Frequently asked questions
On this page, we have gathered information on various aspects of the National Board of Education. If you can not find the answer, you can submit your question by using the form at the bottom of the page.
8 questions in selected topic(s)
You can apply for the decision using the electronic application form. The application form is available on Studyinfo service in English, Finnish and Swedish.
Please read carefully the instructions in the application form before sending the application.
You do not necessarily need a decision on the recognition of a qualification. Think first about what you want to do in Finland. Whether you need a decision or not depends on what you want to do.
You will need a decision if you want to work in a profession that has a specific eligibility requirement according to the law. Such professions are called regulated professions.
You will also need a decision if you want to work in a position for which a higher education degree is required according to the law. Especially the state and municipalities have such positions.
You will not need a decision if you want, for example,
- to study and complete a degree in Finland
- to work in a profession that has no specific eligibility requirements according to the law.
In these cases, you may apply for studies or work with a foreign degree without a decision on the recognition of qualifications. The education provider or employer will assess your knowledge and skills.
Our website has the list of the regulated professions in Finland. You can also try the service guide for the recognition of qualifications. It can help you to find out if you need a decision.
If you are a qualified teacher in another country, apply for an eligibility in the same teaching profession.
Try out the service guide for the recognition of qualifications on the website of the Finnish National Agency for Education. It can help you to find out what type of decision you are recommended to apply for.
On our profession-specific webpages, you can find more information on the recognition of teaching professions. The webpages also have descriptions of teaching professions in Finland.
Processing an application for recognition of a qualification takes usually up to two to three months. The processing will be faster if all the infomation and documents are included in the application.
You can make the processing of your application faster as follows:
- Read the instructions and fill in the application carefully
- Check your email. If you have received a message from the Finnish National Agency for Education, reply quickly to the message. Remember to check your spam folder as well.
All subjects for which the decision from the Finnish National Agency for Education can provide eligibility are listed on the application form for the recognition of qualifications.
These subjects are:
- Mother tongue and literature (Finnish, Swedish, Sami)
- Second national language (Finnish, Swedish, Sami)
- Foreign language (English, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Latin, Portuguese, French, German, Russian, Estonian)
- Mathematics
- Biology
- Geography
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Health education
- Religion
- Ethics
- History
- Social Studies
- Music
- Art
- Crafts
- Physical education
- Home economics
- ICT
Go to more information on the website of recognition of qualifications
The Finnish National Agency for Education does not issue decisions on eligibility for the profession of Arabic teacher. The Finnish National Agency for Education can issue decisions on eligibility for professions based on foreign qualification when the profession in question has statutory eligibility requirements.
Mother tongue instruction is generally organized as supplementary education to basic education. There are no statutory eligibility requirements for mother tongue instruction. Thus, the organizer of the instruction or education defines the qualifications and skills required of the teacher.
The eligibility requirements for subject teachers are:
- Master's degree
- at least 60 or 120 credits of studies in the teaching
- at least 60 credits of teacher's pedagogical studies.
You have completed a Master’s degree in Finland. You can apply to the Finnish National Agency for Education for a decision on the recognition of your foreign teacher education as comparable to the teacher’s pedagogical studies of at least 60 credits completed in Finland. If your Master’s degree completed in Finland includes studies in mathematics, find out first if the awarding Finnish university can issue to you an equivalency certificate regarding the studies in mathematics.