longer season this way. Then it is a good idea to apply a joint permit with different employers. If you are a non-EU citizen, you need a visa or work permit to work in Finland. 

• For more information on seasonal work permits at: https://migri.fi/en/information-bank/seasonal-work
• For visas, visit the site of Finnish Embassy in your country: https://finlandabroad.fi/frontpage  
• If you are arriving from Ukraine, please visit: https://migri.fi/en/instructions-ukraine 

Safe chain from your home country to finding a seasonal job in Finland, working here and returning is important – supported by good employership and fair working environment. The same terms of employment apply to everyone in Finland, and charging a job seeker a fee for offering a job or for arranging employment is prohibited. 

#Rights4AllSeasons #toitasuomesta #kausitöitä #seasonwork

About seasonal work in agriculture

English subtitles available.

For example strawberry season offers different kinds of jobs – you could start early in the spring or in the summer. Work consist of tiding, planting, picking, sales preparation, packing as well as taking care of plants and fields. Strawberry picking starts at the end of June, in some parts of Finland in July. Most of the workers are needed at this time. Some varieties are harvested in August. Preparing work for next season is done in the beginning of fall. The harvesting and packing of root vegetables also begins in fall, and there could be work available until the end of the year. 

Get to know Finnish farms (subtitles in English)

English subtitles available.

Where and how? What to expect?

Interviews in English – general information from The Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK) and experiences from a Finnish farm and their employee.

Wages and terms of employment. The collective agreement specifies the minimum terms and conditions of an employment relationship. The regular working hours in agricultural work is 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week. You may agree on shorter working hours on your contract, but not longer. The minimum hourly wage in the sector is €9.00/hour (2022). You may also agree on contract pay with your employer. The amount of the contract pay must be defined in such a way that your earnings with normal contract work speed are at least 20% higher than the minimum hourly wages used as a basis for the contract pricing. For example, the recommendation for contract pay for strawberry picking in 2022 is €1.08/kg, and at the normal 10 kg/h contract work speed, the employee’s earnings are €10.80/h, which is 20% higher than the minimum wage of €9.00. For complete and specific information, visit Terms of employment for seasonal workers in agriculture in 2022 -guide There will an updated version for season 2023. 

Accommodation and other arrangements vary from farm to farm. Each farm provides general advice on how things are done at their farm. Not every farm offers accommodation, and if they do, for example costs and facilities may vary – always ask for details directly from the farm if they are not stated in the job description. Accommodation fee usually varies from 3,5 euros to 7 euros/day. Find out what does the fee include and/or if there are other fees besides accommodation fee. Ask for information about transport as well –the farms are situated outside the villages and far away from cities. Some farms you can reach with public transport, but quite often not. Employers often offer a car or a ride regularly to the closest grocery store. 

Seasonal work in agriculture is mostly outside work. Despite the weather, the work needs to be done. Days vary according to the weather though; when it is really sunny on open field, there will be a midday break of few hours for safety reasons. Sometimes the ripening of the harvest can be late, so harvesting work is quite unpredictable. Farms have data from previous seasons – how the harvest develops during the season and what kind of amounts are usually harvested at the farm. Finnish weather can sometimes seem cold even in the summer, but often the temperature is convenient for working outside. There are also garden tunnels in some farms, then the work is done in a decked space. 

Work itself requires stamina, being precise and careful. The plants have to be taken care of in order them to grow and carry berries until they are ready to be picked and sold. There are different kind of work in the farm. Most people are needed for harvesting like picking berries or other products. This work requires delicate hands and efficiency. There are some differences if you are picking berries for industry use or directly to consumers, and if you are picking them at open field (still most of the production) or in a room/tunnel. Some harvesting work is done with the help of machinery (for example some vegetables). Other work consists of for example field work; cleaning, closing agricultural fleece etc. 

Protect yourself with proper clothing. A cap and long sleeves are often needed, as well as rubber boots. Confirm with the employer if they provide some of the gear needed. Pay attention to the working positions and stretching during breaks. Most likely you will feel muscle pain and discomfort at first. Take your time to get used to the physical work – it will get easier. First two weeks are crucial in getting used to working positions. Do restoring activities also after the workday. Watch the video below for good examples of the gear and how to pick.

Work orientation. Employer will introduce the farm, tasks, safety issues and other practices for you before starting working. You can browse the general work orientation guide for seasonal work (every farm will modify their own work orientation material) beforehand. It includes guidelines for picking strawberries. The farms have statistics on how the crop develops in each farm. The employer can show you the average earnings during the season. 

Applying for seasonal work

When you apply, follow the directions in the job description and tell at least the following things of yourself:

• Name and age
• Country of origin (important information for the employer to know if there is a need for work permit process)
• Previous experience and/or skills for this job
• When are you available
• Do you need accommodation
• Why are you applying for this job

Please take a notice that no payment is required for arranging the job in Finland. No person or company should require you to pay any fees at any time, also not after you return home. Your only fees are application fee for the work permit or visa, charges to related documents and ticket for your trip to Finland.

Job ads are published for example at the Public Employment Services site  “Työmarkkinatori”, Duunitori and in social media (Facebook groups, social media accounts of the farms) and farm homepages. Töitä Suomesta Oy offers recruitment services for the companies in the countryside (different branches). Their career site and social media channels have jobs from different fields, sometimes also English speaking jobs. 

What other work counts as seasonal work in Finland?

Some branches of tourism involves seasonal work as well. For example: 

1. Accommodation and food service activities
2. Tour operator activities
3. Other reservation service and related activities
4. Activities of amusement parks and theme parks
5. Skiing centre activities.

The tasks of a seasonal worker must fall under the above-mentioned branches. In addition, the nature of the work must be seasonal, and the work must be conducted in an employment relationship. Read more about this. 

Useful resources

Working and living in Finland

• Basic information
• Complete information on InfoFinland
• Terms of employment for seasonal workers in agriculture in 2022 -guide

Health care, taxes, pension, benefits

• Medical care in Finland
• Taxes at season work
• Pension for work in Finland
• Occupational health and safety
• Benefits paid by the unemployment funds: earnings-related allowance paid to the unemployed, job alternation compensation for those taking job alternation leave and mobility allowance that compensates expenses caused by travelling to work or moving. 

Guidelines during COVID-19 and general rules

• Quarantine and health safety for workers
• Coronavirus COVID-19 – Latest Updates
• Guidelines for farms during COVID-19
• Hygiene rules for harvesting
• Act safely in food work
• Restrictions on importing of food to Finland
• Picking of natural product (wild berries etc.)