Decisions taken by the Finnish National Board of Education are based on the Act on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications (1093/2007), the Act on Eligibility Provided by Foreign Higher Education Studies for Public Posts in Finland (531/1986) or the Teaching Qualifications Decree (986/1998).
Act on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications (1093/2007)
The Act is applied when an EU/EEA citizen has obtained professional qualifications in another EU/EEA country and is applying for recognition of his or her professional qualifications in Finland.
In order for professional qualifications to be recognised, the profession in question needs to be a regulated profession in Finland, i.e. a position for which specific qualifications requirements have been laid down by law. A favourable decision also requires the applicant to be fully qualified in his or her country of origin to work in a position for which he or she is seeking eligibility in Finland.
A decision may require the applicant to complete an adaptation period or an aptitude test as a compensation measure if the applicant’s training differs substantially from the type of training required in Finland or if there is a substantial difference in terms of the content of professional activities. The applicant’s work experience and supplementary studies are taken into account when deliberating on the necessity of a compensation measure.
This Act may also be applied to recognition of professional qualifications obtained outside the EU/EEA, provided that:
1. the applicant is an EU/EEA citizen;
2. his or her professional qualifications have been recognised in another EU/EEA country; and
3. he or she has at least three years of professional experience in the country that recognised his or her professional qualifications.
The Act on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications is based on Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the recognition of professional qualifications.
Act on Eligibility Provided by Foreign Higher Education Studies for Public Posts in Finland (531/1986)
The Act is applied when an application concerns comparability of a higher education qualification completed abroad with a Finnish higher education degree of a certain level, such as a university Bachelor’s or Master’s degree or a polytechnic Bachelor’s degree.
A favourable decision on comparability of the level of a qualification may be granted if the applicant’s programme of study corresponds to a Finnish higher education degree in terms of scope and requirements.
The Act is also applied when:
• the application concerns comparability of a qualification or studies with a Finnish degree or study module required for a specific profession, such as for a teaching position; and
• the qualification was completed outside the EU/EEA or the applicant is not an EU/EEA citizen.
A favourable decision on comparability with a certain degree or certain studies may be granted if the applicant’s programme of study corresponds to a degree or study module specified as a qualifications requirement in Finland in terms of scope, content and requirements. The decision may require the applicant to complete supplementary studies, the maximum scope of which has been laid down by Decree.
Teaching Qualifications Decree (986/1998)
By virtue of section 21 of the Teaching Qualifications Decree, the Finnish National Board of Education also issues decisions on eligibility to provide foreign-language education. Foreign-language education refers to instruction provided in a language other than Finnish, Swedish or Saami.
The same Decree is also applied when issuing decisions on eligibility to provide education based on Steiner pedagogy and pre-primary education based on Montessori pedagogy.
For further information about the principles applied when making these decisions, please visit the subpage dealing with teaching qualifications.