TAKU stands by your side in working life.

Member services and benefits
We provide support and professional counselling for our members in different situations (employed, business owners, self-employed, unemployed, jobseekers, students). We also support you if you are unemployed or laid off.
In addition, we offer numerous member benefits, most of which are available to you as soon as you join. As a self-employed person or an entrepreneur, you are also entitled to all member benefits, apart from unemployment security from the ERKO unemployment fund.
TAKU member benefits:
- Unemployment security
- Legal services
- Salary counselling
- Legal consultation on family and inheritance law
- Insurance
- Mentoring
- Career services
- Own Shop Steward service
- Training and events
- Job search support
- Palkkio+ invoicing service
- Support for education
- TAKUtuki Grant
- Other benefits, including Member+
Unemployment security
Unemployment security of TAKU members who are employees is provided by Unemployment Fund for Higher Educated Employees ERKO, the membership fee for which is included in the union membership fee.
Entrepreneurs and the self-employed can insure themselves against unemployment by joining the Yrittäjäkassa unemployment fund (in Finnish).
Legal services and employment counselling
The lawyers of our parent union, Akava Special Branches, serve you in all matters related to working life. For example, you can have an employment contract checked before signing, or ask for advice about resignations or redundancy negotiations.
Salary counselling
Minimum salary recommendations for art and culture professionals (Cultural Producer/Master of Arts/ Master of Science) can be found on TAKU's own member pages.
Forgot your password? You can find it in the membership letter or you can send a request to taku@taku.fi
We provide statistical, personal salary counselling based on minimum salary recommendations and collective bargaining agreements by phone and email: taku@taku.fi.
Legal consultation on family and inheritance law
As a member of TAKU, you can receive consultation on family and inheritance law from the lawyers at Akava Special Branches. This includes drawing up documents such as prenuptial agreements and wills.
Insurance
As our member, you are secured by three insurance policies:
- Travel insurance (valid until 31 December 2024, Turva)
- Leisure time accident insurance (valid until 31 December 2024, Turva)
- Liability insurance and legal expenses insurance (If)
The leisure travel and accident insurance that protects TAKU members will be transferred to LähiTapiola from January 1, 2025. The corresponding previous insurance for all members of Akava Special Branche’s is valid until 31 December 2024 at 00:00 (local time).
You can find more information about TAKU members' leisure travel and accident insurance on TAKU's member pages.
Your insurance is valid even if you haven't received your member number by email yet.
Mentoring
We offer group mentoring to our members who are already working. The key elements in mentoring are identifying and reinforcing your own skills, peer support within the art and culture sector, facilitating networking, and supporting career planning.
We inform about the application periods and details in the member newsletter, on our website and in social media.
Career services
You can book a personal career counselling and sparring appointment also in English. Get support and help with job application, career planning and your well-being at work. You also have access to an extensive video library, which you can use to learn more about job searching and career planning when it suits you.
TAKU's career service provider is Coolla. Book your time to personal career coaching here.
Username and password for the service can be found from the member's online service behind the member login. The site is only in Finnish. Information for career services are under 'uravalmennus'.
Own Shop Steward service
When you face challenging changes, crises or transitions in your career, you need clear information about how the world of employment works and what opportunities it provides. The Own Shop Steward (Oma luottamusmies) service meets this need. The service is provided by the Federation of Professional and Managerial Staff, YTN, the common negotiation organization for the trade unions that are members of Akava. Access the service (in Finnish).
Training and events
We provide free member training to promote professional competence and working life skills. TAKU’s training focuses on professional questions in the art and culture sector. In addition, we cooperate with Akava Special Branches to provide training sessions about general working life topics.
A wide selection of different software and artificial intelligence trainings is also available to you by EduHouse.
Job search support
Are you unemployed or at risk of losing your job? We support your job search and employment in cooperation with Akava Special Branches. You can take advantage of our free member training sessions, which support your job search and working life skills. Akava Special Branches’ career training also offers you support for your job search, identifying your own skills, and career planning.
The Unemployment Fund for Higher Educated Employees ERKO the membership fee for which is included in the union membership fee, provides unemployment security for TAKU members. (If you run your own business, see: Yrittäjäkassa.)
Palkkio+ invoicing service
Support for education
TAKU encourages its' members' professional development by awarding support for courses in open university/ university of applied sciences or in summer university (eg.). The annual application period is in September. Read more >>
TAKUtuki Grant for students
We award a personal TAKUtuki Grant each spring to two students for their bachelor’s/master’s final project or thesis at a university of applied sciences or other university. TAKU student members or members who have just completed or are completing their bachelor’s master’s final project or thesis may apply for the grant. We provide more detailed instructions each spring at the start of the application period.
Other benefits which support well-being
Check out the other member benefits, such as for sport and holiday cottage rentals in the Member+ service. We’ll tell you about possible discounts for TAKU members on events in the member newsletter.