General Introduction

Although the language practice in effect belongs to the approbatur syllabus, it can be done during any of the first two years of English studies. It is, however, advisable to complete the language practice before you take the threshold exam which is normally taken at the end of the second year. In order to receive the five credits (5 sv) a short report must be submitted to the Professor when the practice period has been completed. 

In order to realize the aims of the language practice as well as possible and for you to get as much out of it as you can, it is advisable to start planning the language practice well in advance. There are a number of ways in which you can complete this part of your studies. Many students prefer to go with some organization which might take care of everything from food and accommodation to getting you some kind of a job. For a certain fee, of course. There are bureaus which provide au-pair work, hotel work, camp leader jobs, community service positions and so on. Common for most of these is that the wages might not be that good, typically around £50 per week. The accommodation and the food might be included, though. Some students wish to study abroad at a university for a term or two. 

It has become increasingly popular among students to organize the language practice themselves, perhaps with the help of contacts in an English-speaking country, and using your own initiative is encouraged. If you can find a place to live for a few months and can find a job or have some help setting you up with one, this is certainly a good way to complete your practice. Some students have also quite simply gone abroad and looked for a place to stay and a job on the spot. This alternative is obviously the most uncertain way, but also perhaps the most rewarding, since it means you really have to integrate with the society. It might also make your stay longer, since you at least in theory would need to work for eight weeks and finding a job always takes time. It is also close to impossible to get a Donner Grant for something like this. Of course, nowadays it might be possible to find some kind of job abroad through the employment agency here in Finland as well. In conjunction with this it should also be mentioned that some of the information in this compendium might change rather quickly. It is up-to-date in 1998, but might not necessarily be so in two or three years.