Working during your studies

The Master's Degree Programme at Hanken is composed of full-time studies and therefore students should not plan to work full-time while studying.

Can I work during my studies?

  • Having a part-time job during your studies can give you valuable work experience which is one of the things employers tend to look for in graduates entering the labour market.
  • Many higher education students work part-time, either in the evenings, or during weekends. Most also try to find a summer job for the months from June to late August.
  • It’s important to know that a part-time job can be hard to find, especially if you don’t speak the language. Therefore, you shouldn’t plan your finances solely on the possibility of finding employment. Also bear in mind that a salary from a part-time job would most likely not cover all of your living expenses. 

How much am I allowed to work during my studies in Finland?

If you wish to work beside your studies, you need to pay taxes in Finland and hence need a Finnish tax card. More info on international House Helsinki's pages or on the pages of the Finnish Tax Office pages.

  • Nordic or EU/EEA nationals: There are no restrictions as to how many hours per week you are allowed to work, just make sure that work doesn’t get in the way of your study progress.
  • Non-EU nationals:  Students are allowed to work 30 hours a week. The number of working hours can be exceeded some weeks, as long as the average working hours are no more than 30 hours per week at the end of the year. The restriction of 30 hours is not applicable to work related to your degree, such as practical training or thesis work as part of the degree - before the start of such work, the student must be sure that the practical work will be included in the studies and be able to provide written proof of it to the Finnish Immigrations Services if needed. Students can no longer work without restrictions during holidays or at the times when the educational institution offers no instruction. See also the web service of the Finnish Immigration Service Migri.

 

Do I always need to attend the lectures?

  • The need to be present at lectures at Hanken differ from course to course.
  • Courses with group work can require you to meet up with your fellow students on regular basis.
  • The contact hours for most courses are listed in the course description of each course in the study tool Sisu (Hanken login required to access the tool).