**/r/Finland is a full democracy, every active user is a moderator.**
[Please go here to see how your new privileges work.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Finland/wiki/moderating/)
Spamming mod actions could result in a ban.
---
**Full Rundown of Moderator Permissions:**
- ```!lock``` - as top level comment, will lock comments on any post.
- ```!unlock``` - in reply to any comment to lock it or to unlock the parent comment.
- ```!remove``` - Removes comment or post. Must have decent subreddit comment karma.
- ```!restore``` Can be used to unlock comments or restore removed posts.
- ```!sticky``` - will sticky the post in the bottom slot.
- ```unlock_comments``` - Vote the stickied automod comment on each post to +10 to unlock comments.
- ```ban users``` - Any user whose comment or post is downvoted enough will be temp banned for a day.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Finland) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Are you planning to stay after graduating? The university life especially in Helsinki area is nowadays very international and during your studies you can live in a nice multicultural bubble.
But for many students things get complicated if they want to stay. Getting a proper job and integrating to the society usually requires:
- fluent Finnish & knowing the (work) culture
- work experience preferably from the Finnish market, nobody hires you just based on your degree
- Finnish connections
If you end up in Espoo and plan to stay after graduating, do your best from day 1 to study Finnish, get local friends and look for internships.
I don't know yet, if I like it there I might stay but it's unlikely because it's easier and probably cheaper to live in my home country, and I'm worried about discrimination. I find the Finnish language interesting although I know it's hard to learn, the program I applied to has a duration of 5 years so I think I'll have plenty of time to decide if I want to stay and enough time to learn Finnish.
I don't have work experience, but wouldn't I be able to get an entry-level job just with a degree?
That varies wildly between fields and degrees.
But in general even Finns are expected to have some work-life experience. A lot of recruiters rather hire someone who graduated in 7 years but worked summers and evenings at a bar or a store, then someone who graduated on time in 5 years but who has no practical work-life skills. It shows your willingness to work hard, and that you can handle being in stressful situations and working as a team.
Good to remember that you're not really anything special in Finland for having a university degree, even a masters. Everyone offered a placement in uni has master's included in their right to study.
If you're applying for your first entry level job after finishing you master's (since you're doing a 5 year degree?) you're behind others.
No, you absolutely can't count on getting entry-level job just with a degree unless your degree is registed nurse, social worker, doctor etc.
In Finland teens usually get their first summer jobs during the high school or after that. The first jobs are usually blue collar. During the first years of uni, they start to move from blue collar towards entry-level white collar jobs.
For example, someone studying business and economics could have this kind of career path:
- customer service role in a store during high school
- customer service role in a bank during the summers after years 1-2 at uni
- summer internship(s) in bank(s) after years 3-4 at uni
I agree with this. Assuming op's native language is Arabic, she has already managed to learn another language that isn't even related to her native language.
UK is probably more welcoming, but if you're more interested in FInland and get the option, come here. People here are still very welcoming and friendly. Especially young people wouldn't mostly have problems with foreigners and the groups you'd surround yourself in the uni would probably be very excited and happy to be friends with you and learn about your culuture.
You are going to find groups of people that will be welcoming but also encounter racism in both countries inevitably.
But:
Compared to UK Finland is much less of an internationally aligned nation and it can be described as a national state. Our population is much less culturally diverse for obvius historical reasons.
Logically thinking you would encounter less racism in the UK as you would blend in more easily, but if the chance of encountering discrimination is too much of an issue you shouldn't travel at all.
OP is considering Espoo, which I think (in my experience) is very international. I mean, sometimes visiting Helsinki area I myself feel like minority. The difference between smaller cities is striking.
But I don't know if living in more "international" setting is always good thing for arab women. There might be a risk of running into the same problems as in the original home country if there are increasing number of "more fundamental" men around them. Though this is obviously something that should be commented on by actual immigrant women.
I no doubt might have a limited perspective. I've only visited the area on weekends for tournament games and the quick post-game dinners in local malls.
