TEK in English

Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland TEK is a trade union for Master of Science in technology, architects and people with a corresponding university education. In Finland, membership of a trade union is a legal right and commonly accepted. The main aims of TEK are to promote the interests of its members in the labor market and advance education and technology in Finland. Its business idea is to support its member in their career, help forward the know-how and communality of profession, and build a sustainable welfare society. TEK belongs to Akava (the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland) and is one of the biggest member organizations of it. TEK consists of 72 000 members which more than 20 000 are students of technology or mathematics and natural sciences.

Student membership is free

So, why join TEK then? At least because it’s FREE. Joining is very easy; do it here! You get many membership benefits for free during your studies and it doesn’t obligate you to join as a full member when you graduate. The members have access to TEK’s inclusive job-hunting, working life, and unemployment insurance services.

Also, being  a member of more than one union is possible. If you belong to some other organization already, is coincident membership of TEK still possible. For example, Pelletti members can join TEK and RIL at the same time. It can be easily done here.

The membership benefits

TEK supports its members in every step of their professional career, always from being a freshman to the retirement! Already during university years TEK takes part in campus areas and support student culture all the way from pranking and table parties to career counseling events.

TEKs student members get in their use among other things the following services:

• TEK Työkirja guide: the best job-hunting guide for students, including CV and application examples.
• Haastis mobile app whereby can prepare, for example, to job interview.
• Employment and salary guidance: salary recommendations and The Salary Surveyor be based on your personal skills
• Recruiting, career, and internationalization services: for example CV Clinics
• Unemployment insurance and Liability and legal aid insurance for the risk in working life.
• eLakimies: Legal information service (in Finnish)
• TEK Lounge in LUT campus
• KOKO fund
• TEK Mobile app where can be found the most important services
• TEK magazine (in Finnish): 5 issues/year covering technology, work and the engineering student spirit
• Tekniikka & Talous e-magazine and Talouselämä e-magazine (both in Finnish)
• Other benefits and discounts from memberplus.fi member benefits portal concerning hobbies, travelling, insurances and so on…

Check more benefits for student members here!

TEKrekry

TEKrekry is a community and a splendid channel to find hidden positions for TEK members in LinkedIn. With TEKrekry’s help you find jobs for academic engineers, meet employers and recruitment companies and get hints for job-hunting! Registering and joining into the group is possible with Facebook/LinkedIn account.

Besides TEKrekry TEK offers may other career services. Those are, for example, career coaching and CV Clinic. Read more about the all career services here!

TEK Lounge

At LUT can be found TEK Lounge for all TEK members. TEK Lounge is a great and welcoming place for a day of remote working, for taking a coffee break or just to hang out with friends. TEK Lounge is in room 1327 (LUTs 1. building, 3rd floor, near the main aisle opposite to Street Café). TEK Lounge is open for everybody at 8-16 on weekdays, and there you are free to make coffee, take a cup from the cabinet and sit down between the lectures, for example.

TEK members can book TEK Lounge for free for couple of hours to different kinds of events via reservation calendar (in Finnish). Longer reservations and booking for the weekends succeed by contacting via email: saku.laapio[at]tek.fi. In TEK Lounge there can be found a separate meeting room which can be also booked for making group projects, for example. There is TEK’s Lappeenranta regional office in TEK Lounge, also.

Watch out more about TEK Lounge here!

Lobbying

TEK supervises benefits of both graduated and student members. The Finnish working life is strongly based on reconciliation and so that everything wouldn’t needed to agree alone TEK represents its members in collective labor agreement negotiations, among other things. For example, bonus holiday pay, paid parenting leaves and sick leave salaries are not defined in law but the terms of them are negotiated into the collective labor agreement.

Students are the most interested of recommended salaries for trainees and for a thesis. When you are wondering how much you should be paid for the summer job you can check TEK’s recommendation here. Also, the salary surveyor helps to estimate valuing of your own know-how and experiences. TEK offers salary statistics according to job titles and recommendations for salaries when working outside Finland.

Also, TEK offers legal services for students. For example, if there is an unclear part in the contract of employment of summer job, the contract is easy to check with TEK’s lawyer. More about TEK’s lobbying can be found here.

KOKO fund

The Unemployment fund for highly educated KOKO covers your back in a tricky labor market situation; right after the graduation or fallouts of bad business cycles. TEK members can join KOKO fund which secures your living if you become unemployed or get laid off. As the KOKO fund member you get earnings-related allowance.

The KOKO fund’s membership fee for 2020 is 66 €. You can join the KOKO fund if you have a salaried job, so you need a valid contract of employment at the joining moment. Your job can be temporary, for a fixed term, or part-time, and you can also join the fund while you have a summer job or part-time job while you are a student. You can’t join an unemployment fund while you are unemployed, laid off or on a child leave, for example. The condition of accession is that you meet the eligibility criteria. To get earnings-based unemployment allowance you must have been member of the KOKO fund at least 26 weeks and employed during membership at least 26 calendar weeks, so that your working time has been at least 18 hours/calendar week. More about the eligibility criteria you can read here.

As TEK member you can join the KOKO fund as follows:

1. Log in to TEK’s member portal. It can be found also: tek.fi/en --> my.tek.fi.
2. Update your employee up to date in member portal’s Your own information --> Update.
   • Employment --> Add new.
   • Go back to the front page.
3. Join to the unemployment fund in Your services --> Show more.
4. Unemployment fund --> Add.

NB! Membership of many unemployment funds is not possible. If you already are a member of some fund and want to switch to member of the KOKO fund, you have to first end your membership in the previous fund.

If you have something to ask about the KOKO fund read more here or get in touch with Pelletti’s guild contact person!

FAQ

Question: Can I be member of several trade union at the same time?

Answer: Yes, you can. Some unions, like RIL, have even shared membership possibility with TEK. For example, you can be a graduated member of Union of Professional Engineers in Finland and a student member of TEK at the same time. But you can’t be a member of several unemployment funds at the same time.

Q: If I’m accomplishing my second Degree (but already e.g. MA or engineer in working life) can I join TEK?

A: Yes, look the answer above.

Q: Can I switch from some other trade union to TEK without losing gathered benefits considering e.g. the unemployment fund?

A: Yes, you can. You can switch the unemployment fund without losing your accumulated benefits. However, there are strict rules to switching the fund so if you get in this situation, it’s wise to ask some advice from the TEK’s regional commissioner.

Q: Is there TEK’s promotion of the interests for postgraduate student at LUT?

A: Yes, there is. You can contact TEK’s student liaison of Lappeenranta. Graduated Master of Science in Technology “must” pay a membership fee of full member even though they are postgraduate students. However, then they have member benefits of full members in their use, for example all aspects of career services.

Q: How can I unsubscribe the magazines?

A: For example, log in TEK’s member portal. In the portal Your services --> Show more --> Services --> End order.

Q: Is TEK the right trade union for people working as a researcher?

A: Yes, it is. TEK offers same services and benefits for researchers as Masters of Science in Technology working in traditional industry.

Q: What do I do if I didn’t find the answer to my question?

A: Get in touch with Pelletti’s guild contact person!

More information about TEK and its services from TEK’s website and from Pelletti’s guild contact person!