Started in March 2025. He was a beginner, at A1 level, with the goal of passing the YKI test — the National Certificate of Language Proficiency in Finland. A passing result is required to obtain Finnish citizenship.
Vladimir meets with his teacher twice a week and uses Rivstart A1+A2 and B1+B2. In May 2026, he took the YKI test at B1 level.
Vladimir wrote the following when he contacted us:
“Hi there! I’m Vladimir, I have Master’s degree in Computer science and currently I am residing in Helsinki, Finland. I got about 13 years of experience in Software industry and working as Senior Engineering Manager now at RELEX Finland. I got a wife and 2 months baby daughter Anna. My current life goals are to apply for permanent residency in Finland and learn Swedish on B1-B2 level as quick as possible to pass YKI test. Then likely to apply for Finnish citizenship or move to Denmark/Sweden for work. Swedish language will also help me during my trips to Stockholm and in overall with learning other Germanic languages which I may eventually have to learn for work/life purposes.
Vladimir’s review:
Great online school! All teachers are native speakers and located around the world, so you can easily find a suitable time slot regardless of your time zone. I studied Swedish with Erica from Sydney and Sara from Uppsala. My experience was consistently positive, and it took me about eight months to reach A2 level and feel better prepared for the YKI exam in Finland. I’m still studying, but I already feel more confident with the grammar, and I can definitely recommend this school to others.
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