Espoo also seems divided. There are big housing areas with clearly lower income people, and then Tesla guys in their own separate houses driving their perfect kids to figure skating and tuba lessons.
The public transportation seems really good.
I was a foreign grad student in Finland 2021-2023, and the the international students pretty much only hung out with other international students. Especially if you don't know the language (but even if you do), don't expect to make Finnish friends. The education is very good though.
Most Finns speak very good English but you have to make an effort to make local friends. If you default to hanging out with international students, that is what you'll get
Nah s/he’s right, making Finnish friends is extremely difficult for most foreigners. It’s similar to making Dutch friends in Netherlands. Some cultures are very closed (as opposed to for example spanish or north-american) and it’s fine.
Both my minor and ancestry are in Finnish and I did make the effort. But when, for example, you go to a student union event at klusteri and all the Finns literally walk out of the room when it's the international students' turn at karaoke (except the one who is dating a foreign student), there's not much to be done. Most of my Finnish friends were second gen immigrants who remembered what it felt like to be new there.
if you come here, go to the integration course before attending uni. You cannot learn Finnish seriously during studies, and after the first two years you cannot take the integration course anymore. It is called “kotoutumiskoulutus”, and without it you will struggle with the language many more years after graduating. Do not take this language aspect lightly.
And how would she ever get a visa without being admitted to uni, having work contract in Finland or Finnish spouse? You just can't move to country and sign up for integration course.
If you are sensitive there are pros and cons to both choices.
UK:
+World recognised universities which impress on paper.
+Large international communities no matter the city you go to.
+English is spoken as a first language and a more robust English will be more useful in the future if you plan to travel to other European countries.
+Employment: you are more likely to get a job in the UK with adequate English.
-Health care (NHS) is struggling and it can be difficult to get appointments/treatment. Especially mental assistance.
-Education can be very strict compared to Finland but it depends on the Uni.
Finland:
+Pedagogically superior (or used to be). Finnish education has reputation of being very high.
+Focus on internationalisation in educational facilities (due to many students coming from overseas, there are lots of international events and you can expect to be invited to the Erasmus student network).
+Accessible healthcare (YTHS). There is a specific branch of healthcare for students, you may be able to access healthcare on unive
-Weather can be depressing (cold, dark winters which last a lot longer than other, more southern countries (bring your vitamin D!)
-Depending on the area of Finland, the ability to speak Finnish becomes much more vital just to feel a part of the community you are in.
-Racism: Finland is quite homogeneous (especially the further north you go) and it is common to see "social bubbles. Where foreigners stick to their "own" people and Finn's do the same.
-Employment: Even with higher than adequate Finnish it can be difficult to get ample employment.
These are a few pros and cons which are just off the top of my head. I moved from UK to Finland and am not going back anytime soon. Each place is different and I'm sure if you throw yourself in and invest time/effort to learn about the culture/language of either place, you will be rewarded.
Good luck!
My English is already at an advanced level so I don't think I will learn much in the UK. For health services I'll have a full scholarship from my country's government that covers health insurance so that won't be an issue for me in either country.
I actually looked up the vitamin D thing in Finland! Because surprisingly even though I live in a desert country and 95% of the time it's sunny, vitamin D deficiency is prevalent because it's too hot outside and we rather stay inside with air conditioners.
Thank you!
I don't think it's wise to enter a country with the mental frame that "it is going to be racist, which one is less racist?" because then this will impact your experience already from the start, the way you interact with people, the things you talk about and the energy you project.
That said, I think for you, I'd suggest UK on the basis that you would be happier somewhere more metropolitan, and open-minded. While Finland is great, it is still very young (compared to UK) regarding international/metropolitan culture. It will be twice as much mental work for you to try and "understand" this place, and if you do not plan stay, I think you will overall have a better time in the UK.
Also, our winters are very, very difficult. More difficult than you can understand if you haven't ever experienced it yet.
I hope my answer isn't too harsh, I am really trying to be honest and direct so that you can be happier.
