French student in Erasmus in Finland

A HOFSTEDE DIMENSION This dimension describes how each society must maintain certain links with its own past while facing the challenges of the present and the future, while giving different priorities to these two existential objectives. Societies that score low on this dimension are normative, preferring to maintain traditions and ancestral norms while viewing societal changes with suspicion. On the other hand, those with a culture that scores high adopt a more pragmatic approach. They encourage thrift and effort in modern education as a means of preparing for the future. RESULTS With a low score of 38, Finnish culture can be classified as normative. The inhabitants of this society are very keen to establish the absolute truth. They are normative in their way of thinking. They show great respect for traditions, a relatively low tendency to save for the future and a concern for quick results.

ABOUT THE CITY  With 40,000 inhabitants, Rauma is one of the most unique and pleasant cities in Finland. This former harbour and lace-making town with its old wooden quarter is one of the best preserved in the country. It is one of the best preserved in the country and is the largest of its kind in the Nordic countries. Miraculously untouched by fires, almost 600 wooden houses display their delightful pastel-coloured facades in a maze of paved lanes covering almost 30 hectares. In 1991, this site was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Founded in 1442 on the outskirts of an ancient port, Rauma developed around a 15th century Franciscan monastery. Thanks to the export of wood, the town chartered its own sailing ships for a long time. In 1550, however, its inhabitants were forced to move to Helsinki to populate the new city that the Swedish king, Gustav I Vasa, decided to found. This forced exodus weakened the municipality. The origin of the lacemaking activity remains uncertai...

LEADING COUNTRY In socio-economic terms, Finland and France are among the most advanced countries.  LEVEL OF LIFE In addition to being both members of the euro area since its creation, they have many points in common, particularly in terms of their average standard of living. This is rather high, with a Gross National Product (GNP) on a par with purchasing power of around €35,000 per inhabitant.  HEALTH Social protection in both countries is also very high. Indeed, their healthcare systems offer many benefits not available in any other country. It is due to this that both countries have a low mortality rate and high average life expectancy. EDUCATION With regards to education free basic education is offered to all children in both countries. Higher education is also available in both countries at an affordable cost. It is thanks to this that more than ⅓ of both populations have a higher education diploma. RANKING All these qualities are reflected in...

A LOT OF SENIORS Since I've been in Finland I've noticed that I've seen more elderly people than in France. But also a lot of active and working older people. In Finland, the population is ageing faster than in many OECD countries, putting increasing pressure on public finances, particularly through pensions and health care spending, and on labour resources. In addition to reforming pension systems, longer working hours also requires improving the employability of older workers through training and reforming certain labour market policies to boost overall employment. FIGHTING AGAINST THE DIFFERENCIATION AGAINST THE DIFFERENCIATION OF OLDER PEOPLE IN THE WORK ENVIRONMENT That is why Finland is fighting against the differentiation of older people in the working environment. The country has introduced a number of reforms to eliminate unequal treatment on grounds of age. Reforms which France and other European countries should take as an example. Finnish companies have...

ABOUT TAMPERE Founded in 1779 on an isthmus between two lakes (Nasijärvi and Pyhajärvi). With 225 118 inhabitants in 2016, Tampere is Finland's third largest city after Helsinki and Espoo. The red brick factories with their high chimneys and the Tammerkoski rapids and riverbanks form an original architectural ensemble in the city centre, in contrast to the usual urban canons. For the rest, the very orthogonal aspect of the streets is not necessarily in the best taste. The industrial development of the city has not detracted from the beautiful surroundings and the obvious charm of the 200 lakes around. Tampere is a university town and is economically and culturally dynamic. It also hosts many events, which in summer are usually held outdoors in the middle of its many parks (400 hectares). Lake Nasijarvi, stretching from Tampere to Virrat, and Lake Pyhajarvi, linking Hameenlinna to Tampere, offer a variety of possibilities for lake cruises. In this case, there are two itineraries t...

A LOT OF DIFFERENT RELIGIONS The population is overwhelmingly Protestant Lutheran. Lutherans: 73%.  Orthodox: 1.1% Other Christians: 1.1% Practitioners of various religions: 1.6% No religion or unknown: 24.3% CHAMANISM The Arctic peoples, whose economic base was based on hunting, fishing, fartisanat and barter, adhered to a belief system that European ethnologists have grouped together under the term shamanism. Characterized by the cult of nature, ancestors and spirits, shamanism will survive in Lapland until the beginning of the 20th century. The shaman, a wise sorcerer, provided the link between the world of the living and the world of the spirits. Thanks to his knowledge and to certain techniques, qualified by the western world as magical, he enjoyed a real authority among the Ural-Altaic peoples. In this universe, gnomes and elves played an important role, as did certain deities such as the god of Thunder, Ukko, the god of Winds and Storms, llmarinen Ahti, a...

A HOFSTEDE DIMENSION This dimension, the avoidance of uncertainty, indicates how a society deals with the fact that the future can never be known: should we try to control the future or simply let it happen? This ambiguity is a source of anxiety, and different cultures have learned to deal with this anxiety in different ways. The extent to which members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid them is reflected in the note on avoiding uncertainty. RESULTS This characteristic makes it possible to assess the attitude of individuals and companies to risk and their ability to manage uncertainty. A low risk tolerance will lead to the implementation of standardised procedures, planning tools and discipline. There is no clear factor explaining this relationship to uncertainty, however, it can be noted that countries with a low relationship to uncertainty will tend to implement the above-mentioned tools. M...