Finnish-British Society was established in 1926 to promote awareness of British culture, and to develop trade and friendship between Finland and England; please see the Constitution. In the early days of the Society, the activities included maintaining a library and organising discussions and gatherings around themes such as music, bridge, and literature. English teaching has since become one of the main activities at Finnbrit, along with English Language testing. We provide English language exams together with the British Council and Cambridge English Qualifications. We also engage actively with our partners when producing cultural events, e.g., talks, seminars, and theatre performances in English.
All these activities – English lessons, English language tests, and cultural events in English – support Finnbrit’s mission by offering opportunities to further one’s education and career and to collaborate and learn in a meaningful, inclusive way with people from diverse backgrounds.
Please see Our Story for a more detailed account of our history and Our Team to meet our diverse and international team.
Our values and mission were updated in spring 2020, with an increased focus on diversity, inclusiveness, and lifelong learning; please see our values and mission below.
Our Values and Mission+–
Values
We are committed to inclusiveness, lifelong learning, and cultural enthusiasm.
Mission
We promote diversity and inclusiveness by offering a wide range of social events, language learning opportunities, and examination services.
Action Plan+–
Events
In 2024, we will continue to offer opportunities for diverse social interaction in English. We will continue to hold regular events and collaborate with our associated groups and partners. We encourage everyone to take part in our events, practise English, and make friends with people from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Our society will also
- continue to encourage Finnbrit members to set up their own events at our premises and support them with a small contribution.
- facilitate the work of our regular clubs.
- where possible, employ non-Finnish speakers and provide them with meaningful work and a stepping-stone to a career that matches their education.
- stage the annual Essay Writing Competition together with the Federation of Finnish-British Societies.
offer our associated groups the use of our premises in the centre of Helsinki and invite new developments. - promote British culture, studying in the UK, and the English language by hosting visits from local schools.
Language Services
In 2024, through the Finnbrit Language Centre Oy, we will continue to arrange English lessons in the Helsinki area and online for individuals and companies. We will also continue to provide proofreading and translation services. The Finnish-British Society Ry will offer irregular, low-cost sessions promoting use of the English language, such as language cafes. We will also offer Finnish language cafes to help Brits and people of other nationalities integrate into Finnish society.
Examinations
Through the Finnbrit Language Centre Oy, we will continue to provide some of the world’s most popular and widely accepted English language tests, working together with the British Council and Cambridge Assessment. We will offer to host exams for foreign universities, such as the University of London, thereby enabling our test takers to gain access to the world’s best education, wherever it may be, and we will offer IELTS UKVI tests for those applying for visas for the United Kingdom.
Governance+–
The Finnish-British Society r.y. (later RY) is an independent non-profit organisation. The association is registered by the PRH, a government organisation responsible for keeping the Finnish Register of Associations. As per the Finnish Associations Act (https://www.prh.fi/en/yhdistysrekisteri/act.html), ‘an association may be founded for the common realisation of a non-profit purpose’; please see more information on the Finnish Registry of Associations on https://www.prh.fi/en/yhdistysrekisteri.html and https://www.prh.fi/en/yhdistysrekisteri/yleista.html.
The RY is governed by a board of trustees who form the Council. It is managed according to the Constitution of the Registered Associations and the Finnish laws, for example, the Associations Act and Tax Legislation.
Our objectives and operations incorporate our values of diversity, inclusiveness, and lifelong learning. We focus on the English language, the language that has become the world’s lingua franca. We provide our students with English language lessons and the most widely accepted English language tests. These qualify our students to further their international education and career and thus collaborate and learn in a meaningful, inclusive way with people from diverse backgrounds. We recruit non-Finnish speakers to run our operations and to provide them with meaningful work and a stepping-stone to a career that matches their education. By doing this, we provide our staff with a way of contributing and integrating better into the Finnish community. The cultural activities we arrange are all in English. We invite everyone, regardless of their native language or background, to join in. By offering events in English, we provide an opportunity to practise English in social situations and gain friends, and thereby integrate better into Finnish Society. The objective of all Finnbrit services is to improve collaboration and cross-cultural understanding.
The Council is elected annually in the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and consists of members of the Society. The AGM tends to take place in May of each year, and all members are welcome!
The Society has accumulated its assets thanks to donations in the early years of the Society. In addition, it receives a small annual grant (in 2021: 300 euros) via the Federation of Finnish-British Societies r.y. from the Ministry of Education and Culture. For the most part, the Society funds its operations with the income from its services. We aim to set our prices at the market level to ensure sustainable operations.
The Finnish-British Society owns all the shares of the Finnbrit Language Centre Oy, a small, limited company. The OY is governed by a Board. The Board consists of Council members selected to represent the interests of the Finnish-British Society, the sole owner of the company. This arrangement ensures that the OY operates with the same principles and values as the RY. It also allows both the RY and the OY to focus on creating a learning environment that best serves the students’ interests, ensuring high-quality education.
Finnish-British Society RY and Finnbrit Language Centre Oy both have their company identifiers (Y-tunnus). The RY serves our members. It is exempt from value-added tax (VAT). The OY serves companies and customers who are not Finnbrit members. It operates under the Limited Liability Companies Act and charges and pays VAT. Together, the RY and the OY are known as Finnbrit. Finnbrit is also the name of this shared website.
The Finnish-British Society is a member of the Federation of Finnish British Societies. We collaborate with the British Council and Cambridge English Qualifications in delivering our language tests.
