The City of Helsinki is continuing its efforts to recruit early childhood educators from Spain to address the shortage of teachers in public daycares. The city aims to hire 15 teachers through the initiative.
The move follows on from a similar pilot last year aimed at Swedish-language daycares.
Spanish teachers selected for the programme will join a 9–10 month Finnish language training programme, which will also serve as an introductory course to life in Finland, according to the city.
Their jobs at daycare centres would start in late 2025 or early 2026.
Daycares in the capital have volunteered to participate in the initiative, the city said. Daycare directors will personally interview the applicants and select those who will be trained in Spain.
In August, six Spanish teachers began working at Swedish-language daycares and have since continued their Swedish studies in Finland.
"Our new employees have been incredibly determined and highly motivated to learn the language," said Kati Mhone, a human resources manager for the city.
Spain's early childhood education degrees closely correspond to similar Finnish qualifications.
Mhone said Spain is now the only country in Europe with an oversupply of early childhood education teachers. At the same time, Finland has faced a shortage of these kinds of professionals for years.
Helsinki has said it aims to hire people who speak languages other than Finnish and Swedish, thereby increasing diversity within its workforce. This sentiment also extends to promoting work-based immigration and improving the recognition of foreign qualifications, according to the city.
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