Membership for entrepreneurs
It is valuable for engineering entrepreneurs to be part of the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland. Four percent of Union members are full-time or part-time entrepreneurs. The majority of entrepreneurs are part-time entrepreneurs, full-time entrepreneurs account for less than one percent of the members.
Around three percent of the members have an entrepreneurial side business or work as a freelancer. In practice, all the benefits and services of the union are also available to entrepreneurs. You will receive employment law services, employment guides, insurance policies in accordance with the terms of the insurance, and other membership services and benefits.
The liability insurance of the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland applies to persons who are self-employed and who carry out assignments part-time or full-time on their own without employees. An entrepreneur member should also take out an actual entrepreneur’s insurance from an insurance company for his or her business.
If you are a full-time entrepreneur, you should arrange the unemployment benefit from the Unemployment Fund for Entrepreneurs (SYT). Pleace notice that the web page content is only in Finnish and Swedish. The Unemployment Fund for the Self-employed and Entrepreneurs (AYT) merged with the Unemployment Fund for Entrepreneurs (SYT) as of 1.1.2020.
Take advantage of your membership as an entrepreneur
- You get access to the Entrepreneur’s Guide through the Member pages, the Guide only in Finnish for now.
- The union organizes training courses that provide useful information and skills for entrepreneurs as well. You can find out what courses are currently available from The Training and Event Calendar. Training courses on entrepreneurship are organized regularly, but they are only in Finnish.
- Get help on how to price your work from the salary advise line. If you are hiring employees, you can get help determining the right level of pay. Read more from the page Salary matters.
- The Union of Professional Engineers in Finland’s job board is a free channel for the recruitment of technical experts. The web page is only in Finnish.
- The events organized by the Union and its membership organization are good opportunities for entrepreneurs to expand their networks. At the same time, you can get acquainted with a future employee, business partner, or key personal at a client company.
- Report your entrepreneurship to the Union’s customer service. They can also help you with all questions related to the membership for entrepreneurs.
If you’re not a member of the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland yet:
AKY – Akava entrepreneurs
The services for engineers wishing to become entrepreneurs have expanded, as the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland became a member of Akava entrepreneurs – AKY in 2018. AKY services include events, training, networking, lobbying, and counseling. AKY is an industry union that is an affiliate union of Suomen Yrittäjät.
An entrepreneur member of the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland can purchase a Suomen Yrittäjät’s comprehensive service package through AKY. The package acquired through AKY does not include membership in the local associations of Suomen Yrittäjät.
Check out the activities on the AKY website. The website is only in Finnish.
The service package for Suomen Yrittäjät at a low cost
- Yrittäjäsanomat – members magazine that has 2 issues per year
- membership card and benefits
- Seminars at a membership price, Finnish website https://www.yrittajat.fi/tapahtumat-ja-koulutukset or go to Yrittäjät website in English and ask more information.
- Visibility in the renewed in Finnish Synergy business directory if the member so wishes.
- Access to Members pages with your membership number
- Suomen Yrittäjät newsletter four times a month
- You can purchase a service package directly from the website of the Suomen Yrittäjät
If you have to invoice for your work but do not want to set up your own company for it, you can use an invoicing service. They handle the paperwork, such as taxes and insurance, for you in exchange for a service charge.
Members of AKY and its membership associations will have access to UKKO.fi’s invoicing service at a 20% discount. The membership price is 4 % of the total VAT-free amount of the invoice (normal price 5 %).
Additionally, you get a 10% discount from UKKO Pro monthly fee, which starts from €0 per month. UKKO Pro is intended for business ID entrepreneurs, who can use the service to automate their accounting and thus save on accounting costs.
Through the service, you can also set up a free business name if you do not have one yet. Discounts can be obtained by informing UKKO.fi’s customer service that you are a member of AKY’s membership association. More information about UKKO.fi’s service and how to use the service from UKKO.fi’s website. More information about the UKKO Pro service and the implementation of the service.
Please note that from the perspective of unemployment benefits, users of invoicing services are considered entrepreneurs, often part-time, which has an impact on unemployment benefits.
Through AKY you will also receive a 20% discount from the OP Light Entrepreneur service. The website is only in Finnish. The service takes care of the paperwork, tax returns, and payments for you, allowing you to focus on business matters. You will receive the Business ID via the OP Light Entrepreneurship Service, which means you will be a real entrepreneur, although when your activity is minimal, your entrepreneurship can be considered a side business.
Holvi is a completely digital financial management service that consolidates everything a small business owner needs into one package.
Members of AKY’s member associations can access the Holvi Pro package at half price for three months when you use the discount code provided by your own association when opening an account. You can find more information and usage instructions in Holvi’s Help Center.