Working Speaking Estonian is an advantage when looking for a job, but a command of Russian and English is also useful. You must be active and open to different options. As an asylum seeker, you have the right to do voluntary work in Estonia, which will help you understand the work culture of Estonians and make it easier for you to find work once you have been granted protection. A year after the submission of your application for asylum, unless a negative decision is made in regard to you and you have appealed the decision you will have the right to work and receive payment. Make sure you coordinate your work with the Police and Border Guard Board (PBGB) and apply for their consent in order to work. The right to work during your stay in Estonia will be extended to you if you are granted international protection. How to find work: the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) There are many ways of looking for work, but doing so via the Unemployment Insurance Fund is probably one of the easiest. After you are granted protection, go to your nearest branch of the Unemployment Insurance Fund (there is one in every county find the addresses online at www. tootukassa.ee/index.php?id=12495). Register as unemployed or as a job seeker. Registering yourself as unemployed means that you are not working, that you are looking for a job and that you are prepared to accept a suitable job and start working immediately. You can register as a job seeker if you are already working but looking for a more suitable job. After registering as unemployed, you and your consultant at the UIF will prepare an individual action plan to agree on the activities that will be carried out to help find you a job. 41
Always inform your consultant if you cannot meet them at the agreed time (and make sure you have a valid reason). You must cancel your registration as unemployed as soon as you begin working or studying. Make sure you inform the Unemployment Insurance Fund of this, as you will have to repay any benefits/compensation that you are not entitled to. Register as unemployed with the Unemployment Insurance Fund you are entitled to benefits and services that will help you enter the labour market, and you will also be covered by health insurance. How to find work: on your own You can also find a job on your own. Look for advertisements on Internet portals. The main ones are: - www.cv.ee (in Estonian, English and Russian) - www.cvkeskus.ee (in Estonian, English and Russian) - iseteenindus.tootukassa.ee (in Estonian) Newspapers (although they are no longer as popular as they used to be in terms of publishing job vacancies). Use the help of your friends it is important to have a good social network. You can also approach companies that interest you and ask for work. The Estonian Refugee Council can also help you find work (see www.pagulasabi.ee/). Important advice Prepare your CV in good time a potential employer s first impression of you will be based on it. Provide information about your education and work experience. If you are invited to attend a job interview, prepare for it find out about the company and think about answers to questions that are often asked at such interviews. 42
The main questions asked at job interviews concern : - your professional skills and experience that meet the requirements of the job advertisement; - your personal qualities; - your motivation; and - the salary that you are expecting (do not over- or underestimate yourself). Remember to ask about your tasks and the general organisation of work employers will be impressed by your interest. The size of your salary and number of days off should not be the first questions you ask. You can obtain advice about preparing a CV and for job interviews online at www. volanoustaja.ee (in Estonian and Russian), from the portals mentioned above and from consultants at the Unemployment Insurance Fund. You must be active when looking for work. Don t forget that job-seeking itself can be hard work. Don t lose hope finding work is difficult for Estonians, too. Employment contracts It is important to have an employment contract to feel secure in a job. You have nothing to protect yourself with if you have no contract your working conditions may differ from those you were initially promised, you may have to work overtime without pay, your salary may be less than promised, your employer may not pay any taxes, you may not be covered by health insurance etc. An employment contract is made in writing. When you find a job, make sure your employer is prepared to enter into a written contract. It is important to avoid being deceived and exploited, and to be covered by health insurance and other social benefits. 43
An employment contract must cover the following as a minimum: the details of the employee and employer; the date on which the contract was signed and on which employment will commence; the salary, the manner in which it will be calculated, the payment procedure, the payment day and the taxes withheld by the employer; the working hours; the place of work; the length of holidays; and the rules established by the employer regarding the organisation of work. The figure indicated in your contract as your monthly salary is generally the gross salary, which includes all taxes payable at the rates established by the state. Taxes Please bear in mind that the following will be withheld from the salary indicated in the contract: income tax (21% in 2012); unemployment insurance premium payable by employee (2%); and mandatory funded pension contribution (2%); The employer also pays social tax (33%) and the employer s unemployment insurance premium (1%) on your salary. Please note that these are not withheld from the salary indicated in your contract. The minimum salary in Estonia in the first period of 2013 was 320 (gross). This includes the tax-free threshold of 144 per month, on which no income tax is calculated. You must submit a tax return every year. This is the document on which the total income you earned in the previous year and the income tax payable on it are noted. Tax returns must be submitted by 31 March, either electronically via an online bank or on paper to the Regional Tax Centre of the Tax and Customs Board. (For more details see www.emta.ee.) Read the contract carefully before you sign it. Ask your employer to explain any clauses you do not fully understand. 44
Starting a business If working for someone else is not for you or you would prefer to start your own business, then this is also possible. Setting up and running a business is strictly regulated by various laws and requires knowledge of both economics and the law. You can apply for start-up support from the Unemployment Insurance Fund according to the criteria set by them. Read more online at www.tootukassa.ee. Work culture Finding a job is a great achievement, but you also have to keep the job. Therefore, it is important that: your behaviour is appropriate and conscientious; you (and your employer!) adhere to the provisions of the employment contract; you arrive at work on time. You may be considered unreliable if you often arrive late; you are not discriminated against and you do not discriminate against anyone else; you respect your colleagues and treat them the way you want them to treat you; and you do not harass your colleagues in any way. Contact the Labour Inspectorate (www.ti.ee) if you have problems with your employer, employment contract or working conditions and these cannot be resolved between you and the employer. 45