Combining career and family life

Are you planning to stay in Turku after your studies and have your family here, too? It's a great choice as Finland is one of the best places in the world to be a child! Finland ranked third out of 182 countries in the KidsRights Index 2021 due to its healthcare, education system and safety.

In many families in Finland both parents work, but balancing career and family life is easier in Finland than in many other countries. Our working hours are reasonable and often flexible which gives you more chances to spend time with your family.

High quality and affordable day care

With babies and young children you can get time off to take care of them, and when it's time to bring your child to day care, public and private sector are both high quality and affordable. In Turku we also have English-language daycare centres and schools.

The cost of day care is subsidised by the state, and the fee depends on the household income, family size and how many hours a week your child will be in the day care.

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Excellent education free of charge

Also the education system in Finland is of high quality. Preschool education, comprehensive education and upper secondary education are all free of charge. Basic education refers to the general education for children between 7 and 16 years of age and consists of year levels 1–9.

In Turku, basic education is available in Finnish, Swedish and English in city-owned schools. In addition to the schools owned by the City of Turku, there are privately owned schools in the area.

Turku International School is an educational institution maintained by the City of Turku, with English as its teaching language. Turku International School offers primary (grades 1-6), secondary (grades 7-9) and upper secondary education.

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Services for families

The City of Turku also offers various services for families with children. Families may get help and support in different situations, like when a child is born, with child upbringing, child sustenance, divorce and family crisis. The aims of the services are to support safe relationships between family members as well as to support the family's own resources and independence.

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Finland has been voted the best country for expat families. Watch the Business Finland's video and find out, why!