Mobility
Get ready for your mobility period at Gradia with practical information on documents, insurance, accommodation, contacts and other arrangements before and during your stay.
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.
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. Niina Helin or Mr. Joonas Penttinen, Senior 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".
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.
Mobility Liaison, Senior Specialist and the documents needed
Before arriving, you will be appointed a Mobility Liaison at the college to be your contact person during the stay. The Mobility Liaisons are teachers from your own field of study. If you come to Finland for work-based learning, the contact person will take you to your working place and introduce you to your workplace instructor. With your workplace instructor, you will get familiar with the rules, rights and responsibilities at work.
The Senior Specialist will help you with the practical arrangements including accommodation. More information is given by Mr. Joonas Penttinen, senior specialist.
If you have a Europass Mobility Certificate, Learning Agreement or other documents to be signed at the workplace or by the teaching staff at Gradia, at the beginning, during or at the end of your placement, it is advisable to take care of these documents right during the first days of the placement. The Mobility Liaison and/or the Workplace Instructor will be happy to help you with all the necessary paper work.
Student Affairs Secretary
During the first days, your Mobility Liaison Teacher will take you to meet the Student Affairs Secretary. You will be guided to fill in an Incoming Student’s Contact Information Sheet in the Gradia Wilma Database. You will then receive a barcoded lunch card (in order to get a free lunch at the student canteen) and a certificate for the student discount card to be used on trains and long-distance coaches. For the certificate, a recent photo is needed.
Feedback
It is important for us to know how your study or work placement period with us has been. Therefore, we kindly ask you to fill in the feedback template before going back home.