Program Description | Host Family & Community | Host School | Travel | Orientations & Activities | Eligibility
Program Description
Finland is alive with a vibrant culture, outdoor activities, and lush landscapes.
The country boasts an incredible unspoiled natural environment of immense forests, glacial lakes, and lush green meadows. More than 187,800 lakes and other bodies of water dominate Finland’s landscape, so it is often called the country of a thousand lakes. Spending time in the sauna is a national pastime. Finns love the outdoors and spend much of their time skiing, hiking, and even sailing.
Finns also have a brimming social life with hundreds of art festivals and a balanced mix of small-town life with modern cities. The nation’s capital, Helsinki, has no high-rise buildings, so it retains its 19th century small-town charm while being a fully modern city.
As an AFSer in Finland, you’ll live with a host family while speaking Finnish and attending a local high school.
Language
Ninety-three percent of the population speaks Finnish, a language that has common roots with Estonian and Hungarian. Swedish is also an official language, and both are spoken in bilingual areas.
Although there is no language requirement for this program, AFS encourages you to learn as much Finnish and/or Swedish as possible before your departure.
Host Family & Community
Students are placed throughout Finland, though most AFSers will live with host families in small towns and rural areas. Be ready for anything: you could be placed anywhere between the northernmost village Utsjoki and southernmost town of Hanko.
Host families in Finland, like all AFS host families worldwide, are not paid. They open their homes to students in order to share their community and culture as well as to enrich their own family lives.
Finns
Finns tend to be as shy and reserved at first, and may even appear cold toward foreigners. As you get to know them they show themselves to be warm, affectionate, gracious and open-minded. They maintain high ideals of loyalty and reliability, and they appreciate good manners, respect for others and punctuality. Common sense, no fuss, and making things work sums up how the Finns operate.
Family life is important to Finns. Though structures are diverse, many families are centered on the nuclear family. It is normal for both parents to work, and it is common for everybody to share the daily chores. You should plan on making your bed daily and keeping your room in order.
Teens
Many Finnish teenagers are brought up to be independent—they make decisions for themselves and are held accountable for their actions.
Most free time during the week is devoted to school work. On weekends, teenagers like to go to movies, discos and parties, and those with driver’s licenses like to go driving. Much of the time, young people go around in groups of girls and boys, meeting at popular places for socializing.
Most teens have a weekday curfew and a later one on weekends, and families expect to be informed of their childrens’ whereabouts and activities.
Meals
Meal times in Finland are less formal than in some other countries. At dinner time, if family members are on conflicting schedules, each person warms up his or her own food, perhaps in the microwave. On weekends, many families live a more communal life and often dine together.
Everyday food tends to be simple but nutritious. The Finnish diet is based on meat, fish, potatoes, pasta, bread and dairy products. Vegetables in the northern climate tend to be seasonal. Coffee is a favorite beverage, even among teenagers. Salads and smorgasbord are popular.
Vegetarians can be difficult to place and most families prefer to host a student with no dietary restrictions.
Host School
Most AFSers in Finland are placed in the first or second year of a public upper secondary school. Your classmates will be between 16 and 18 years old.
The school year is divided into five (sometimes six) terms from August to June, with breaks at Christmas and Easter, a one week sports vacation mid-winter, and the First of May celebration. You will study a few courses intensively each term, including Finnish and/or Swedish, math, science, psychology, art, music, history, and geography.
Check out the Host School FAQ (.pdf).
Travel
You will receive a Travel Notification email about 6 weeks prior to international departure with your international flight itinerary and detailed instructions for when to arrive at the Gateway Orientation site in New York. At that point, you may arrange your domestic travel. In New York, you will join other AFS-USA participants for an overnight Gateway Orientation before you travel together to Helsinki.
International airfare is included as part of the tuition, but it is your responsibility to get from your hometown to the Gateway Orientation site.
Your Arrival
You and your fellow AFSers will travel together between New York and Helsinki. After you have collected your luggage and passed through customs, you will be met by AFS staff and volunteers. If you are placed nearby, your host family may pick you up at the airport. If your host community is in central or northern Finland, you will take a bus or train from Helsinki to your new home.
Your Return
You will return to Helsinki before your international departure to meet your fellow AFSers. You will fly as a group back to New York.
Orientations & Activities
In addition to the orientations that you will participate in domestically (the locally held Pre-Departure Orientation, the Culture Trek online orientation, and the national Gateway Orientation), you and your fellow AFSers will have several orientations while abroad.
These required orientations are intended to help you maximize your AFS experience, prevent culture shock and to gain knowledge, skills and a global understanding.
Post-Arrival Orientation
About 2 weeks after you land in Finland, you will have an Arrival Orientation. These are organized at the regional level so you may have to travel a short distance in order to join the other students who are placed in your region. This will be an international orientation and your opportunity to meet participants from around the world. The orientation will last for 2-3 days.
In addition to covering the rules and safety tips, there will be an emphasis on approaching your experience from an intercultural learning perspective. You will also meet with AFS staff and volunteers to evaluate your first few weeks and be offered guidance to make the transition as smooth as possible.
End-of-Stay Orientation
There will be a 1-2 day evaluation camp in the weeks prior to departure. This is your chance to reflect on your experience and to share with other AFSers. You will also prepare for the cultural readjustment that is a part of returning home.
Optional Activities
In addition to the orientations, many local chapters organize activities for students and host families throughout the year. These will vary from chapter to chapter but may include get-togethers or excursions to other cities or regions in Finland. Unlike the orientations, these activities are optional and are not included in tuition.
Eligibility
To participate in this program, you must:
- Be within the age range upon departure (located in the ‘read more’ drop-down)
- Have a minimum 2.8 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale
- Be mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy in accordance with AFS Medical Evaluation Policies
- Have a U.S. passport at the time of application. Passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the program end date
- Have an open mind, willingness to be flexible, and the ability to adapt to new a culture, school, and environment
Participation Notes
The Finnish cuisine consists largely of fish, meat and ground vegetables, so vegetarians can be difficult to place and most families prefer to host a student with no dietary restrictions.
High School graduates will be considered for participation in this program.
Although there is no language requirement, AFS strongly recommends learning some Finnish and/or Swedish prior to your departure.
