Interpreter services for students

Interpreter services for students mean interpreter services for studies after comprehensive school.

You must apply for the right to interpreter services for students. You can apply for this right if you are already a customer at the Centre for Interpreting Services for the Disabled.

What studies qualify you for interpreter services for students?

You can get interpreter services for students for the following studies:

• studies leading to a degree or qualification (upper secondary school, vocational school, university of applied sciences or university)
• studies facilitating entry into vocational education or employment
• studies supporting continued participation or advancement in working life
• preparatory education for an upper secondary qualification (TUVA) in upper secondary school or a vocational school.

You can use interpreter services for students as much as you need. Interpreter services for students do not reduce the number of hours of other interpreter service you have been granted.

You cannot compile an interpreter list for your studies. Read more about the interpreter list.

Interpreter services for students can be provided for

• class or workshop training
• exams and competence-based assessments
• team projects on the school premises
• excursions and fact-finding trips in Finland and abroad
• visits to a student healthcare provider during a day on which the school is in session
• minor updates of communication folder or application
• instruction to navigate the trip to and from school (only students with a hearing and vision impairment)
• phone interpretation provided during a break or recess (including discussing matters not related to studies).

For which purposes can you not get interpreter services for students?

Interpreter services for students are not available for:

• courses taken in an adult education centre (kansalaisopisto or työväenopisto)
• driver’s education
• apprenticeship training.

How to apply for the right to interpreter services for students

1. Fill in the form Vammaisen henkilön opiskelutulkkaus TU 2 (PDF, in Finnish).

   • Save the blank form to your device. Do not fill in the form directly in the browser because some of the information may not be saved that way.
   • Open the form with Adobe Reader and fill it in.
   • Save the completed application to your device. Note that the application must be in PDF format.
2. Send the application using the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish):

   • Log in to OmaKela and select Tee hakemus (Submit an application).
   • Select Vammaisten tulkkauspalvelu (Interpreting services for the disabled) and then select the benefit.
   • If you submit your application in OmaKela, you do not need to sign it.
   • If you have supporting documents, send them via OmaKela after you have submitted your application. If they are paper documents, you can photograph them. Enclose a certificate of acceptance from the educational institution.
3. Once Kela has processed your application and issued a decision, you can view it in OmaKela.

You can also apply for the right to interpreter services for students via the remote service in Finnish sign language. You must book an appointment to submit your application.

Book an appointment in the remote service (in Finnish and Swedish only)

Book an appointment in another way

If you cannot use OmaKela, mail your application to Kela. Save the form to your device and fill it in after saving it. Print out the completed form and send it and any supporting documents to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.

When you have been granted the right to use interpreter services for students, book an interpreter. How to book interpreter services for students. 

If your studies are prolonged

Kela grants the right to interpreter services for students for your whole period of study. If you take longer than normal to complete your studies, you must re-apply for the right to use interpreter services for students. Use the form Vammaisen henkilön opiskelutulkkaus TU 2 (PDF, in Finnish) to apply. Enclose a certificate from the educational institution stating that your studies continue.

How to book interpreter services for students

Book interpreter services for students via the Centre for Interpreting Services for the Disabled as soon as you have been granted the right to use interpreter services for students.

State the following in your booking:

• your name and customer number or date of birth
• your degree programme or line of study
• the duration of your studies
• the start and end dates of the academic year
• an estimate of the number of hours of study per day or a preliminary study timetable
• address and locality of the educational institution
• other information about your studies (e.g. the language used)
• whether you use on-site or remote interpretation or both

You can book interpreter services for students for one year at a time. Book interpreter services for the next academic year in time, preferably by the end of June at the latest.

Book interpreter services for students via the Centre for Interpreting Services for the Disabled

Use the online form (in Finnish) to book interpreter services for students

You get interpreter services for students for the whole academic year

Interpreter services for students are provided for one academic year at a time starting from autumn (e.g. 1 August to 31 May). In the autumn, new assignments are made in the 31st week of the year, and you will be informed of the service provider and your assigned interpreter during that same week. If your studies start at some other time of the year, we will process your application as quickly as possible.

Report changes

If there are changes in your studies, notify the Centre for Interpreting Services for the Disabled and the interpreter of them without delay. Such changes are for instance:

• you interrupt or end your studies
• you complete your studies earlier than planned
• you need less interpreter services, or you no longer need interpreter services at all
• you change schools or study programmes
• the interpreting method or the language you use changes.

We will check how the change affects the interpreter services for students. If needed, we will ask you to file a new application.

Notify the Centre for Interpreting Services for the Disabled of changes.

Don't forget

When you have received the timetable, send it to the interpreter without delay.

Inform the interpreter as soon as possible if there are for instance the following types of changes in your school day:

• a lecture is cancelled or there are new lectures
• you participate in a visit or excursion outside the timetable
• the place for the lectures changes (e.g. same school but different building)
• you are absent from school due to illness.