March 20, 2011

Time management and salary

"Come to us for free money!"
I'm very lucky to be living in Finland - we have very good social security and we get money from the government for all sorts of stuff. So I made some calculations: Let's assume that person studies approximately 5,5 years for a job title (3 years in vocational school or 3+5 years in university or 3+4 years in polytechnic). Usually you have to study like 6 hours a day, which makes 30 hours in a week and 130 in a month. You study for 9 months in a year and therefore you study roughly 1170 hours a year. So 1170 * years of studying is approximately the time you use to GET TO WORK.

Ok, so graduate and go to work. That's 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week and 160 hours a month. When you take off vacations and midweek holidays, you'll get something 10 months of working in a year. That's 1600 hours of work in a year, so if you graduate when you're 25, you're work career will probably last like 40 years. That's 64 000 hours of your life, working.

In Finland we have this bureuacracy office called Kela, which basically pays you money when you're unemployeed, studying, have a child, etc. They pay you 550 euros / month. In a year you get 6600 euros, and you pay ~10% tax off that (funny how in Finland we collect taxes to pay those unemployment support and when you get the money you pay taxes off of that...) So in the end you get 5940 euros / year. If you make around 3000 euros / month in your job, you make around 36 000 euros / year. About 1/4 goes to taxes so you're left with roughly 27 000 euros / year.

So, working for 40 years you make around million euros. That's crazy money! But check this out: if you DON'T work, you get 237 600 euros. That's not bad either! If you assume that Kela stuff takes around 5 hours a month from you, you get 110 euros / hour from them. At work you earn 16,50 euros / hour. I understand people who enjoy working and consider it as one of the greatest things in life. Some even call it their life (poor bastards...). After I did the calculations above, I'm even more convinced that working is not for ME.

Please comment.

30 comments:

  1. and this is whats wronge with welfare states.

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  2. It's definitely attractive to a lot of people, that's why we have so many people on it here in Australia. One problem is though, if you care about this sort of thing, is that absolutely no one respects you. However, if you don't care about respect, then you're set! :)

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  3. it makes sense though. the system wasn't designed to pay that much for a person to do nothing. it was in hopes that everyone will work to benefit the country and only those unfortunates or preggers should get the benefit, provided that it is only temporary. this is all about personal responsibility. as long as people believe in civic duty, they would work and not live off the system

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  4. 1) Not working is selfish and youre leeching money that you dont deserve.
    2) NEVER complain about your system. In England the general idea is that you are taxed so high that you're beaten while youre down. Your system is a godsend.

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  5. I'm too ashamed to go on social security. I know too many bogan Australians that do it for a living that I don't want to be associated with them in any way, shape or form. That's also why I don't wear flip flops.

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  6. Getting paid for not working? A dream come true!

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  7. ...and how easy, is it to learn Finnish?

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  8. hmm i'm not sure if they really pay you your whole life. it sounds to easy.

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  9. Wait, people can do this? I'm pretty sure anyone who does this in the US gets regulated to ghetto life, drinking 40s all day and generally being a POS. You have to do something to earn something. Although I might think that some of the ways people get paid are wrong, where people who do the least work get paid the most, at least those people are working.

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  10. I'm totally jelly. My country doesn't offer any of those features. Not that I want to mooch off the govt. but it would be nice to know if I lose my job I'll be ok.

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  11. I wish I could get paid for not working!!!

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  12. In most cases, People who live off the system should feel shame, the problem is the majority of them dont

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  13. Gotta work hard for your money i'm afraid...

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  14. I don't think they will pay you forever, right? the cool thing would be to say that you don't work and get paid by the government AND to have a job.

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  15. problem is that when a lot of people do this the whole system collapses

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  16. Considering how many people work jobs that are really pretty unnecessary to society, I do a lot of thinking about whether having a job just to have one is morally or ethically superior in some way to what you're talking about. I don't have an answer yet.

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  17. Looks like Work isn't for you ! lol

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  18. @Sidewayz yes those damn 'welfare' states and their superior health and eduction systems...

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  19. Great Blog with lots of good info
    Help a bro out
    http://newhypertech.blogspot.com/

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  20. wha?? i want to live in Finland!

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  21. Loved the part where you mentioned the money without working, haha. Great post. Keep them coming!

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  22. Somehow I don't think the world works this way, else I am moving to finland!

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  23. How hard is to a brazilian get a visa to live in your country?

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