Linfeng Liu moved to Finland to study at Taitotalo Opiskelijatarina

Linfeng Liu, also known as Sara, lives in Helsinki and is studying for a basic degree in social and health care at Taitotalo, in a program leading to a career as a practical nurse. Sara’s class includes international students.

Extensive background in early childhood education

Sara, who is originally from Zhengzhou, China, has a strong background in early childhood education. She has studied the field in her home country, from kindergarten teacher training all the way through to her master’s degree and has worked in daycare for over ten years. She says she loves working with children.

– I’ve worked in a daycare center for over ten years. I love this field and the children. When I’m with the children, they give me a lot of energy, she says.

Sara sees her studies to become a practical nurse as a natural extension of her expertise in early childhood education. She explains that she applied for the program because she wanted to better understand how vocational education is structured in Finland. Through her studies, she feels she is gaining a practical understanding of the Finnish approach to work and how theory connects to everyday work at the daycare center.

Why Finland and Taitotalo, specifically?

The idea of moving to Finland didn’t come about overnight. Sara explains that her interest was sparked when she attended international early childhood education conferences in Shanghai in 2018 and 2019. The Finnish education system presented at the events made the biggest impression on her. Finland’s success in the PISA assessments also piqued her curiosity.

– I wanted to learn about Finnish basic education and in particular how teachers are trained here, she says.

She chose Taitotalo because she had heard it is a highly regarded vocational school. Once her studies began, that impression was confirmed.

– I had heard that this is Finland’s most well-known vocational school. When I came here, I realized that its reputation is well-deserved, she explains.

Customized and fee-based education brings a Finnish vocational degree within reach of international students

Commissioned education can be provided for groups of students. The purchaser and funder of the education may be a government, an international organization, a Finnish or foreign public entity, a foundation, or a company. Starting from 1 August 2026, international students may also apply independently to vocational education and training programmes in Finland as tuition fee-paying students.

Sara is participating in the vocational education programme commissioned by Aida Educare. 

The strength of commissioned and fee-based education is the same as in Finnish vocational education more broadly: it is work-life oriented, practical, flexible, and supports continuous learning.

For Sara, commissioned education has made it possible to study in Finland. During her studies, she gains first-hand experience of how Finnish vocational education works in everyday practice, which she had been particularly interested in even before moving to Finland.

Moving to a new continent was nerve-wracking

Sara’s move to Finland was accompanied not only by excitement but also by concern. Sara spent three years preparing for the move, but she was still nervous about leaving. Her biggest fears were whether her child would adapt to the new school environment and whether her own Finnish language skills would be sufficient to complete her studies.

Sara’s parents, brother, and her brother’s family remained in China. She describes her family as warm and close-knit, so the move also meant parting from important people.

However, her anxiety began to ease soon after her studies began.

– When school started, I received very concrete support from the teachers. That’s when I realized that yes, I can do this, she says.

Studying in Finland is different from studying in China

According to Sara, the biggest difference in teaching between Finland and China is the practical focus. In China, internships often don’t come until the end of studies, but in Finland, students are introduced to the working world early on. She also considers it important that students have access to simulation and training facilities where they can learn skills safely.

In addition, she has noticed that student well-being is taken seriously in Finland. Breaks are actually observed, and students are reminded of the importance of rest, physical activity, and ergonomics.

At Taitotalo, theory and practice go hand in hand

For Sara, Taitotalo has been, above all, a place where theory isn’t just abstract. She credits the teachers for using plenty of examples, real-world work situations, and hands-on exercises in their teaching.

– They don’t just teach theory here. The teacher demonstrates first, and then we do it ourselves. That’s when you understand what the work is really like, she says.

Students practise skills such as first aid as well as supporting and guiding elderly people, children and people with disabilities in everyday situations. In Sara’s view, it is precisely this hands-on approach that makes vocational education so strong.

Using the Finnish language requires courage

The hardest part of her studies has been the Finnish language. Sara began studying Finnish in March 2025 and took the language course for five months via distance learning.

– I attended online classes for two hours every day from Monday to Friday and also practiced for three to four hours, Sara says.

She began studying at Taitotalo in February 2026 with other Chinese students. Using Finnish felt difficult at first. She explains that she would first listen, translate the sentence in her head, and only then respond. This slowed her down and increased her uncertainty.

A decisive change came when she decided to use translation software less and start speaking more boldly. Both her teachers and classmates encouraged her to do this.

– They told me, ‘Just speak. Even if you say something wrong, it doesn’t matter.’ That gave me a lot of courage, she says.

When she scored 80 out of 100 on her first exam, her confidence grew.

Her practical training internship at a daycare center made Finland feel familiar

The practical training at a daycare center, which is part of her studies, has been an important part of Sara’s learning experience. Her practical training takes place at a Montessori daycare, which Sara finds familiar due to her previous experience.

She has been studying Montessori pedagogy for several years. The work-based learning has also reinforced the feeling that what she has learned can be directly applied in practice.

– When I started the practical training, Finland didn’t feel so foreign anymore. There were many things here that I recognized from my previous work in China, she says.

Dreams and plans for the future

Sara sees the Finnish practical nurse degree as part of her longer professional path. She says she wants to continue her studies, particularly in the education and pedagogy of children under the age of 2. She has already studied the Hungarian Pickler method and hopes to delve deeper into it when she has more time and opportunities. According to Sara, Pickler pedagogy and Montessori naturally complement each other: one focuses on very young children, the other on 3–6-year-olds and older children.

After completing her practical nurse studies, Sara hopes to find work in Finland. Her goal is to work in a Finnish daycare center for a few years. At the same time, she wonders if she could bring lessons from Finnish vocational education back to China, particularly to her hometown of Zhengzhou.

– I’d like to build a bridge between Finland and China. If the strengths of Finnish vocational education could also be put to use in China, it would benefit many people, she says.

Text and photos: Minna Moshnikoff
Chinese interpretation: Weimin Lin

Read more

More information on international practical nurse training.
More information on Taitotalo’s other international qualifications.