Basic Education
Pre-School Education
The purpose of pre-school education is to give children the tools to start comprehensive school.
Pre-school education is intended for all children under school age the year before their compulsory education begins (at the age of 7).
Pre-school education is free of charge. If day care is required as well, this is subject to a charge.
Children are enrolled for pre-school education by a registration form that should be returned to the day-care centre where the parents want their child to go.
Basic Education
When do children begin comprehensive school?
Children begin comprehensive school during the year of their 7th birthday.
How long does comprehensive school last?
Ordinarily comprehensive school continues for 9 years. At the end of comprehensive school, children receive a final certificate which shows that they have completed the syllabus. The final certificate is important because it is required when applying to study or for a job.
What will my child do after comprehensive school?
Usually children apply to study at a vocational institute or an upper secondary school, i.e. upper secondary education.
How will my child be admitted to comprehensive school?
First a child needs a health certificate if they come from outside the EU or from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Cyprus, Romania or Bulgaria.
You can get a health certificate from a health centre.
After you have booked your child an appointment to see a doctor, you can enrol them for school.
Which school will my child go to?
If a child does not speak Finnish, they will first attend instruction preparing for basic education. In this instruction, they will study Finnish and other subjects in small groups for about a year. There are such groups for instruction preparing for basic education in some schools.
You can get help at all schools or the Education Service Centre, address:
Käsityöläiskatu 10,
20100 Turku
tel. 02 - 2629 344.
If a child can speak Finnish, they will usually attend a school that is close to their home.
If a child speaks English well, they can also apply to the Turku International School.
Do schools provide teaching in a child’s native language?
Some schools have native language teachers and special needs assistants who help pupils, in their native tongue, to understand the matters discussed within different subjects.
In the comprehensive schools in Turku, teaching is provided in over 20 languages. Information about the opportunities for a child to study their native language as a subject and about enrolment for this can be obtained from the child’s school. Enrolment is binding and the family takes care of their child’s travel to their native language classes. The tuition is free of charge.
Where Can You Study Finnish?
Foreign schoolchildren study Finnish as a second language at their own school.
Others interested in studying Finnish can find information about it from the Education for Immigrants course calendar or the City of Turku’s web page “Education for adult immigrants in Turku.”
You can find more information about tuition for young people with immigrant backgrounds at the Upper Secondary Evening School.
Turku Upper Secondary Evening School
Eskelinkatu 4,
20100 TURKU
School Secretary
Lii Puolakainen
tel. 02-2629882
Additional Education in “the Tenth Grade”
The tenth grade or additional education refers to the extended and supplementary tuition given to pupils who have received their final certificate from basic education. Participation is voluntary.
The goal of the tenth grade is to support the pupil’s personal growth and development.
Studying in the tenth grade requires pupils to attend school regularly and to follow the school regulations.
Information about additional education in Turku.
Do you have no study place or job?
Ohjaamo offers support and help to young persons of 15-20 years old who have no study place after finishing comprehensive school. Ohjaamo’s purpose is to help young people to find a place of study that interests them. Young persons are guided, for example, towards making use of second application rounds and helped in the joint application process. Ohjaamo also helps in organising work experience placements and finding hobbies.
Ohjaamo is located in the Vimma building on Aurakatu 16, 2nd floor, 20100 Turku
More information: www.turku.fi/ohjaamo
Upper Secondary Vocational Education and Training
The youth
Why do young people with immigrant backgrounds have to take the Turku Vocational Institute’s language test?
All persons whose mother tongue is neither Finnish nor Swedish, and who are applying for education which leads to a qualification are invited to take a language test. The purpose of the test is to ensure that the applicant has sufficient skills in Finnish to complete their vocational studies. The test is arranged every spring and autumn.
It is not necessary to take the language test if:
- the applicant has a grade for Finnish in their final certificate from comprehensive school
- the applicant has a certificate for a general language test (level 3)
- the applicant has previously acquired a qualification at the upper secondary level in Finland (tuition in Finnish or Swedish)
What training does the Turku Vocational Institute specifically offer to young immigrants?
Turku Vocational Institute organises preparatory education for young immigrants for vocational training, which provides students with the necessary skills and tools for studying various subject fields within vocational upper secondary education and training. The goal of this preparatory education is to improve students’ possibilities to be admitted into a vocational institute.
The education includes studies in Finnish as well as mathematical and social subjects and an overview of various educational fields and vocations. A personal study plan is prepared for the students. The education is about a year long.
The students of preparatory education are entitled to normal financial aid for students and school transport subsidy. Students also have a right to integration allowance if the preparatory education is included in their integration plan.
What support is available to youths with immigrant backgrounds during their vocational studies at the Turku Vocational Institute?
Turku Vocational Institute has a student counsellor and a nurse at each of its premises. In addition, the institute has a support team with two psychologists, two career planners, two administrators, a social administrator and a coordinator of student activities.
