Mitä teet työksesi? Talk About Jobs in Finnish

One of the most common questions you will hear when meeting someone new is about what you do every day. In Finland, chatting about work is relaxed and direct once you have a few core patterns in your pocket. Whether you are introducing yourself at a language course, networking in Helsinki, or making small talk with a neighbour, here is how to talk about jobs and workplaces in clear Finnish.

Asking the Question: What Do You Do?

When you want to ask someone about their occupation, you will hear a few common variations:

Mitä teet työksesi? (What do you do for work?)
Missä olet töissä? (Where do you work?)
Mikä sinun ammattisi on? (What is your profession?)

The most natural everyday question is Mitä teet työksesi?. The word työ means "work" or "job", while ammatti refers specifically to a "profession" or "trade".

If you want to know what industry or field someone works in, you can ask:

Millä alalla työskentelet? (In which field do you work?)

Two Easy Ways to State Your Job

When replying, you can choose between two simple sentence structures. Both are completely natural.

1. The Direct Pattern: Olen + Profession

The easiest way is to use the verb olla (to be) followed by your title in the basic nominative form:

Olen insinööri. (I am an engineer.)
Olen opettaja. (I am a teacher.)
Olen sairaanhoitaja. (I am a nurse.)
Olen opiskelija. (I am a student.)

If you are currently between jobs, you can simply say:

Olen työtön. (I am unemployed.)
Etsin töitä. (I am looking for work.)

2. The Role Pattern: Työskentelen + -na / -nä

Another very common option uses the verb työskennellä (to work) along with the essive case ending (-na or -nä), which means "as":

Työskentelen myyjänä. (I work as a salesperson.)
Työskentelen koodarina. (I work as a coder.)
Työskentelen kokkina. (I work as a chef.)

If you want to explain what duties you can handle on the job, it helps to know how to use modal verbs like osata and voida. Check out our guide on Osata vs. Voida: How to Say "Can" in Finnish to describe your workplace skills accurately.

Stating Where You Work

To tell someone where your office, clinic, or shop is located, use the phrase olla töissä (to be at work / to work at) together with the inessive ending (-ssa or -ssä, meaning "in"):

Olen töissä toimistossa. (I work in an office.)
Olen töissä sairaalassa. (I work in a hospital.)
Olen töissä koulussa. (I work at a school.)
Olen töissä kaupassa. (I work in a shop.)

If you work remotely from home, you can use the word etätyö (remote work):

Teen etätyötä. (I do remote work / I work remotely.)
Olen tänään etätöissä. (I am working from home today.)

Useful Work and Office Vocabulary

Here are essential terms you will hear in everyday working life in Finland:

Finnish	English	Example
ammatti	profession, occupation	Mikä sinun ammatti on? (What is your profession?)
työpaikka	workplace, job	Minulla on uusi työpaikka. (I have a new job / workplace.)
kollega	colleague, coworker	Kollega auttaa minua. (A colleague is helping me.)
palaveri	meeting	Meillä on palaveri kello kymmenen. (We have a meeting at ten o'clock.)
kahvitauko	coffee break	Nyt on kahvitauko! (It is coffee break time now!)
työaika	working hours	Työaika alkaa kello kahdeksan. (Working hours start at eight.)
lounastauko	lunch break	Menemme lounastauolle. (We are going on a lunch break.)
etätyö	remote work	Pidän etätyöstä. (I like remote work.)

Work Life and Culture in Finland

Workplace culture in Finland is famously flat and informal. In almost every Finnish company, colleagues address each other using first names and the informal pronoun sinä (you). This practice is called sinuttelu. You will usually call your manager and even the CEO by their first name.

Another sacred institution is the kahvitauko (coffee break). Finnish law and collective agreements guarantee short coffee breaks during the workday, and skipping them is rare. It is the prime spot for casual chat with your teammates about the weekend or upcoming plans. When scheduling your work week or discussing shifts on different days, review our guide on Maanantaina: How to Use Finnish Days of the Week to keep your schedule crystal clear.

Finns also value modesty when describing what they do. You do not need to exaggerate your accomplishments or title; a simple, honest statement of your daily role is appreciated and respected.

Quick Practice

Test your knowledge with these three short exercises.

How do you say "I work as an architect" using the verb työskennellä and the title arkkitehti?
Translate to Finnish: "I work in an office."
Fill in the blank: "Meillä on tärkeä ________ kello kaksi." (We have an important meeting at two o'clock.)

Answers

Työskentelen arkkitehtina.
Olen töissä toimistossa.
palaveri (or kokous)

Practise This with Kielo

Try introducing your profession, answering questions about your daily tasks, and asking others about their jobs in a Kielo conversation. You can add these workplace words to your daily review plan so you feel comfortable using them in any meeting or interview. Mitä teet työksesi?