Go for a traineeship!

A traineeship is an opportunity to test out your skills and knowledge in real-life labour market conditions while studying. Work experience will be a major advantage when applying for a job after graduation. Take time to consider different traineeship options in order to be able to find one that complements the skill set and knowledge you have gained during your studies and prepares you for your planned career path.

You can include a completed traineeship in your degree. The optimal timing of a traineeship varies from one field of study to another.

Applying for a traineeship

It is entirely your responsibility to find and apply for a traineeship. Before applying for a traineeship, please present your traineeship plan to the teacher in charge of traineeships in your degree programme/faculty. Once your traineeship is approved, you can sign an employment contract with your employer.

Option 1: Find a traineeship independently. Once you have agreed with your employer on the details of the traineeship, please ask the employer to fill in the traineeship data sheet and have the traineeship approved by the teacher in charge of traineeships in your degree programme/faculty. After that, fill in the traineeship contract.

Option 2: Find a traineeship from  the traineeship offers advertised at the JobTeaser. Once you have found a traineeship, have the traineeship approved by the teacher in charge of traineeships in your degree programme/faculty. After that, fill in the traineeship contract.

Traineeship funding

You may apply for traineeship support. The traineeship support is paid directly to the employer to cover some of the expenses the employer incurs from providing the traineeship opportunity to the student.

You can also do a traineeship without financial support in which case the employer of your internship pays the entire salary, or you complete the internship without pay with a study grant (Kela).

Support is not granted if your degree includes a mandatory traineeship that the university finances anyway, such as primary teacher, art education teacher and social work studies. Traineeship support is not granted afterwards or for a traineeship that has already started.

After finding a traineeship, please do discuss about it with your teacher in charge of traineeship. If teacher in charge approves your traineeship, please do fill in the traineeship contract.

Read more about traineeship and how to apply for traineeship support

---

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

At what point in my studies can I apply for traineeship support?

Open accordion Close accordion

The criteria for granting traineeship support changed in 2026.
You can apply for traineeship support with a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree studies.
Please note that you must be able to include the full traineeship within the scope of your bachelor’s or master’s degree.
You can receive traineeship support only once during your studies.

How do I fill in the traineeship contract?

Open accordion Close accordion

It is very important, that you fill the traineeship contract.
Please fill in the form carefully, except signatures. First find a suitable traineeship position, and then the teacher in charge of the traineeship may approve it.
It is also important that the information on the traineeship position is carefully filled in. Please make sure the traineeship salary information is correct. Send the traineeship contract to the email address harjoittelutuki (at) ulpaland.fi in order to get signatures by electronically.

The traineeship contract can’t be processed if the information on the contract is insufficient.

What should I do if my traineeship place or period changes?

Open accordion Close accordion

If your traineeship place changes, you must get an approval on the new traineeship place from the teacher in charge of the traineeship and send an e-mail about the change to harjoittelutuki (at)ulapland.fi as quickly as possible. When your traineeship place changes, a new decision must be done on the traineeship support.

How long does it take the traineeship contract is approved?

Open accordion Close accordion

Traineeship contracts are handled as soon as possible, at that order they have arrived to the harjoittelutuki (at) ulapland.fi. It may take some time to get all signatures, so please reserve enough time for the processing.
Traineeship support can’t be granted for traineeships that have already started.

How are traineeship supports invoiced?

Open accordion Close accordion

When you receive the decision on the traineeship support, you will receive invoicing instructions as an attachment.
Your employer sends an invoice for the traineeship support to the university after the traineeship has ended. The employer can’t invoice the university for traineeship support unless they pay the student at least an equal amount as salary for the traineeship.
The student must deliver the invoicing instructions to the employer as the employer can’t access them otherwise.
You can check the university’s invoicing instructions here: Sending invoices to the University of Lapland
The invoice must include the following information:
Traineeship support
The student’s name
Traineeship period
Reference information: Financial aid for traineeship  2026/Learning Services”