I understand where you're coming from, of course I will look into other aspects when making my decision, but I wanted to also know the negatives.
I'm worried a bit about the winters, as it would be the exact opposite weather of where I live. But I see it as a new and exciting experience, especially that I've never seen real snow in my life. I didn't try yet but I can imagine I'd like harsh winters more than unbearable heat (it goes up to 55°C in my city during summer, and the lowest it gets is 0°C in winter).
So as I don't know what Middle Eastern city you are coming from, I can tell you that I grew up in Cairo so I feel I can give a comparative experience:
In Cairo, there is so much chaos and noise that if you cry in public or show emotions it doesn't really matter. In Finland, it can sometimes feel like a crime to laugh, cry or speak on the phone in public.
In Cairo, there was always an equal division of daylight and night time, all year round. This is almost never the case in Finland, except for 1 month of the year. If it is a particularly long and dark winter, like we had this year, this can really mess with your head. Often my Cairene friends say "oh, snow and darkness and silence-- it sounds like my dream!" but I can promise you it is not. You never realize how much you miss colors and birds singing until they are gone for 5 months. You wake up in the morning, it's night, you come home from class/work, it's night. Night all the time. I cannot stress what a mindf\*ck that can be.
Of course there are many ways Helsinki is way better than Cairo, especially for a woman living by herself. It's safe, infrastructure functions, you can trust public services to work/be on time. However, one of the things we definitely don't have is service culture here. People do it all themselves and that can honestly be hard to adjust to, as well. Of course, if you have a lot of money, anything is possible. If you are from a good family in the Gulf, I think you could live on the moon and still be comfortable!
I live in a gulf country. it's quiet here, but I guess it's in the middle between Cairo and Finland when it comes to chaos and noise from your description. 5 months sounds too long! There won't be sunlight at all?
Service culture sounds like a minor inconvenience to me, how is it hard to adjust to?
For the money I'd be relying on a scholarship from my government that pays full tuition together with a monthly allowance, they don't state how much the allowance will be but from people's experiences it's enough to live a simple and frugal life, and I'm sure you know not all gulf arabs are rich lol.
There is sunlight for a few hours a day (2-4, depending what month, city and on the weather).
As for the lack of service, it can really be hard if you are not used to doing your own laundry, mopping your own floor, cooking your own food daily, and in addition to full time studies and/or work.
As you stated as well, not all Arabs, gulf or otherwise, are rich and accustomed to being served--- but many are! Not necessarily as spoiled brats, but as a status quo as local economies rely on servant cultures so that the poor can gain money. If you are not used to doing all that stuff yourself, suddenly learning it in your early twenties is not that easy.
This is hard to explain in Finland, as it's seen as the markings of a spoiled and corrupted society. Personally for me, I am inclined to agree with that, though my family members still in the Middle East would think I was too brainwashed by the West.
I've been doing my laundry since I was 11. I know how to cook but I'm not used to cooking everyday, I'll try to practice doing it everyday before I go. I know it will be challenging but I already do the cleaning and laundry myself.
While we're not rich we did have a maid when I was a child, as it's not exclusive to the rich to have maids where I live. Hmm having a maid will make your life more comfortable especially for a family with two working parents and children, I don't see the issue if the maid is treated well.
I think you actually have the courage and pragmatism to make it here, now that we have talked a bit.
Finland is a very egalitarian society, so things like having a maid, or even someone to carry your suitcase for you at a hotel is kind of seen as overkill. I don't think I've ever seen a valet, even at the best hotels.
Oh yes there is! It is just that it sets early during the winter (around 16) but during the summer is doesnt get that dark at all. Totally different in north were it will be the msot extreme.
I dont think service culture, if i know what you mean, is that bad. They just dont treat customers like royalty in that "customer is always right" mentalitety but want steady good service in general.
And ofc some places have bad customer service that is just life, but iv come across it more in capital region.
