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Actress Seela Sella has nothing but fond memories of her teachers. However, there are some encounters that turned out to be of utmost significance along the way. Some of the encounters encouraged her already in her childhood, while some only revealed their importance later on.

Actor, author and former Member of Parliament Jani Toivola says that his lower secondary school tutor and history teacher had a profound impact on his life. With encouragement from his teacher, Toivola learned to see himself as someone who could and would learn just like anyone else.

Journalist, director and author Ina Mikkola became interested in the media industry while on the Voice of the Young Editorial Board, where her oral communication skills teacher had encouraged her to get involved. The oral communication courses have also proved beneficial later in life, as Mikkola needs diverse argumentation and self-expression skills in her line of work.

Journalist and author Peter Nyman recalls his primary school teacher with a warm feeling. Encouragement from his teacher, along with cinefilm movies, sparked an interest to learn more about history, geography and culture when he was only a child. Petri saw his teachers also as fatherly figures who provided him with valuable support even during his wild teenage years.

OAJ’s survey published today reports that well over half of Finnish teachers have considered career change. The most common reasons for considering career change were the burden of work, increased workload and wage level. The President of OAJ demands that politicians and employers realise the gravity of the situation and solve the problems pushing teachers away from the sector.

If you are a teacher or researcher working at a university or university of applied sciences, OAJ is the trade union for you! The operations and structure of OAJ are described in brief in our Member Guide and in more detail on OAJ's website. We recommend reading the Member Guide and this guide together.

The OAJ registry system was changed during the summer. The members can see the change most clearly in the renewed Omat tiedot section. There were a lot of problems with the deployment, which has caused severe congestion in the membership service.

The President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, sends his thank you to every young person, teacher and staff member of every school, ECEC centre and other educational institution in his video greeting.

Union membership protects you in the working life. As a member, you are not left alone when you need help or advice. You have the support of our community of 116,000 members.

The Labour Court’s decision changed the fixed-term teaching task tradition. The duties of lecturers and professors included in the career-based system will also be made permanent.

Born into a family of musicians, Kari Tikkala has become an award-winning concert pianist in his career. His career as a musician has taught him much, which is now useful as a teacher. Kari believes that studies in music brings many benefits and much joy also to those who end up in careers in other industries.

Vocational teacher Kimmo Siuruainen says that commitment to work starts from understanding what kind of example he gives to young students. In addition to professional competence, a teacher is required to be resolute, understanding and sometimes caring.

Pirjo Väli-Torala dreamed of being a teacher from an early age as she enjoyed school so much. Twenty years as an upper secondary school language teacher has also taught her as a teacher. Even in the midst of reforms, she thinks it important for a teacher to have time to meet a student as a person.

As a teacher, Tuula Herkepeus, the principal of the Kivimaa school, saw how important a teacher is for a child's growth. Now, as a principal, Tuula is happy to have a committed and motivated work community around her. Everyday work is guided by courage, kindness, freedom and responsibility.

When Annukka Hulkkonen graduated from the University of Oulu in 1996, early childhood education had only been accepted as a university subject a year earlier. Hulkkonen was the only student in her class to have completed a bachelor's degree in early childhood education. Throughout her long career, she has seen an increase in the prestige of the sector but also an increase in the complexity of the work.