PhD stories: financing your studies
Here are a few ways to finance your PhD studies if you study in Finland.
In a previous article, I mention how finances can be a very stressful part of your PhD studies. Gladly, there are a few ways to try and get financing for your studies, and this is what we will discuss here today.
Kela and Kela's student loan.
Finnish social assistance Kela can provide up to 9 months of "opintotuki", or student financial aid. For a university student, that's about 250 euros per month - not enough to pay rent, transport and food, but a welcome help nonetheless. If you are qualified for opintotuki, usually you also are eligible for Kela's student loan - which can be much more interesting.
Kela decides on an amount to grant students as a student loan. You can decide to collect a monthly sum, or part of the total, or even the whole amount at once. The good thing about a student loan, is that you do not need to pay it back right away! It can be paid back directly after your studies, little by little after a certain time period (to be determined with your bank) during your studies, or when you are more financially stable (after finding work). Depending on your grades and attendance, Kela can always decide to wipe part of your student debt, leaving you with less to pay back!
For more information in English, it is best to go to a Kela's office, or write them a message directly from your Kela profile on their website.
Working and self-financing.
This is probably one of the most reliable ways to get through your PhD. Picking up work or taking out a loan to get you through those 4 years might be a good idea if you either have enough time to both do research and work, or, in the case of the loan, if you are confident in finding employment when you graduate.
Banks usually have special loan offers for students to pay for their studies, but watch out for interest rates!
Working in Finland if you don't speak Finnish or Swedish will be a challenge however. As much discourse as there is about internationalization, Finland and Finnish working life functions quite differently - in clear, it may take months for you to find a job, if any at all. You can of course pick up a few hours with cleaning companies, who are less regarding, although even this is less and less true. As a foreigner, you can bank on your language knowledge and try tutoring or offering guided tours for tourists if you live in one of the major cities or in a touristic area.
If you have a background in IT, you might be luckier and find a more reliable job however!
Working for the university.
A lot of universities have salaried positions for PhD students. The bigger universities might have one or two calls per year, while smaller universities might have openings every other year, or less. Check out your university website to see if they have openings - the application periods are in September and sometimes in January.
Salaried positions can be anywhere from one to four years, and are to be determined with the university. Students who have been selected will go to an interview, then receive a decision. For applications in September, you will hear from the faculty in the first half of December.
Besides salaried positions, universities also offer jobs at other times during the year, depending on need. See if your university has a job opening page, and go back regularly to see if a department is looking for PhD students, research assistants, etc...
Grants and foundations.
Grants are available all-year round, each with specific criteria and deadlines. You will have to try and apply to as many as possible to get your name out there and hope for the best!
It is not the most reliable method of obtaining funding, but it's also the most common, and what many students hope for and rely on. Finland has a database, Aurora, to help you look for funding and grants according to your topic, department, deadlines, etc... Use it well, and use it often!
Make sure you are also on your PhD program's mailing list, and various PhD mailing lists from your university, so that if there is an announcement for a grant, you don't miss it!
All images are from Unsplash.