All these persons provide students with help in various questions relating to their studies, as well as support in other problem situations in life.
What financial support is available to students during their studies?
A student studying full-time at a vocational institute has the right to apply to Kela for financial aid for students. The financial aid for students consists of three parts: study grant, housing supplement and government guarantee for student loans.
The study grant is taxable income. The amount of study grant is effected by: age, housing situation and marital status. Unauthorised absences can cause the suspension of the financial aid for a student.
The housing supplement is meant for students who live in rented accommodation. Housing allowance is not granted to students living in a flat they own, or when living with their parents. Students with a family should apply for general housing allowance.
The government guarantee for student loans can be granted to a student receiving a study grant. In certain exceptions, the loan guarantee can also be received without study grant, for example, in the case of a student who lives independently and whose parents’ income prevents the payment of study grant, or a student who is under 17 years old and whose child benefit prevents the granting of study grant.
What vocations can I study and where?
You can study for many kinds of vocations in Turku. The list below gives the name, field, vocations and contact information of vocational institutes. The studies take three years to complete.
Aninkaiset school building
Fields of education: Food Sciences and Catering, Textiles and Clothing, Beauty Care
Vocations (qualification titles): Foods Maker, Baker-confectioner, Cook, Dressmaker, Furnishings Maker, Hairdresser, Beauty Therapist, Beauty Adviser
Aninkaistenkatu 7, the school office is on the 4th floor. The Student Affairs Office is open during terms Mon – Fri 8:15–9:30 and 10:00–15:30
Telephone, direct line(02) 2633 3000
Juhannuskukkula school building
Fields of education: Laboratory Technology and Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Publishing and Printing
Vocations (qualification titles): Laboratory technician, Industrial Process Operator, Automation Assembler, Electrician, Printing Assistant, Printer
Kukkulakuja 3, the school office is open on weekdays from 8:15–15:45
Telephone, direct line(02) 2633 4502
Kellonsoittajankatu school building
Fields of education: Business and Information Technology
Vocations (qualification titles): merkonomi and datanomi (tuition also available in Swedish)
Kellonsoittajankatu 9-11, the school Student Affairs Office is open on weekdays from 9–11 and 12–15
Telephone, direct line(02) 2633 3716
Lemminkäisenkatu school building
Fields of education: Hotel and Restaurant Services and Tourism Industry
Vocations (qualification titles): Hotel Receptionist, Waiter/Waitress, Cook, Travel Counsellor
Lemminkäisenkatu 18, the school office is open on weekdays from 9–15
Telephone, direct line (02) 2633 3404
Peltola school building
Fields of education: Machinery and Metal Technology / Heating and Ventilation Technology, Construction, Wood Technology and Land Surveying
Vocations (qualification titles): Automation Assembler, Ship Builder, Engineer Fitter, Machinist, Plater-welder, Instrument Maker, Refrigeration Equipment Fitter, Ventilation Fitter, Pipe Fitter, Vehicle Body Repairer, Car Mechanic, Small Machinery Repairer, Driver, Driver of Articulated Vehicles, Bus Driver, Surveyor, Builder
Hamppukatu 2, the school office is open on weekdays from 9–12 and 13–15
Telephone, direct line(02) 2633 4303
Tommilankatu school building
Fields of education: Household, Institutional Household and Cleaning Services
Vocations (qualification titles): Household Operative, Site Facilities Operative (Cleaner)
Tommilankatu 24, the school office is open on weekdays from 8:15–15:45.
Please ring the doorbell when the door is locked. There is a letterbox next to the door.
Telephone, direct line(02) 2633 3302
Uudenmaantie school building
Fields of education: Social and Health Care, Pharmaceutics and other Pharmaceutical Care
Vocations (qualification titles): Practical Nurse, Pharmaceutical Assistant, Pharmaceutical Technician
Uudenmaantie 43, the school office is open on weekdays from 8–16
The Student Affairs Office is open from 9:45–12:30
Fax, direct line (02) 2633 4102
How can adults acquire a vocation?
The above-mentioned educational institutions of the Turku Vocational Institute also offer the possibility of taking studies as adult education and training in over 70 different programmes leading to a qualification. The website offers an introduction of most of these qualifications at www.turkuai.fi.
Upper Secondary School Education
In Turku there are 11 upper secondary schools offering tuition in the daytime and one upper secondary school for adults offering tuition mainly in the evenings. The upper secondary evening school also organises studies tailor-made for immigrants.
Most of the upper secondary schools in Turku function under the City of Turku. One of the upper secondary schools is the Swedish speaking Katedralskolan i Åbo. The upper secondary school of Turun Normaalikoulu is a state-run school. The Turku Steiner school’s upper secondary school is private.
Upper secondary school education can also be taken by completing the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme at the Turun Normaalikoulu’s upper secondary school or the Turku International School’s upper secondary school.
For more information, go to the website of the Educational Board of Turku.
Information about upper secondary school education in Turku.
Contact information for upper secondary schools in Turku