PROGRAM
Sunday Mar 9, 2025: Opening session
16.00-18.00 Introduction to the course
- Welcome to Oulu and the course
- Warm up activities
- Getting to know each other
Venue: TBC (in the Oulu city centre)
Monday Mar 10, 2025: Basics of ECEC in Finland
9.00-12.00 Introduction to Early Childhood Education and Care in Finland
- Presentation and discussion
- Coffee / tea
- Group work
12.00-13.00
13.30-15.00
- Library visit
- Introduction of Finnish library
- Library as extended learning environment – collaboration with ECEC
Venue: TBC (in the Oulu city centre)
Tuesday Mar 11, 2025:
Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education
8.00-14.00 Visit to an Early Childhood Education and Care Center
- Presentation and discussion
- Observation
- Lunch and coffee
15.00 Optional cultural program
Wednesday Mar 12, 2025:
From ECEC to primary
9.00-12.00 Visit to a primary school early years classes 1-2
- Presentation and discussion
- Observation
- School lunch
13.00 Optional cultural program
More details to come
Thursday Mar 13, 2025: Transversal Competencies in Early Childhood and Pre-primary Education
8.00-14.00 Visit to an Early Childhood Education and Care Center
- Presentation and discussion
- Observation
- Lunch and coffee
Friday Mar 14, 2025: Learning Environments and Playful learning in Early Childhood Education
9.00-11.00 Visit to Alakööki extended learning environment – Development Unit for Sustainable
Development and Cultural Education in Early Childhood Education
- Presentation and discussion
- Thematic Workshop
Venue: Alakööki Building in Ainola Park
11.15-12.15 Lunch and coffee
12.30-13.00 Bus transportation
13.00-15.00 Visit to Luontokoto extended learning environment – Development Unit for Nature Education
and STEAM in Early Childhood Education - Presentation and discussion
- STEAM and Nature Education Workshop
Venue: Luontokoto / Heikinharju Nature Shelter, Timosenkoskentie 70, 90620 Oulu
15.00-15.30 Bus transportation
Saturday Mar 15, 2025:
Reflections and farewell
9.00-11.00 Final session
- Reflection discussion
- Impact analysis
- Course certificates
Venue: TBC (in the Oulu city centre)
11.00-12.30 Course brunch
13.00 Optional cultural program
More details to come
Sunday Mar 16, 2025:
Departure
Optional cultural program
REGISTRATION AND PRICE
How can I participate?
All registrations must be done using the online registration form. If a course, which is not confirmed: We can confirm this course once we have received 10 binding registrations.
Discounts are available for groups of 5 or more participants! Contact courses@euneos.fi for more information.
(If not confirmed: The course will be confirmed later. For the moment, we take binding registrations.) If you want to send a group but don’t know yet all participants’ names, it is possible to add them to the registration form like this:
participant 1, participant 2, etc.
If you have problems or questions about completing the online form, please contact courses@euneos.fi.
REGISTER (Registration takes place on our sister company, Euneos’ website)
Prices
(Read more about grants and other options for financial support.)
If you have Erasmus+ KA1 funding, it should cover the fees. For those who come from outside the EU countries, there are other professional development grants for teachers. We have tried to keep the costs so low that self-funded participation is also a real option.
The price excludes Finnish VAT 25,5%. For VAT exemption, you need to register as a representative/employee of a company, school or other organization, and during the registration, provide a VAT-number or Erasmus-related OID (Organization ID) number. If you don’t have those, please send a tax certificate, trade register extract, or similar from your country to courses@euneos.eu
Course fee 660€
Price includes
- Free 30-day access to Finnish Education Online Courses [Oliko tämä nykyään 60-day?]
- Admission to all sessions
- Course materials
- ECEC and extended learning environment visits (and charter bus transport where needed)
- Certificate of attendance
- Possibility to participate in the optional cultural activities (additional fees apply)
The meal package (110€ excl. VAT) is obligatory and it includes:
- Five lunches and coffee/tea during breaks
- Farewell Brunch
Other expenses
Airline tickets, accommodation, and local travel tickets to be bought separately.
Payments
We will send an invoice to make a bank transfer for all the registered participants when we confirm the course. The reference number of the bill(s) should be mentioned when paying. If you don’t mention the reference number you might get a reminder for the bill as the payment will not be recognised. The participant should assume all the bank transfer fees. If you need to make the payment using a credit card (Visa, MasterCard), please contact courses@euneos.fi and we will send you a link for the payment.
