As a student, you can join the unemployment fund if you are in paid employment. When you are a member of the unemployment fund, you accumulate earnings-related unemployment security for yourself while working. If you do not find employment immediately after graduation, you can receive earnings-related unemployment allowance from the unemployment fund, which is often higher than the benefits paid by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela).
In order to receive earnings-related unemployment allowance, you must meet the employment condition. This means that, during your unemployment fund membership, you must have been in paid employment for a certain amount of time. It is a good idea to become a member of the fund in time so that you can accrue the employment condition. Read more about accruing the employment condition: Conditions for earnings-related allowance
Please note that if you have already accrued the employment condition (work that meets the employment condition during your unemployment fund membership) and you leave the unemployment fund for some time, this previously accrued employment condition cannot be taken into account when you rejoin the unemployment fund. Therefore, it is recommended that you remain a member of the unemployment fund throughout your studies – even if you do not work alongside your studies all the time.
Earnings-related unemployment security is accumulated by all kinds of paid work that complies with the employment condition. Therefore, you do not have to be working in a job related to your field of study.