Checklist for placements abroad
Once you degree programme and the placement organization have confirmed the placement and you know the duration and contents, please make sure to draft Learning Agreement for Placement and apply for the grant first! Once you have completed the required steps, it is time to start planning the practicalities with the help of this page!
Practical preparations for work placement abroad
- Ensure that your travel documents (passport / ID card) are valid for at least the entire duration of the placement period.
- In countries requiring a visa and/or residence permit, there may be requirements regarding the validity of the passport either before or after the placement period.
- Make a copy of your passport and keep it in a different place than the passport itself.
- Apply for a visa or residence permit if necessary.
- Please find out the procedures from the host country embassy regarding visas and residence permits well in advance.
- The procedure and the expenses vary depending on the applicant's citizenship and the host country.
- Check the documents needed from the Embassy of the host country.These may include, for example, an invitation letter from the placement organisation, placement agreement, proof of funds, insurance certificate, passport copy, photos, health certificate, criminal record extract, and student certificate.
- Non-EU citizens: You have to obtain a residence permit to another EU country for placement period. The process might take several months, so please start early.
- Holders of residence permit in Finland: Start the renewal of your Finnish residence permit early so you are able to proceed with visa application to host country in good time. Check with your local police whether they will renew your residence permit to Finland if you are on a work placement outside Finland. If not, you need to apply for a new residence permit to Finland before returning. Please read more from the Finnish Immigration Service.
- Nordic citizens: If you are going to work placement to another Nordic country, you don't need a visa. However, if your stay is over 6 months, you will need to register to the local Population Register Centre.
- EU citizens: EU citizens do not need for visa for going to another EU country. However, if your stay is more than 3 months, you must register with local officials.
- Book travel tickets once the Learning Agreement for placemen is signed and you have the necessary travel documents.
- Take the signed internship agreement with you.
- Prepare a budget for the placement period.
- The amount of the grant awarded by Metropolia depends on the destination country, duration, and credits awarded.
- You can check the grant amounts and conditions from the grant pages.
- Notify Kela about the placement period abroad if you are covered by Finnish social security and apply for study grant, housing allowance and loan.
- Arrange accommodation well in advance both in your home country and at the exchange destination.
- Be careful when signing a rental agreement.
- If you do not understand the contract text and its terms, ask for help, for example, from the internship place before signing the agreement.
- Check for any changes in the security situation of the destination country from the travel advisories of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Familiarize yourself in advance not only with the placement organisation and local culture but also with the basics of cultural adaptation. Knowledge about the destination country and its culture generally facilitates adaptation.
- Metropolia's safety instructions will be sent to your email when the international relations adviser has checked the details of your internship agreement.
- The instructions include information about YTHS services, Metropolia's insurance, and a safety card.
- Read the instructions carefully before the internship starts and fill in the details on the safety card.
- Ensure insurance coverage for the entire placement period
- Check the terms of Metropolia's insurance (travel insurance requires being covered by Finnish social security)
- Consider additional insurance coverage for yourself.
- Order a European Health Insurance Card from Kela (if applicable)
- Tehy student members have legal protection and liability insurance through OP insurance, also valid abroad. Legal protection insurance is valid in EU and EFTA countries, liability insurance in other countries except the USA and Canada. Tehy's member services can provide a certificate of insurance in English if needed.
- Update basic vaccinations (vaccination card) and any other necessary vaccinations, if needed, have a medical check-up and visit the dentist.
- If needed, take your vaccination card with you.
- Familiarize yourself with YTHS travel health services.
- Consider any medications and prescriptions.
- Familiarize yourself with the health services of the exchange destination.
- Make a travel notification to the Finnish embassy for possible emergencies and crisis situations.
- Save important phone numbers on your phone:
- the emergency number of the destination country (112 in all EU countries),
- insurance company,
- contact person in the placement organisation
- Metropolia's International Relations Adviser
- nearest Finnish embassy.
- save the number to report a lost credit card.
- You can also use the "safety card" sent to your email for this.
- Before leaving for the internship, activate the VPN service provided by Metropolia, which allows you to access Metropolia's email and internal systems from abroad.
- Instructions for using the VPN can be found on the IT services pages.
- Make a temporary change of address notification.
- Order a criminal record extract if you are doing an internship in the social and health sector with children and young people.
- Europa-portal (EU)
- Fulbright Center (USA, Canada)
- British Council (UK)
- DAAD (Germany)
- Info Norden (Nordic countries)
- Finnish Embassies abroad (Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland)
- Asianet Finnish University Network for Asia Studies
- Finnish Chamber of Commerce in Japan
Completing the work placement abroad
- Contact the International Relations Adviser and the person responsible for the placement in your degree program.
- Follow the placement instructions that you receive directly from your degree programme.
- Access to Metropolia's email from abroad is temporarily blocked to ensure security. However, you can access your email from abroad via a VPN connection. See connections on the IT Services pages. Note that you must be reachable during the placement abroad.
- For placements over 3 months in an EU country: register as an EU citizen according to the instructions of the authorities in the destination country.
- Participate the OLS language courses online for free, further details available from your International Relations Adviser
- Alternatively, you can apply for a Metropolia grant for a Higher Education level language course. Attach the payment receipt and course certificate to the grant application: The grant is a maximum of 80 euros, provided that the internship abroad lasts at least 2 months (60 days).
- Upload the signed placement certificate to Mobility-Online within a month of the end of the internship; you can also use the employer's own certificate template (it must be dated to the last days of the internship and show the start and end dates of the internship, job title, tasks, skills and knowledge gained, and any evaluation).
- Fill out the placement report in Mobility-Online.
- Erasmus+ Trainees:
- Fill in the Erasmus Participant Report, you will receive a link to your Metropolia email.
- Check the degree programme guidelines and instructions for credit transfer and reporting