Kimitoö Swedish-speaking High School
Overview
The municipality of Kimitoön is a rural area consisting of both farming land and forests as well as a large archipelago with its islands and skerries.
Our school is situated in the centre of Kimito. The centre of Kimito is a very small urban area and every facility is close to the school. The bus station is next to the school and for example health care, restaurants, grocery stores and other services you can find no further than within a radius of one kilometre.
In Kimitoön two thirds of the inhabitants have Swedish as their mother tongue and one third Finnish. Only 4% have an other language. Most people speak both in daily life and have further basic skills in English. We have friendship schools in Bochum, Germany (one week exchange/ study visit) and in Krakow, Poland.
The student union (or student body) will have a strong role in making contacts between international and local students. Also the youth department in our municipality will be involved in this work. We will make an effort for your skills in the school language Swedish as well as help you with basic Finnish.
Distances: 60 km from Turku (Åbo) and 160 km from Helsinki (Helsingfors). Our students typically continue to Åbo Akademi University in Turku or Helsinki University after they finish their high school studies.
Kimitoö weather
We have four distinguishable seasons in Finland and the weather varies quite a lot from area to area and from season to season.
Winter usually begins early December in the southwestern archipelago. The sea slows down the progress of winter. In winter, the mean temperature remains below 0°C, but warm airflows can raise the daily high above 0°C at times.
In south-west Finland spring begins in early April when the mean daily temperature rises from 0°C to 10°C. Spring is the longest in the maritime islands and coastal regions, because of the coolness of the sea. Once the mean daily temperature exceeds 5°C, the thermal growing season is considered to have begun. This takes place around the end of April in southern Finland.
In summer the mean daily temperature is consistently above 10°C. Summer usually begins in late May in southern Finland and lasts until mid-September. Near the sea and over the maritime islands, temperatures over 30°C are extremely rare.
In autumn the daily mean temperature remains below 10°C. Autumn begins around the last week of September in southwestern Finland. The growing season ends in autumn when the mean daily temperature drops below 5°C. This occurs in late October or early November in southwestern Finland.
Expenses
Free: tuition, laptop, lunch, learning materials, textbooks, e-learning environment, student healthcare, tutor, or group study for international students.
Three bedroom apartment costs 540€ - this sum is shared between students staying in the same accommodation.
Accommodation
First option is a three-bedroom apartment for 3-6 roommates about 1,2 km from school and 800 m from the center of Kimito.
Second option is apartments found on the market
The three-bedroom apartment is 540 €/month and the cost is shared by the students.
Study lines
Our school has a general study line and a maritime study line
Within the maritime study line you can choose between focusing on marine technology or marine biology. The marine profile includes both theoretical and practical studies in for instance navigation, handling and maintenance of boats, eco-systems, environmental problems and sustainable development in the archipelago. In this study programme there are both compulsory courses and especially during the third year optional ones.