Study-related work placement
Work placement may be a compulsory or voluntary part of the studies. Its purpose is to familiarise oneself with the practices of the field and to prepare for professional activities after studies.
During the work placement, you can familiarise yourself with the practices of your field and prepare for professional activities after your studies. However, not all studies include work placement. In some degree programmes, work placement is compulsory and in other ones it is voluntary. In teachers’ pedagogical studies, teacher training is a compulsory part of the studies.
Another purpose of the work placement is to create networks through which you can assess and develop your competence and utilise your skills when you start working.
Work placement as a part of Theatre Academy studies
It is possible to complete a work placement either in Finland or abroad.
Work placement in Finland
Traineeships are provided at the Theatre Academy through several different channels, mostly through the course director or professor. Work placement is a good opportunity to work in an interesting group or organisation and/or with an interesting artist.
From the employer’s perspective, being active is a positive thing, and they are usually happy to get to know the artists entering the field.
Before agreeing on the practice in more detail with your employer, check with your professor that the practice is suitable for your studies.
At least a traineeship agreement is always concluded for the work placement, usually also an employment contract.
Traineeship agreement
The traineeship agreement is an agreement between the Theatre Academy and the employer of the traineeship. The agreement specifies who does what, where and when.
To prepare a traineeship agreement, contact the planning officer of your own degree / master’s degree programme before the work placement begins. The planning officer will prepare the contract and submit it to you for signing. The traineeship agreement must be concluded before the start of the work placement.
Employment contract
Work placement is a normal part of the studies, and it can be done without a separate salary or traineeship subsidy. If you complete your work placement at a professional theatre that has signed a collective agreement with your trade union, you must receive a trainee’s salary from your work placement.
If you are paid for your work placement, you must conclude an employment contract with your employer. The employment contract specifies the terms of employment, such as pay, duration of employment, working hours and travel allowance. The employment contract must be concluded before the beginning of the work placement. The employer will prepare a proposal for an employment contract. Before signing the contract, you should have the contract reviewed by the planning officer of the institution or your trade union. For example, an acting student’s minimum salary for a work placement that is part of the master’s degree programme in theatre and drama is 70% of the salary for visitor agreements, which is agreed upon as a performance compensation or a monthly salary agreement. It only applies to a university trainee upon whose traineeship the university concludes an agreement with the theatre and the theatre concludes an employment contract with the trainee.
When concluding an employment contract, you should pay particular attention to the duration of the work placement. Work placement cannot usually be longer than two academic terms, an employment contract should not be longer than the duration of the work placement, and the end date should not be left open. If the show is still in the repertoire after your work placement has ended, you must negotiate a new employment contract with the employer. In this case, however, you can no longer be regarded as a trainee, and you must be paid a professional’s salary.
Grant for work placement
You can apply for a Theatre Academy grant for the work placement included in your studies. The application period is once a year in the spring.
Work placement abroad
Work placement is fixed-term work in one’s own field abroad. The curricula of some Theatre Academy degree programmes include a compulsory work placement that can also be completed abroad. For more information on foreign traineeships, contact the planning officer responsible for the degree programme or teachers. Traineeships can also be sought through employment offices and the Finnish National Agency for Education’s EDUFI programme.
You can apply for a grant for international work placement from the Nordplus or Erasmus+ programmes. The Nordplus grant is intended for work placement in the Nordic or Baltic countries. The Erasmus+ grant applies to the EU.
Separate instructions are given for teacher training in master’s degree programmes in dance and theatre pedagogy.
Work placement as a part of Academy of Fine Arts studies
Read the instructions carefully before filling in the application.
Work placement in Bachelor and Master programmes in Fine Arts
Who can apply for a work placement grant?
Third-year and fourth-year bachelor’s degree students in fine arts and first-year and second-year master’s degree students in fine arts can apply for financial support for work placement. You must independently find a traineeship and agree with the employer on the work placement dates and tasks. If necessary, teacher-in-charge, i.e., lecturer Suzanne Mooney, can help you in considering work placement options and finding a traineeship. You can also ask teachers in your own subject area for advice.
