Early Childhood Education Teacher
Hello, early childhood education teachers! Are you interested in working in a country renowned for providing the best education in the world? Join a workplace that values your strengths and pedagogical expertise, and recognizes the potential both in you and the children! Your work in practice The City of Helsinki offers permanent positions for Early Childhood Education Teachers in Finnish-speaking public early childhood education centres. The daycare centres are located across Helsinki's major districts, and you will start your role full-time as a qualified teacher from day one. As an Early Childhood Education Teacher in Finland, you support the holistic development of children aged 0–6 in an inclusive, child-centered environment. In Finland, we value teachers autonomy. While the national curriculum provides principles and goals (WHAT), you as a teacher utilize your professional expertise and judgment to plan, explore and implement different pedagogical solutions (HOW). Working closely in a multi-professional team, you share responsibility for children's learning, safety, and well-being. A typical week includes: - Planning pedagogical activities based on children's interests and development - Implementing play-based learning both indoors and outdoors - Observing, assessing and documenting children's learning - Individual and small group work supporting specific goals - Conversations with families about their child's development - Team collaboration and professional reflection - Most importantly, engaging with children daily and see as they take their first steps and develop right before your eyes Your core responsibilities as an ECE Teacher: - Plan, implement, and assess play-based learning activities based on children's individual development plans and emerging interests - Lead your team's pedagogical work—you coordinate the educational approach with childcare nurses in your group - Observe and document children's learning and development through methods you design - Create and update individual learning plans for each child in collaboration with families - Collaborate with colleagues, families, and multidisciplinary partners (special needs teachers, social workers, healthcare professionals) - Promote active involvement of children and families—children participate in planning, families are partners - Design learning environments indoors and outdoors where children learn through play and exploration As an ECE Teacher you work 38.25 hours weekly (typical shift 7 hours 39 minutes). Our daycare centres can be open between 6:15-17:30. The exact opening and closing times depend on families needs in each daycare. ECEC in Finland is part of the national education system and is based on an integrated approach to care, education and teaching, the so-called "educare" model. In practice, this means that: - Every moment is pedagogical - meals, getting dressed, outdoor play etc. - Play-based learning: Play is the foundation of learning, not a reward after "real work" - Full-day pedagogy: Learning happens throughout the day - Nature as classroom: Regular outdoor learning in all seasons - Child agency: Children's interests and questions shape learning Read more about ECEC in Finland from the Finnish National Agency's of Education pages. Whether you're an experienced ECE teacher or newly qualified, we would be delighted to hear from you! We are looking for ECE Teachers who have good interpersonal skills and connect well with people—colleagues, children, and families. As a teacher, we hope you bring genuine openness to learning and professional growth, whether that means exploring new pedagogical approaches or tackling the Finnish language. You will love this role if you: - Want to use your pedagogical degree fully - Want to be trusted to make decisions based on your expertise - Believe small child groups matter and they make quality pedagogy possible - Believe children learn best through play and exploration - See pedagogical value in every moment - Are curious, reflective, eager to develop your practice - Are resilient when things get tough and know that working together—sharing ideas, giving and asking for help, and learning from mistakes—leads to better outcomes than trying to get everything perfect on your own Qualification and other requirements: - You have a work permit in the European Union. - You have at least a Bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education. - We provide assistance with the degree recognition with the Finnish educational authorities. - You provide an extract from the criminal record as referred to in section 6 (2) of the Criminal Records Act of Finland, because the work involves raising, teaching, care or other caretaking of a minor or other work in personal contact with the minor in the absence of a guardian. - You provide proof of not having respiratory tuberculosis. - You are not required to know the Finnish language at the time of their job application The language training will be conducted remotely, and you can complete it alongside your current work, starting from April 2026. Attendance and active participation in the training is essential for learning the language. - You should have a genuine interest in relocating to Finland. The language training we provide before moving includes comprehensive information about Finland and Finnish society. We want to help you settle settling in the new surrounding as smooth as possible. We guide and assist recruited teachers throughout the whole relocation process in February—March 2027. We provide relocation support also for your family members who are moving with you.