Please note that all payments must be made in advance and in euros (€).
Cancellation policy
Binding registrations
We can confirm this course once we have received 10 registrations. Note that registration before the confirmation is binding; as there is a minimum and maximum number of participants, every registration counts.
Cancellation by participant
All cancellations must be made by email to courses@euneos.fi at least a month before the course starts. You will be charged the full fee if you do not cancel your participation. Please note that a processing fee of 160€ (excl. VAT) will be deducted from all refunds. If unable to attend, the registered person may substitute someone else from the same organization by sending a notification to courses@euneos.fi.
Cancellation by VisitEDUfinn
If the documents attached during the registration process are not valid, and the participant does not deliver proper documents immediately after requested, VisitEDUfinn has the right to cancel the participation without any refund. However, participation is always possible, paying the VAT (or other price difference).
If the event is canceled due to COVID-19 or a similar situation, all the payments will be refunded without any processing fee. VisitEDUfinn is not responsible for any damage caused by the cancellation and strongly recommends purchasing flexible flight tickets and accommodation.
Invitation letters
VisitEDUfinn will write invitation letters only after the full payment. If the participant cannot get a visa and sends evidence about the rejected visa application, VisitEDUfinn will refund the paid amount. However, 100€ (excl. VAT) will be deducted as an administrative fee.
Frequently Asked Questions about Registration and Fees
TRAINER
Ms. Maikki Manninen works as Advisory Teacher for ICT Education and her educational background is both an early education and care teacher and a class teacher. Her expertise lies eg. in ICT and STEAM education.
Her working tasks include training and consultation on ICT especially according to the Finnish core curricula and the local strategies for both ICT and STEAM education.
Ms. Manninen is also experienced in development projects funded by the Finnish National Agency for Education eg. on innovative learning environments.
Ms. Päivi Packalén is an English and Spanish language teacher in comprehensive education. She is also an Advisory Teacher for Global Citizenship Skills Education in the Educational and Cultural Services of the city of Oulu.
Her expertise includes training and supporting schools in language teaching, global citizenship education, and international projects, such as Erasmus+ and Nordplus Projects.
Ms. Packalén is also experienced in development projects funded by the Finnish National Agency for Agency e.g., Internationalization in education and Bilingual Education.
ERASMUS+
VisitEDUfinn (OID CODE: E10020922 / PIC CODE: 899855324) and Euneos Corporation (OID CODE:E10124150 / PIC CODE 950782555) organise ERASMUS+ Staff Mobility job shadowing and professional courses designed for teachers at all levels. Our programs are organized in different parts of Finland in cooperation with other stakeholders in the field of education (schools, universities, municipalities).
All the courses are designed following the Quality Standards for courses under Key Action 1 and participants are provided with certificates that meet the Europass criteria.
Course title: Spark up – Prepare for the future by promoting working life skills and entrepreneurship education
Audience (for instance)
- Kindergarten, primary, and secondary school teachers
- Special education teachers
- School management and leadership
- All other non-teaching experts
Working Methods (for instance)
- Exploration of pre-assumptions
- Workshops
- Facilitated discussions / shared brainstorming
- Teamwork and Presentations
- Field visits
- Personal learning diary
Outcomes (for instance)
- Gain insight into Finnish schools and education
- Facilitate team-building activities
- Implement teaching sessions by utilizing participatory methods
- Create a concrete development plan for your own school
European/ International dimension
We wait participants from many European countries as well as from outside Europe. Sharing ideas together with colleagues from different countries offers a broader perspective on the topic. The course is also a great opportunity for networking for future collaboration.
ACCOMODATION
The main venue of the course is located in the center of Oulu. There will be transportation to Early Childhood Education Centres and other visiting places that are not within walking distance.
Hotels:
Green Star Hotel
Scandic Station Oulu
Scandic Oulu City
Best Western Hotel Apollo
Hotel Arina
Radisson Blu Oulu
Lapland Hotels Oulu
De Gamlas Hem
Turusen Saha Guest House
Nordic Art Hotel Lasaretti (about 1 km from the city centre, close to some program venues)
Oulu Hostel AlliMaria (about 2 km from the city centre, public bus connection available)
Hostel Huvila (about 3 km from the city centre, public bus connection available)
Nallikari Cottages, Villas & Apartments (about 4 km from the city centre, public bus connection available)
The City of Oulu is the capital of northern Finland.
