Vocational upper secondary qualification

Bilingual Children’s Instructor

Vocational Qualification in Education and Guidance

Price

The studies are free of charge for EU/EEA citizens.

Tuition fee for non-EU/EEA citizens: 10 300 €.

Read more on Tuition fees

Campus

Lehtimäentie 1, Espoon centre

Enquiries

Pia Ylönen,

pia.ylonen@omnia.fi

040 1267 609

The impact of health and functional capacity on student selection, SORA legislation

Are you interested in working with children, young people and families? In Omnia’s bilingual Children’s Instructor training, you will develop skills in education, guidance and interaction. The training is completed as an apprenticeship: you will study at your workplace and take part in theory lessons online.

On this page:

Description of the training

In the Children’s Instructor studies, you will develop the skills needed to work professionally and sensitively with children, young people and families. You will learn to guide both individuals and groups and to support their participation and wellbeing. Your studies will cover pedagogical activities in early childhood education and care, supporting children’s growth and learning, and multidisciplinary co-operation in different working environments.

All teaching is provided bilingually in Finnish and English. The language of your qualification certificate is determined by the working environment in which you complete your demonstrations of competence.

You will practise using a range of interaction and communication methods and learn about the support needs of people of different ages and with different levels of functional ability. You will also gain skills for working in a variety of environments, such as parishes, schools and international settings. At the same time, you will strengthen your working life skills and entrepreneurial competence.

Omnia is a naturally multicultural learning environment, and this diversity enriches your studies. Promoting sustainable development is also part of the Vocational Qualification in Education and Guidance. After completing the qualification, you can apply for further studies at a university of applied sciences or a university. Omnia also provides a supportive environment for developing your entrepreneurial skills and planning your own business activities.

Read more about the composition of qualification in Finnish (opintopolku.fi).

Details of the training

What kind of jobs will you graduate for?

A Children’s Instructor works in early childhood education and care and pre-primary education settings, such as day-care centres, family day care and open early childhood education and care services. Children’s Instructors can also work with school-age children and families.

Requirements

Applicants must meet the health requirements set out in the SORA legislation. Read more about the health and functional capacity requirements.

The required level of language proficiency is A2.2. in both teaching languages.

Applicants for the apprenticeship option must have a suitable workplace, for example in a day-care centre or a group family day-care centre. A workplace instructor must be appointed at the workplace.

Duration of the training

The average duration of studies is about 2 years.

The duration of studies is determined by the personal competence development plan (PCDP) and is influenced by, among other things, your previous studies, work experience and individual study needs.

Implementation

Learning takes place mainly at the workplace through practical work tasks. Applicants for the apprenticeship training must have a suitable workplace, for example in a day-care centre or a group family day-care centre. The workplace and the work tasks must be suitable for completing the qualification. A workplace instructor must be appointed at the workplace.

In addition to workplace learning, students take part in online lessons via Teams on two afternoons a week. All teaching is provided bilingually in Finnish and English. The required language proficiency level is A2.2 in both languages of instruction. Students are supported in developing their Finnish language skills, and the studies include a total of 10–13 competence points of Finnish language studies.

The studies progress according to each student’s personal competence development plan.

Application

Vocational qualifications in English are appropriate for those, who wish to study in English. The qualification has a language proficiency requirement.

Important information on application

Student admission

Admission is based on the information in the application, so please fill out your application carefully.

An apprenticeship agreement can be made if:

  • you have a job and work tasks suitable for the qualification
  • you have a new or existing employment relationship
  • you work at least 25 hours per week
  • you receive at least the wage stipulated in the collective agreement or otherwise a reasonable salary
  • the employer is willing to train you through an apprenticeship

There is no entrance examination.

Please ensure that you meet the health and functional capacity requirements set by the education. You cannot be admitted as a student if you are not capable, due to your health or functional capacity, of carrying out practical tasks related to the education in the educational institution, workplace, or any other learning environment. Read more about the impact of health and functional capacity on student selection.

Enquiries regarding application: haku@omnia.fi.

Language requirements

The language requirement is A2.2 for Finnish and A2.2 for English.

The applicants will be invited to the language tests (Finnish) by e-mail. The language tests can be completed only at Omnia campuses in Espoo, Finland. Read more about the language requirements.

Education programmes open for application

The application period will be announced later.

Application periods will be added to this page once they have been confirmed.
Back to top