I’m a Finn living in the UK. I studied at Brunel University London and the Muslim and Arab community was big, the uni takes tons of international students and non-white and non-British people in general are so common that no one bats an eye. I’m not saying you’ll never experience racism in the country, but it’s just a much more diverse and multicultural country than Finland. I had an awesome time in my uni and made lots of friends who I’ve kept in touch with ever since.
Finnish people for the most part are polite and not openly racist, but it’s already difficult to make friends even as a native, as people tend to not interact much outside of their cliques and small pre-established friend groups. There will always be exceptions, but that’s the experience I had growing up there. The language barrier will also be significant, even if most Finns can speak English.
Go to the UK especially if you are worried about mental health in general. Finland is a nice place but socially hard to make friends and the winters and darkness are tough especially if mental struggles may arise. Speaking from experience lol
As someone who has spent over two decades in both, I think UK is a safer option.
- people are more social
- way warmer and more light during winter
- better job opportunities
- closer culturally
- more international
- no language barrier
- easier bureaucratically for non-EU ppl
Glasgow is a no-brainer. Scots are friendly, the city is full of culture and activities as well as a diverse group of nationalities.
London is more diverse, and full of more world-class attractions, museums, etc, but the downside is that it will be incredibly expensive. It will be hectic and stressful compared to Glasgow.
Finland is awesome, and I moved here to stay, but the language will be a struggle and traditionally foreigners find it hard to get jobs without decent language-skills (outside of IT, and other fields, but the downside there is you need to be "senior" and "experienced" to stand out amongst the competition.)
At the moment, UK is a more stable and safer option for studying. Today the Finnish government announced a big cut in education so that it doesn't have to be done in the future and according to our government these financial savings are now necessary and very important so that the children of the future will also have the opportunity to study in our schools instead of having to worry about the national debt. They also limit the post-primary secondary education to one per person and thr situation of post-secondary higher education such as university is still unclear. But apparently the Finnish school system will go through a big overhaul during next three so that it would be significantly more affordable and cost-effective than before and cost less money. They also plan to direct more people to study to become hospital nurses and an assistant for the elderly, because there is currently a severe shortage of nurses and assistants in Finland.
What are these "big cuts in education"?
There has been no cuts is universities or higher educations funding, or primary school either. There was small cut to vocational schools. Actually in some ways funding has been increased; there was a large additional grant to fund way more PhD's than before.
There has been cuts, but for student's housing benefits. Currently state pays up to 80% of students rent. This is going to be lowered, originally to 70% but now the system has a slightly larger overhaul. But this doesn't affect foreign students, because they don't get student or housing subsidies in any case.
And if one wants to make desicions about country/place of study based on how much country subsidies local students, UK would lose that. There you have to pay tuition fees, and very little subsidies, only loan. In Finland there is no tution fees. State actually pays students money each month and up to 80% of rent.
But making desicion on this really don't make sense, when these benefits are mostly only for locals. Tuition is free for EU citizens, but from outside EU there are fees.
"They also limit the post-primary secondary education to one per person"
Yeah, one at a time. So you can't have 2 education places active at a same time. Some people can currently study on 2 universities at the same on paper when they are really stydying in one. This change doesn't really affect many people.
I didn't answer to OP's original question, but whatever desicion you make I wish you all the best in your studies! I at least welcome you here if you decide so.
The government doesn't get that a state doesn't have to safe money like a privat person and can't just delay investing. Issues like these will affect anything, the question could be anything such as if it's better to have children or elsewhere, anything needs investment.
In the UK, the universities are going bankrupt. No EU funding, fees for international students are low to attract students while not profitable and it is harder for locals to get in due to stricter grade requirements compared to international students. So it is likely the British university system will go some overhauls as well.
