Have you ever wondered what it is like to do an internship in Finland in early childhood education? I can tell you about my experience from my internship.
Frederic came to Finland through the German organisation Gesellschaft für Europabildung (GEB), dedicated to promoting European education and mobility. With the support of Experience Workshop, Frederic was an early childhood education teacher at Pilke Playschool Jyväskylä for 3 months during spring 2025.
I was working in an English daycare center where the teachers speak Finnish and English with the children. The daycare is for children aged 1 to 6 years old. My internship lasted three months. I started in the middle of March and stayed to the end of June, which allowed me to experience Finland in different seasons.
At the beginning I was really astonished by how many clothes the children had to wear, which is necessary in the Finnish winter. I had never helped children dress up in that many clothes before, but after a while it became my daily routine.
I observed my colleagues at work to understand how they work with children in Finland. I quickly noticed that they work in small groups. Every group was divided into smaller groups accompanied by an adult. Adults accompany children during activities, food times, and help with dressing up. The group size varied according to age. With children under 3 years, there are 4 children per adult and for children above 3, there are 8 children per adult. In free play time the small groups can mix and children can choose who they want to play with.
Groups have a weekly schedule for activities. Each day has a different dedicated activity in a different area, e.g.: crafts, arts, music, sports or a short trip. The weekly plan is displayed with picture cards in the group room for the children to see clearly. In Finland children have naptime for one hour and everyone takes it. During this time teachers take a break, do some planning or have meetings.
The preschool year in Finland is obligatory. It is the time to prepare for school, where basic reading, writing and arithmetic skills are practiced. The intention is to make the transition to school easier. Preschool time is 4 hours a day.
During my internship I had the chance to participate in classes and workshops at the University of Jyväskylä, where I learned about the education system and found more inspiration for my work. In addition, I visited other playschools, preschools and daycares to see how they work there.
How was it to communicate with the children if you don’t speak Finnish? The children in my playschool understand English well and depending on their age also speak Finnish. At the beginning it was hard because I couldn’t understand what the children wanted to tell me in Finnish. I was very happy that my colleagues could translate and repeat what the children said. Sometimes the older children, who spoke English well, helped translate for the younger children. After a while I learned some Finnish words and it helped me understand more. Children are the best teachers to learn a new language!
I challenged myself to say some Finnish words in an activity I was leading. We created salt paintings. It was a huge experience for me to explain all the steps in English and some in Finnish. At the beginning it was difficult to translate the words, but I did it! My colleagues helped me with those children who knew less English. It was great to see that children enjoyed the activity, and the results looked beautiful!
During my time in Finland I learned that Finnish people are very friendly and kind. They are often in a good mood and radiate positive vibes. Even when they were stressed, you couldn’t tell, as they still provided good care to both the children and their colleagues. You would think nothing could upset them. What I liked most was that they were very kind when I encountered difficulties. This gave me a safe environment where I felt confident trying out new things and it didn’t matter if I made mistakes. I am happy to say that I have adopted this attitude to my own life.
Is a work-life balance in Finland possible? Yes, I believe so! In Finland you live together with nature. There are many spots where you can do things which are good for your soul. You can go for a walk, on a big hike, to sauna, canoeing, explore other cities and ride with your bike. And those were just a few examples!
I am very proud of myself for taking this big step and I am very thankful for this experience provided by Experience Workshop and Pilke Playschool Jyväskylä. These months gave me the chance to expand my understanding of pedagogy and I was able to take theoretical and practical ideas with me back to Germany!
