Alternative civil service placement
- Service
- Nationwide
- Public service
Your civil service starts with a training period. After training, you will complete your work-based civil service. You are required to find the placement yourself. Make sure you look for a placement well ahead of time before the training period to avoid having a gap between training and the placement. The Civilian Service Centre provides advice on finding a placement before and during the training ...
Do the following
Before the training period, the Civilian Service Centre will send you a service draft order, which specifies the start dates of the training and service periods. You will also receive instructions for completing the agreement form. Complete the agreement form with the coordinator of the placement organisation.
To find a placement, you can use the national service placement catalogue which lists all participating organisations in Finland and a current list of open placements. You can also contact organisations that haven’t yet concluded a placement agreement with the Civilian Service Centre. The organisation can then apply to become a placement provider.
You and the service location make an agreement by filling a contract in Sivariweb when you find a service location. You confirm the agreement online in Omasivari. When both parties have agreed upon the contract, the non-military service centre will accept it and will decree you into work based service on basis of the agreement. If you have an agreement in the beginning of the training period, you will be given three days of extra leave during the training period.
If you do not have a placement at the start of the period, you will receive advice during placement lectures and personal interviews. You can also request a travel leave in order to attend placement interviews. You can contact the work service specialist, social welfare officer and training coordinators by telephone, email or in person.
To whom and on what terms
Each alternative civil service draftee must find a placement where they can complete the whole service period.
The placement can be any central or government agency or institution, a religious organisation, or a non-commercial NGO or foundation. The placement cannot be completed in a commercial entity, trade union or political party.
You cannot complete the placement at your employment organisation or incorporate it into formal studies.
Conclude an agreement on the service with the placement organisation. Upon receiving the agreement, the Civilian Service Centre will issue a service order, and you can then start your placement.
If you will be working with minors, submit a background check report to the Civilian Service Centre. The report can be ordered during the training period or afterwards independently by contacting the Legal Register Centre. The report is valid for six months.