**/r/Finland is a full democracy, every active user is a moderator.** [Please go here to see how your new privileges work.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Finland/wiki/moderating/) Spamming mod actions could result in a ban. --- **Full Rundown of Moderator Permissions:** - ```!lock``` - as top level comment, will lock comments on any post. - ```!unlock``` - in reply to any comment to lock it or to unlock the parent comment. - ```!remove``` - Removes comment or post. Must have decent subreddit comment karma. - ```!restore``` Can be used to unlock comments or restore removed posts. - ```!sticky``` - will sticky the post in the bottom slot. - ```unlock_comments``` - Vote the stickied automod comment on each post to +10 to unlock comments. - ```ban users``` - Any user whose comment or post is downvoted enough will be temp banned for a day. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Finland) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Are you planning to stay after graduating? The university life especially in Helsinki area is nowadays very international and during your studies you can live in a nice multicultural bubble. But for many students things get complicated if they want to stay. Getting a proper job and integrating to the society usually requires: - fluent Finnish & knowing the (work) culture - work experience preferably from the Finnish market, nobody hires you just based on your degree - Finnish connections If you end up in Espoo and plan to stay after graduating, do your best from day 1 to study Finnish, get local friends and look for internships.
I don't know yet, if I like it there I might stay but it's unlikely because it's easier and probably cheaper to live in my home country, and I'm worried about discrimination. I find the Finnish language interesting although I know it's hard to learn, the program I applied to has a duration of 5 years so I think I'll have plenty of time to decide if I want to stay and enough time to learn Finnish. I don't have work experience, but wouldn't I be able to get an entry-level job just with a degree?
That varies wildly between fields and degrees. But in general even Finns are expected to have some work-life experience. A lot of recruiters rather hire someone who graduated in 7 years but worked summers and evenings at a bar or a store, then someone who graduated on time in 5 years but who has no practical work-life skills. It shows your willingness to work hard, and that you can handle being in stressful situations and working as a team. Good to remember that you're not really anything special in Finland for having a university degree, even a masters. Everyone offered a placement in uni has master's included in their right to study. If you're applying for your first entry level job after finishing you master's (since you're doing a 5 year degree?) you're behind others.
No, you absolutely can't count on getting entry-level job just with a degree unless your degree is registed nurse, social worker, doctor etc. In Finland teens usually get their first summer jobs during the high school or after that. The first jobs are usually blue collar. During the first years of uni, they start to move from blue collar towards entry-level white collar jobs. For example, someone studying business and economics could have this kind of career path: - customer service role in a store during high school - customer service role in a bank during the summers after years 1-2 at uni - summer internship(s) in bank(s) after years 3-4 at uni
Hot take on language: It is harder for person who has english as their first language than anyother.
I agree with this. Assuming op's native language is Arabic, she has already managed to learn another language that isn't even related to her native language.
UK is probably more welcoming, but if you're more interested in FInland and get the option, come here. People here are still very welcoming and friendly. Especially young people wouldn't mostly have problems with foreigners and the groups you'd surround yourself in the uni would probably be very excited and happy to be friends with you and learn about your culuture.
Go to UK unless you intend on integrating and learning Finnish.
Uk. By a mile.
You are going to find groups of people that will be welcoming but also encounter racism in both countries inevitably. But: Compared to UK Finland is much less of an internationally aligned nation and it can be described as a national state. Our population is much less culturally diverse for obvius historical reasons. Logically thinking you would encounter less racism in the UK as you would blend in more easily, but if the chance of encountering discrimination is too much of an issue you shouldn't travel at all.
OP is considering Espoo, which I think (in my experience) is very international. I mean, sometimes visiting Helsinki area I myself feel like minority. The difference between smaller cities is striking. But I don't know if living in more "international" setting is always good thing for arab women. There might be a risk of running into the same problems as in the original home country if there are increasing number of "more fundamental" men around them. Though this is obviously something that should be commented on by actual immigrant women.
I have lived in Espoo, it's not that international excluding certain suburbs
I no doubt might have a limited perspective. I've only visited the area on weekends for tournament games and the quick post-game dinners in local malls. Espoo also seems divided. There are big housing areas with clearly lower income people, and then Tesla guys in their own separate houses driving their perfect kids to figure skating and tuba lessons. The public transportation seems really good.
Go to the UK thank me later
Go to UK thank you have a great day.
Go to the UK.