”Oulun koulu – Oulu’s school”. The City of Oulu is famous for its school even in an old Finnish nursery rhyme! In the academic year 2024-2025 Oulu will commemorate its 150 years of excellence in schooling. At the same time the Finnish Comprehensive School celebrates 50 years of equal and high-quality education. You are welcome to visit us and explore the Finnish excellence in teaching and learning!”
Oulu is located by the Gulf of Bothnia, at the mouth of Oulu River, about 600 km north of the capital city Helsinki. The name Oulu comes from a word in the Sami language meaning floodwater. The city of Oulu combines Northern hospitality, nature and culture with modern technology. Oulu has over 200 000 inhabitants, and its investment in education, research and innovation makes it the fastest growing region in Finland. Oulu has been designated the European Capital of Culture in 2026.
How to get there
Despite its northern location, Oulu is well connected to the rest of the world. Oulu airport is the third busiest in Finland, and there are several connective flights every day from Helsinki.
Finnair
Lufthansa (Direct flights from Munich to Oulu)
By Train
Oulu is easily reachable by train as well with several daily connections from Helsinki. It is an economical and sustainable option. There are two overnighters available every day, and the trains during the daylight offer a good opportunity to see more of Finland. Oulu railway station is located in the city center, walking distance from most hotels. Visit VR for more information.
How to get from the airport to city center
City busses, routes 8 and 9, run daily from early morning to late night via Oulu city centre to Oulu Airport. Travel time from city centre to airport is approximately 25-30 minutes on both routes.
Name of the Oulu Airport bus stop is Lentoasema (ID-number 2646). The bus stop is located right in front of the airport terminal.
In Oulu city centre name of the bus stop is Kaupungintalo E (ID-number 2087) when travelling to airport and Kaupungintalo P (ID-number 2101) when arriving at city centre.
Adult ticket is 5,80€
Read more about public transport in Oulu.
TAXI
Normal Taxi: The price from the airport to the city center is approx. 40€
Finnish taxis are reliable and accept credit cards. The following taxi companies operate in Oulu:
OTAXI
MENEVÄ
Car rentals
All major car rentals have an office in Oulu for those interested in traveling around the surrounding areas by themselves.
Weather in Oulu
In March, the average maximum daytime temperature lies around -1.0°C . So it is still cold, but the brightness of the days invites you to enjoy the spring. In addition to new technologies, outdoor activities play an important role in the everyday life of Finnish school children and in the lifestyle of Finns in general (just to bear in mind when choosing your clothing). Please visit the Finnish Meteorological Institute’s website for updated news on weather in Rovaniemi.
Language
The official languages in Finland are Finnish and Swedish, but practically everyone knows basic English; especially the people involved in tourism speak excellent English. Course language is English.
Currency
The Finnish currency unit is the Euro. There are numerous cash machines (ATMs) open around the clock and accepting all major credit cards. Besides, Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted almost everywhere (hotels, restaurants, shops, taxis, cafeterias, bars, etc.).
Voltage
The electric current in Finland is 230V, 50Hz. Plugs are two-pin continental size.
Time
The time in Finland is UTC/GMT+2
EDUCATION IN FINLAND
How is education in Finland?
During our events and courses, you will get familiar with all the characteristics of Finnish education:
- One of the basic principles is that everyone must have equal access to high-quality education and training.
- Each student has the right to educational support.
- Special needs education is generally provided within mainstream education.
- The Finnish education system is based on the philosophy of inclusion.
- Educational support and guidance covers support for learning according to the individual capacity of the learners, school attendance, pupil welfare, and guidance and counseling. The learning of gifted pupils and students is supported.
- The education system is based on trust and responsibility.
- Educational autonomy is high at all levels.
- Most education is publicly funded.
- National core curriculum gives space for local variations.
- Learning outside the classroom is common.
- The first national examination is at the end of general upper secondary education.
- Teaching continues to be an attractive profession.
- Finnish schools have highly educated teaching personnel.
- Continuing teacher education is widely encouraged.
Read more about Finnish Education.
