Working in Tallinn
International students are allowed to work in Estonia. However, when considering working, please keep in mind that in order to maintain your Temporary Residence Permit for Studies (TRP), you will need to study full-time and studies should be your priority.
In order to work in Estonia Non-EU citizens will need to have received their Temporary Residence Permit (TRP).
International students have found jobs in Tallinn through various sources including word of mouth, job boards and web portals, some of which will be listed below.
On the back side of the Estonian ID it states if the holder can work in Estonia. Once a student has received their ID, they can register as a job seeker with Töötukassa, which is the official Unemployment Office in Estonia. Once registered, the Unemployment Office will provide support in finding suitable work. Additionally, they provide career counselling sessions in Estonian, English, and Russian languages. You can register for counselling here.
The job offers for international specialists can be found from Work in Estonia webpage here. From 2018, migrants can get councelling services and take part in different events in the International House. Councelling sessions can be booked here.
There is also a Welcoming Program that can help international students settle in Estonia. The programme is free and helps with the adaptation into the society. There are a few criterions to be able to participate in the Welcoming program.
- Migrants who have lived in Estonia for less than 5 years.
- Migrants who have been given a temporary living permit in Estonia or people under the international protection laws.
- EU citizens who have been given a temporary living permit in Estonia
- EU citizens’ family member who have been given a temporary living permit in Estonia.
The Unemployment Office highly recommends to participate in a Work and Entrepreneurship module. This is an 8 hour lecture where the situation of the job market in Estonia is explained . This includes how to find work, how to start a business here, and where to find supporting services. More information can be found on the website of Settle in Estonia. Additionally, more information about living and working conditions is posted here.
There are also job fairs in which migrants can participate in. Information about upcoming times and locations of these job fairs is listed here. The Unemployment Office and EURES counsellors sometimes organise workshops in Universities to advise on finding a job and help prepare for interviews.
The main sites in Estonia for job seekers are:
GoWorkAbit - here you can find temporary work in companies who need quick help for a few days.