Red tape & Perunoita

Perunoita

Potato planting has begun: I had to smile when I saw this headline featured on YLE's english news web page. Maybe it was a slow news day, but at least it suggests that (along with the fact that the ground is no longer obscured with a thick layer of white stuff) that spring has finally sprung in Finland. Those of you who think it is almost summer where they are (in toasty northern Britain for example) for can sod off and read another blog. Anyway maybe people pay more attention to seasonal food in Finland than in UK?

I also thought my brain was turning into mashed potato at one point today (well actually I didn't but I'm trying to stretch a link between two unrelated pseudo-news items).  This was because we have had several brushes with Finnish 'red tape' (punaisen nauha?) this week as we needed to get copies of our passport certified (€30+ at British Consulate; €6 from Notary Public at the Maistratti - although I'm glad to say the consulate did tell me when I was enquiring), and have been trying to figure out how to get the payments for 'workforce training'. This 'training' (studying Finnish in my case) support payment is €8 per day as long as you do less than 20hrs a week (otherwise it is considered a full-time course in which case you can't be unemployed) which the EURES Työvoimatoimisto (employment office) adviser said I could get when I signed on. With me so far?  I knew two more things: Kela pays; the course has to be approved by them before it is booked or paid for.  Except it turns out neither of those things is strictly true. 

First we hunted through the Kela and Mol.fi websites without much success.  I did work out that time spent on the course had to be logged on the same form as used for unemployment benefit claims - but there didn't seem to be a form for applying for permission to take a course. After a brief argument dicussion with Konna we decided to go to the local Kela office and ask (luckily realising that Kontula doesn't have one before we went there so head off to Itäkeskus). Arrive. Take ticket - oh look, 25 people in queue for 5 desks... 

Wait. Time passes (and if you know Konna you can imagine how much she enjoyed that).

One hour later... Get as far as introducing myself suomeksi before handing over to Konna to explain. Discover Kela needs instruction from työvoimatoimisto to make payments, but usually it is for their own courses... oh and have I got my E301 from UK yet? (Luckily yes!)

Okay so now we need to go to Hakaniemi.  Arrive and marvel at lack of security or clear signs,but  eventually find 'immigration' section. Take ticket - ooh only 12 people in this queue, but only 2 desks. 

Time passes... bing-bong 749 flashes up - our turn.

Hei, olen Emmdee.  Tämä on minun kela-kortti; ja passi jos tarvitset. Olen rekisteröidänyt työtön, ja haluisin mennä suomen kielen kurssi...

[They don't have any courses, I have to find one first...]* 

*in Finnish - hey, someone spoke to me in Finnish! 

That's okay I already have found one - and have the details. How do I get permission to take it and get the payments?

[Okay, I've noted you have asked on the system.  Now you need to get a certificate from the course organiser to say you are enrolled. Then we will tell the Kela they can make the payments when you do the course]

So no forms?! And do we have to come back here again! No - luckily it can be posted, but now a trip to the Helsingin Seudun Kesäyliopiston toimisto (luckily only 10mins away) is needed... trudge to the Open Summer University office; enroll; pay; get certificate. Phew. Saga over.

Red tape and icicles

From Around Helsinki Winter 08/09

This week is the Finnish skiing holiday - and apparently as we are having a 'good' winter (i.e snow on the ground) the sports shops have all sold out of their 'sale' skis. Even though there has not been a lot of snow fall in the last few weeks (in fact it even rained once) there has been white all around for at least a month now, and in the bright sunshine and clear skies of today it is quite lovely.  There are also lots of icicles hanging from gutters and eaves, although they tend to be quite hard to photograph (had to stand in the middle of a street to get this...)

I can now tick off another couple of things from my list of Finnish 'bureaucracy' that needed doing (maybe I should say 'official existence'), although I hope the latter is only temporary:

• I now (finally) am part of Kela (so have access to various social security and health care things)'
  
• I am officially registered unemployed (although fat lot of good that is as I don't seem to qualify for any benefits).

This is the first time I've ever been officially unemployed in the 20 years since I left school. Even in the last recession when I was on my 'year out' between degree and diploma in Brighton, and there was very little work around, I managed to find a few architectural things to do, making models and helping tutors with competitions mainly (and drawing layouts for caravan parks now I come to think of it!).  Mind you I also worked for a temp agency, which meant things like cleaning wards and toilets at a mental hospital; clearing tables and washing dishes at a department store restaurant; stewarding at football matches; moving office furniture etc. People were generally quite surprised to hear I had a degree in architecture.

I wonder what qualifications you need for clearing snow?