Purpose of the work placement
The purpose of the work placement is to familiarise oneself with the professional practices of the field of art and to prepare for professional activities after the studies. The purpose of the work placement is also to create networks for the student to assess and develop their own professional activities and to utilise them when they start working. You can work as a visual artist’s assistant, curator or work in an art gallery, museum, art community or organisation, among other things.
What is the financial support for work placement intended for?
The financial support for work placement provided by the Academy of Fine Arts is intended for work placement outside the Academy of Fine Arts. Financial support will not be granted for work placement at the Academy of Fine Arts or for assistants of those working as a lecturer or professor at the Academy of Fine Arts during the work placement year.
Application period
Work placement support is distributed once a year. The next application period will be 26 February – 2 April 2024, and the decision on the allocation of support will be made within about one month of the period of application.
You can apply for financial support for 1 to 2 months.
Amount of financial support
The amount will be reviewed annually, but in 2024 it is EUR 1,399. The work placement must be completed in the same year as the work placement support was granted. You must be registered as attending at the Academy of Fine Arts during the work placement. The amount is the same regardless of whether the student completes their work placement in Finland or abroad.
Support will be paid as a grant if the work placement takes place abroad or as an assistant to an individual artist.
If the work placement takes place in a Finnish organisation, the organisation has to make a work contract with the student and commit to pay a salary of a minimum of EUR 1,399 per month. The organisation can invoice the granted amount of support from the Academy of Fine Arts after the work placement.
It is not possible to receive financial support for work placement after the normative duration of the degree (5.5 or 2 years of education). Granting a work placement support is discretionary, i.e., it is not automatically granted to all applicants.
Applying for financial support for work placement
You can apply for financial support for a work placement during the application period with an electronic application, which must include:
Contact information, the place of the work placement and the duration of the work placement.
Additionally, the application must include a justification for why you want to be a trainee at that place and a description of your work tasks. Take care to specify in the application how the work will support your artistic work in the future.
The employer’s consent and as detailed a description of the trainee’s duties as possible.
The Academy of Fine Arts’ work placement grant will be granted only once during the entire study period.
Work placement abroad
Under certain conditions, you can receive a grant for work placement abroad from the Nordplus or Erasmus+ programme. The Nordplus grant is intended for work placement in the Nordic or Baltic countries. The Erasmus+ grant applies to the EU/EEA countries. For further information, contact the international relations coordinator at the Academy of Fine Arts.
Number of credits for completing a work placement
The maximum amount of work placement is 10 ECTS credits for a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and 5 ECTS credits for a master’s degree in fine arts until 31 July 2024. After that the maximum amount follows the curricula that come into effect on 1 August 2024.
The work placement yields 2.5 ECTS credits for a one-month full-time work placement if the work placement takes place before 1 August 2024. For work placements ending after 1 August 2024 the number of credits is 5 credits for a month. Full-time means normally 8-hour working day (which includes 30 minutes lunch break).
The work placement is discussed before the start of the work placement with the teacher supervising the work placement, i.e., Suzanne Mooney.
At the end of the work placement, you will write a 1-to-2-sheet report on the work placement. In the report, you will describe in your own words your experiences during the work placement, how the work placement went and how it helped you to understand working after graduation. Submit the report to the supervising teacher. After submitting the report, you will meet the supervising teacher again if possible.
Work placement for Praxis students
For Praxis students, a two-month work placement (5 ECTS credit) is a compulsory part of the studies.
A separate work placement support has been reserved for compulsory work placements. Agree on arranging your work placement with your professor and fill in the form below. The work placement support is the same as for other students. You must write a 3-to-4-page report on the work placement.
Work placement for students of the bachelor’s degree in history and theory of contemporary art
A work placement of at least two months (5 ECTS credit) is a compulsory part of the studies.
A separate work placement support has been reserved for compulsory work placements. Agree on arranging your work placement with your professor and fill in the form below. The work placement support is the same as for other students.
Work placement as part of Sibelius Academy studies
You can ask about the Sibelius Academy’s student traineeships in your own department, for example, in connection with personal study plan discussions. Some degree programme or major subject curricula may also include compulsory teacher training.