Before Mobility
When planning your mobility period in Gradia, you should keep in mind the schedule for the Academic Year, vacations and Bank Holidays in Finland. Normally, we receive more international students during the spring but, please, note that in Finland the spring semester ends already at the end of May and, after the graduation day, our teachers and students start their summer holidays.
Vaccines
In the field of social and health care, some vaccines are recommended and, occasionally, a proof of vaccination must be presented to the workplace instructor. You will be notified of these regulations prior to your arrival to Finland.
Europass CV and Motivation Letter
When planning a mobility period (working or studying) at Gradia, the first step to be taken is to prepare a Europass CV and a Motivation Letter. In the Motivation Letter, you can introduce yourself and tell us a little bit more of the work placement or studies you desire, what you want to learn and also the preferred timing in Finland.
Your own Teacher or International Coordinator will then send your documents to Ms. Tea Koskela or Mr. Joonas Penttinen, International Affairs Specialists at Gradia, or straight to the Mobility Liaison in your respective field of vocational studies.
Your Europass CV and Motivation Letter are sent to Gradia about eight weeks before the desired timing of the placement to save enough time for the preparations for the right kind of placement and accommodation. When the timetable for your stay in Finland is confirmed, you can start planning your accommodation and travel arrangements with your Teacher or International Coordinator. Please, see also the section "How to get to Jyväskylä/Jämsä".
Tutoring
It is our goal to find a student tutor for every in-coming foreign student. The student tutor will help you settle down, find out free time activities etc. For more information about student tutors, please, contact your Mobility Liaison or International Coordinator.
Insurance
All foreign incoming students are required to carry the European Health Insurance Card. Moreover, the students must be covered by the Liability Insurance of the sending college during the whole placement period (e.g. in case there is any damage done to the equipment or facilities of the work placement company). We also strongly recommend a Travel Insurance, for instance, for missing luggage, broken or missing equipment, sudden illness or accidents.
Extract on criminal background
Since the beginning of 2012, an extract on criminal background is required of students for on-the-job learning or training that is carried out with children. The extract should be obtained from the relevant authorities in the students’ home country.
The extract is merely intended to be presented to an employer or an approving authority for inspection. The employer or the authority must not gather or store the data of the extract on criminal background. The employer can only make a note in his documents of the extract having been presented and, in this connection, write down the identifying data of the extract, i.e. the name of the person in question and the date of the extract. The extract on criminal background must not be older than six months when presented to the employer or authorities.