Language Education
A wide range of institutions offer Finnish language training for adults, and the course selection is diverse. Courses are available for stay-at-home parents, working individuals, and the unemployed. Integration training also includes Finnish language studies.
On the service Finnishcourses.fi, you can search for Finnish and Swedish language courses offered in the Helsinki area, Turku, Tampere, and Oulu. Additionally, the service lists online courses.
For example, civic colleges, adult education centers, folk high schools, universities, and summer universities provide Finnish language courses. If you have created an integration plan with authorities, you have the right to participate in free integration training, where you will learn Finnish or Swedish and receive information about Finnish society and job searching in Finland.
You can also improve your Finnish language skills through conversation. Libraries and organizations organize language cafés and discussion groups where you can practice speaking Finnish in a practical setting.
General language examinations are tests designed for adults that measure language skills in everyday situations requiring speaking, listening, writing, or reading in a foreign language. You can take the general language exam in nine different languages: English, Spanish, Italian, French, Swedish, Sámi, German, Finnish, and Russian. Anyone can participate in the examinations, regardless of where or how their language skills were acquired.
The exams are available at the basic, intermediate, and advanced levels, and a certificate from the Finnish or Swedish language exam can demonstrate the language proficiency required for obtaining Finnish citizenship. These examinations are conducted in various languages and levels 1 to 6 times a year on nationwide examination days.
The language examination system of the Finnish government is designed to demonstrate the proficiency of public administration personnel in their second national language. The exam can be completed at satisfactory, good, or excellent levels, and they are organized in about 50 adult education institutions across Finland.