Education in foreign languages in the Helsinki area
General information of foreign language education
The Helsinki Metropolitan Area provides diverse comprehensive-level and secondary level school services.
Several foreign-language schools operate in the Helsinki area, most of them private. Some schools provide teaching in both bilingual and exclusively foreign language classes.
Many foreign language schools also have a pre-school and an afternoon club. Parents associations are actively contributing to the development of the schools operations.
Basic education in the City schools, private contract schools and State schools is provided free of charge, as are study materials and school lunches. Private comprehensive schools normally charge an enrolment fee or an annual fee.
After comprehensive school, there are many different alternatives for further studies in foreign languages in the Helsinki area. In many foreign language schools, upper secondary level studies can continue in the same school where the pupil completed comprehensive school.
Helsinki Metropolitan Area
The Helsinki Metropolitan Area comprises the municipalities of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen. Helsinki is the capital of Finland, and its total population is 560,000. The neighbouring cities are Espoo and Vantaa, with populations of 230,000 and almost 190,000, respectively. Kauniainen is a small town with 9.000 inhabitants.
All these municipalities are bilingual, which means that public services are available in both Finnish and in Swedish. The cities in the Metropolitan Area form one natural commuting area where the distances are not very great. The area has well-functioning public transport services.
Text: City of Helsinki Education Department
Photo: City of Helsinki Picture Bank
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