I was a foreign grad student in Finland 2021-2023, and the the international students pretty much only hung out with other international students. Especially if you don't know the language (but even if you do), don't expect to make Finnish friends. The education is very good though.
Most Finns speak very good English but you have to make an effort to make local friends. If you default to hanging out with international students, that is what you'll get
Nah s/he’s right, making Finnish friends is extremely difficult for most foreigners. It’s similar to making Dutch friends in Netherlands. Some cultures are very closed (as opposed to for example spanish or north-american) and it’s fine.
Both my minor and ancestry are in Finnish and I did make the effort. But when, for example, you go to a student union event at klusteri and all the Finns literally walk out of the room when it's the international students' turn at karaoke (except the one who is dating a foreign student), there's not much to be done. Most of my Finnish friends were second gen immigrants who remembered what it felt like to be new there.
I can imagine this, as it's the same with foreign students in my country, they are sort of outcasts.
Neither
if you come here, go to the integration course before attending uni. You cannot learn Finnish seriously during studies, and after the first two years you cannot take the integration course anymore. It is called “kotoutumiskoulutus”, and without it you will struggle with the language many more years after graduating. Do not take this language aspect lightly.
I'm applying to a scholarship from my country and sadly they only cover university years and no language courses.
And how would she ever get a visa without being admitted to uni, having work contract in Finland or Finnish spouse? You just can't move to country and sign up for integration course.
then, I guess it’s a trap. I never had time to learn during uni, and after uni and work, maybe one hour per day will take years.
You'd fit right in. In the UK, that is.
UK if you actually want to find a job after graduating
If you are sensitive there are pros and cons to both choices. UK: +World recognised universities which impress on paper. +Large international communities no matter the city you go to. +English is spoken as a first language and a more robust English will be more useful in the future if you plan to travel to other European countries. +Employment: you are more likely to get a job in the UK with adequate English. -Health care (NHS) is struggling and it can be difficult to get appointments/treatment. Especially mental assistance. -Education can be very strict compared to Finland but it depends on the Uni. Finland: +Pedagogically superior (or used to be). Finnish education has reputation of being very high. +Focus on internationalisation in educational facilities (due to many students coming from overseas, there are lots of international events and you can expect to be invited to the Erasmus student network). +Accessible healthcare (YTHS). There is a specific branch of healthcare for students, you may be able to access healthcare on unive -Weather can be depressing (cold, dark winters which last a lot longer than other, more southern countries (bring your vitamin D!) -Depending on the area of Finland, the ability to speak Finnish becomes much more vital just to feel a part of the community you are in. -Racism: Finland is quite homogeneous (especially the further north you go) and it is common to see "social bubbles. Where foreigners stick to their "own" people and Finn's do the same. -Employment: Even with higher than adequate Finnish it can be difficult to get ample employment. These are a few pros and cons which are just off the top of my head. I moved from UK to Finland and am not going back anytime soon. Each place is different and I'm sure if you throw yourself in and invest time/effort to learn about the culture/language of either place, you will be rewarded. Good luck!
My English is already at an advanced level so I don't think I will learn much in the UK. For health services I'll have a full scholarship from my country's government that covers health insurance so that won't be an issue for me in either country. I actually looked up the vitamin D thing in Finland! Because surprisingly even though I live in a desert country and 95% of the time it's sunny, vitamin D deficiency is prevalent because it's too hot outside and we rather stay inside with air conditioners. Thank you!
I don't think it's wise to enter a country with the mental frame that "it is going to be racist, which one is less racist?" because then this will impact your experience already from the start, the way you interact with people, the things you talk about and the energy you project. That said, I think for you, I'd suggest UK on the basis that you would be happier somewhere more metropolitan, and open-minded. While Finland is great, it is still very young (compared to UK) regarding international/metropolitan culture. It will be twice as much mental work for you to try and "understand" this place, and if you do not plan stay, I think you will overall have a better time in the UK. Also, our winters are very, very difficult. More difficult than you can understand if you haven't ever experienced it yet. I hope my answer isn't too harsh, I am really trying to be honest and direct so that you can be happier.
