Adulting in Finland

While out for brunch recently with an Indian friend of mine and with my Finnish fellow, we got to talking about the weather, as conversations with Finns are wont to do. My boyfriend said that the weather in Finland is horrible (Finns love complaining about Finnish weather) and how that particular day was exceptionally nice for spring but a nice day like that would inevitably be followed by a string of rainy, cold days (another Finnish quality: to augment every positive statement with the negative side of the coin). My friend had a very good comeback to this speech that I wish I had come up with: “Yes, the weather is bad in Finland, but you guys have so much!”

It then dawned on my how true her words were. What are some of these wonderful things that Finns get to compensate for the unpleasant and unpredictable weather?

For one, there are the many benefits given to students, especially Finnish and EU students. Education in Finland is free for all EU students. Up until this year, it was free for all international students as well but the country recently implemented a (relatively) modest tuition for non-EU students. For Finns, however, the government actually gives money for university students while they are studying. These monthly payments are limited to a set number of months per year and you must prove that you are studying a minimum number of credits.

 

As someone who will spend the next five years paying an arm and a leg for my PhD, this system makes me envious. But the benefits of Finland start much earlier, from the before children are even born. Mothers who go to prenatal appointments are eligible to get maternity boxes when their baby is born.The maternity boxes contain everything from clothes and diapers to baby bottles and children’s books. Plus, the box is designed to serve as a crib for parents who so wish to use it. Best of all, parents are paid every year for each child they have.

My entrepreneurial boyfriend has told me that the government also provides a great deal of help for budding new companies. They have access to grants and loans from the government that help the economy and end up paying back the government in one way or another, even if the company is not successful since the money is usually used to pay salaries. The government, in turn, can afford to pay the unemployed their benefits very soon after they are laid off so being unemployed does not have as big of an impact on your standard of living as it does in some parts of the world.

Such benefits do, of course, come at a price. Taxes are high, even if they are graduated. Even things like speeding tickets are graduated based on income, meaning some people could get a ticket over 200 euro if they earn enough. And while healthcare is extremely cheap here, it comes at the cost of prioritizing some over others. When a friend of mine went to the emergency room (getting an appointment is rather difficult, especially at the student health center), he was told that if he wasn’t dying he shouldn’t be there.

But overall, the Finnish system takes care of its citizens, ensuring that no matter their income or life situation, they can survive and take care of their families. This mindset has begun to show tremendous appeal to me as it seems somehow comforting and cared for. I said that children in Finland are allowed to be children without the pressure of needing to learn skills, so they can be successful adults. But in many ways, the same applies to adults as well.