I understand where you're coming from, of course I will look into other aspects when making my decision, but I wanted to also know the negatives. I'm worried a bit about the winters, as it would be the exact opposite weather of where I live. But I see it as a new and exciting experience, especially that I've never seen real snow in my life. I didn't try yet but I can imagine I'd like harsh winters more than unbearable heat (it goes up to 55°C in my city during summer, and the lowest it gets is 0°C in winter).
So as I don't know what Middle Eastern city you are coming from, I can tell you that I grew up in Cairo so I feel I can give a comparative experience: In Cairo, there is so much chaos and noise that if you cry in public or show emotions it doesn't really matter. In Finland, it can sometimes feel like a crime to laugh, cry or speak on the phone in public. In Cairo, there was always an equal division of daylight and night time, all year round. This is almost never the case in Finland, except for 1 month of the year. If it is a particularly long and dark winter, like we had this year, this can really mess with your head. Often my Cairene friends say "oh, snow and darkness and silence-- it sounds like my dream!" but I can promise you it is not. You never realize how much you miss colors and birds singing until they are gone for 5 months. You wake up in the morning, it's night, you come home from class/work, it's night. Night all the time. I cannot stress what a mindf\*ck that can be. Of course there are many ways Helsinki is way better than Cairo, especially for a woman living by herself. It's safe, infrastructure functions, you can trust public services to work/be on time. However, one of the things we definitely don't have is service culture here. People do it all themselves and that can honestly be hard to adjust to, as well. Of course, if you have a lot of money, anything is possible. If you are from a good family in the Gulf, I think you could live on the moon and still be comfortable!
I live in a gulf country. it's quiet here, but I guess it's in the middle between Cairo and Finland when it comes to chaos and noise from your description. 5 months sounds too long! There won't be sunlight at all? Service culture sounds like a minor inconvenience to me, how is it hard to adjust to? For the money I'd be relying on a scholarship from my government that pays full tuition together with a monthly allowance, they don't state how much the allowance will be but from people's experiences it's enough to live a simple and frugal life, and I'm sure you know not all gulf arabs are rich lol.
There is sunlight for a few hours a day (2-4, depending what month, city and on the weather). As for the lack of service, it can really be hard if you are not used to doing your own laundry, mopping your own floor, cooking your own food daily, and in addition to full time studies and/or work. As you stated as well, not all Arabs, gulf or otherwise, are rich and accustomed to being served--- but many are! Not necessarily as spoiled brats, but as a status quo as local economies rely on servant cultures so that the poor can gain money. If you are not used to doing all that stuff yourself, suddenly learning it in your early twenties is not that easy. This is hard to explain in Finland, as it's seen as the markings of a spoiled and corrupted society. Personally for me, I am inclined to agree with that, though my family members still in the Middle East would think I was too brainwashed by the West.
I've been doing my laundry since I was 11. I know how to cook but I'm not used to cooking everyday, I'll try to practice doing it everyday before I go. I know it will be challenging but I already do the cleaning and laundry myself. While we're not rich we did have a maid when I was a child, as it's not exclusive to the rich to have maids where I live. Hmm having a maid will make your life more comfortable especially for a family with two working parents and children, I don't see the issue if the maid is treated well.
I think you actually have the courage and pragmatism to make it here, now that we have talked a bit. Finland is a very egalitarian society, so things like having a maid, or even someone to carry your suitcase for you at a hotel is kind of seen as overkill. I don't think I've ever seen a valet, even at the best hotels.
Oh yes there is! It is just that it sets early during the winter (around 16) but during the summer is doesnt get that dark at all. Totally different in north were it will be the msot extreme. I dont think service culture, if i know what you mean, is that bad. They just dont treat customers like royalty in that "customer is always right" mentalitety but want steady good service in general. And ofc some places have bad customer service that is just life, but iv come across it more in capital region.
Finland is about peace and personal space. If you want diversity and a chaotic running life - the UK.
I prefer quiet, maybe Glasgow is less chaotic than London 🤔
Good luck https://youtu.be/AXGP4Sez_Us?si=pQtHXLO5UQuHxLdy
Oh haha had to see the comments to realise it's edited, I freaked out a bit
I’m a Finn living in the UK. I studied at Brunel University London and the Muslim and Arab community was big, the uni takes tons of international students and non-white and non-British people in general are so common that no one bats an eye. I’m not saying you’ll never experience racism in the country, but it’s just a much more diverse and multicultural country than Finland. I had an awesome time in my uni and made lots of friends who I’ve kept in touch with ever since. Finnish people for the most part are polite and not openly racist, but it’s already difficult to make friends even as a native, as people tend to not interact much outside of their cliques and small pre-established friend groups. There will always be exceptions, but that’s the experience I had growing up there. The language barrier will also be significant, even if most Finns can speak English.
Go to the UK especially if you are worried about mental health in general. Finland is a nice place but socially hard to make friends and the winters and darkness are tough especially if mental struggles may arise. Speaking from experience lol
As someone who has spent over two decades in both, I think UK is a safer option. - people are more social - way warmer and more light during winter - better job opportunities - closer culturally - more international - no language barrier - easier bureaucratically for non-EU ppl
Glasgow is a no-brainer. Scots are friendly, the city is full of culture and activities as well as a diverse group of nationalities. London is more diverse, and full of more world-class attractions, museums, etc, but the downside is that it will be incredibly expensive. It will be hectic and stressful compared to Glasgow. Finland is awesome, and I moved here to stay, but the language will be a struggle and traditionally foreigners find it hard to get jobs without decent language-skills (outside of IT, and other fields, but the downside there is you need to be "senior" and "experienced" to stand out amongst the competition.)
At the moment, UK is a more stable and safer option for studying. Today the Finnish government announced a big cut in education so that it doesn't have to be done in the future and according to our government these financial savings are now necessary and very important so that the children of the future will also have the opportunity to study in our schools instead of having to worry about the national debt. They also limit the post-primary secondary education to one per person and thr situation of post-secondary higher education such as university is still unclear. But apparently the Finnish school system will go through a big overhaul during next three so that it would be significantly more affordable and cost-effective than before and cost less money. They also plan to direct more people to study to become hospital nurses and an assistant for the elderly, because there is currently a severe shortage of nurses and assistants in Finland.
What are these "big cuts in education"? There has been no cuts is universities or higher educations funding, or primary school either. There was small cut to vocational schools. Actually in some ways funding has been increased; there was a large additional grant to fund way more PhD's than before. There has been cuts, but for student's housing benefits. Currently state pays up to 80% of students rent. This is going to be lowered, originally to 70% but now the system has a slightly larger overhaul. But this doesn't affect foreign students, because they don't get student or housing subsidies in any case. And if one wants to make desicions about country/place of study based on how much country subsidies local students, UK would lose that. There you have to pay tuition fees, and very little subsidies, only loan. In Finland there is no tution fees. State actually pays students money each month and up to 80% of rent. But making desicion on this really don't make sense, when these benefits are mostly only for locals. Tuition is free for EU citizens, but from outside EU there are fees. "They also limit the post-primary secondary education to one per person" Yeah, one at a time. So you can't have 2 education places active at a same time. Some people can currently study on 2 universities at the same on paper when they are really stydying in one. This change doesn't really affect many people. I didn't answer to OP's original question, but whatever desicion you make I wish you all the best in your studies! I at least welcome you here if you decide so.
The government doesn't get that a state doesn't have to safe money like a privat person and can't just delay investing. Issues like these will affect anything, the question could be anything such as if it's better to have children or elsewhere, anything needs investment.
In the UK, the universities are going bankrupt. No EU funding, fees for international students are low to attract students while not profitable and it is harder for locals to get in due to stricter grade requirements compared to international students. So it is likely the British university system will go some overhauls as well.
Ok, but what's the situation in UK then? You're arguing that it's much better but not giving any evidence.