Hello, I’m Kati.
Katiedu Drivers is a one-instructor driving school. I have been teaching in the Helsinki region since 2014, and students come from across Uusimaa — from Kirkkonummi through Sipoo to Vuosaari.
I teach the Finnish B-category licence in English. Theory lessons run online; driving lessons are in a manual car. If you are new to Finland, the paperwork is often the confusing part — I will tell you exactly which form to file and when.
There is no shortcut to learning to drive. We start from the basics and repeat things as many times as you personally need. The legal minimum is enough for very few people — that is not a failing on your part.
— Kati Lonka
- Languages
- English and Finnish
- Lessons start from
- Martinlaakso station, Vantaa
- Car
- Manual transmission
- Theory lessons
- Online, 45 min each
- Enrolment
- By email
Four things I teach in every lesson
The same order, lesson after lesson. When it starts to feel automatic, you are ready for the test.
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Anticipate
Look far ahead and build a sense of what is most likely to happen next.
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Plan
What? Where? When? How? What about the others? What if?
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Execute
Safely. Speed matched to the situation, the surroundings and everyone else on the road.
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Review
How did that go, in your own judgement? What would you do differently next time?
Road safety is social communication. And it is lifelong learning.
The B-category course
The statutory minimum package for a first driving licence, taught in English. Most people need driving lessons beyond this — those are priced separately.
- 4 × First-licence theory lessons Online, 45 min each
- 10 × Driving lesson, manual car 50 min each
- 4 × Risk-management theory lessons Online, 45 min each
- 4 × Risk-management driving lessons Urban roads, highway, slippery track at Riihimäki and night driving, 50 min each
Night driving is done in real conditions between 2 October and 1 March. Outside those dates it is completed in a simulator, charged separately. Study material and theory-exam practice software cost extra — both are listed in the price table.
How you get your licence
Eight stages, in this order. The first one takes about a minute.
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Stage 01
Send an email
Enrol by email. I reply and welcome you to the school.
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Stage 02
We go through the teaching contract on a call
We arrange a WhatsApp or Messenger call and go through the teaching agreement point by point. Ask everything you are unsure about there.
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Stage 03
Contract and invoice by email
You read the contract in your own time. If it looks right, you reply with your name and date of birth. I send the invoice.
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Stage 04
You get access to the student system
I add your details, and you receive credentials for the theory lessons plus instructions on applying for your licence permit and booking the theory exam.
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Stage 05
Theory lessons and theory exam
Once the theory lessons are done I write your certificates — you need them to sit the theory exam.
The theory exam is sat at Ajovarma. Illustrative photo. -
Stage 06
Driving lessons begin
Driving lessons are usually scheduled only after you have passed the theory exam. By then the rules of the road are at least understood in theory, so lessons can be spent applying them — alongside handling the car itself.
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Stage 07
Practice test
One of the lessons is a full practice test. We check whether you already drive independently and safely enough that the real test would pass. If not, we practise more — I do not recommend guessing at the real thing.
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Stage 08
The driving test
The test checks whether you can handle traffic independently and safely. Safety is the condition for passing; beyond that, your driving should be socially aware and economical.
Pay the test fee to Ajovarma in advance to avoid queueing at the office. Bring your E100 and first-licence certificates and photo ID.
Illustrative photo.
Prices
All prices include VAT. Ajovarma’s own fees — licence permit, theory exam and driving test — are paid separately by you, directly to them.
| Item | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| B-category course | 1 399 € | The minimum package described above |
| Driving lesson, manual car | 95 € | 50 min |
| B theory lesson | 40 € | Online, 45 min |
| First-licence theory package | 65 € | 4 × 45 min, online |
| Risk-management theory package | 65 € | 4 × 45 min, online |
| Practice driving test | 99 € | For those who did not buy the B-category course |
| Use of the manual car at the driving test | 130 € |
| Item | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| B study material, English | 20 € | Valid 3 months |
| Theory-exam practice software, English | 35 € | Valid 3 months |
| Slippery track fee | 95 € | Riihimäki track |
| Night-driving simulator | 90 € | Used 2 March – 1 October |
| Rewriting a certificate | 35 € | |
| Missed driving lesson | 50 € | Cancelled less than 3 working days ahead. No charge with a doctor’s certificate. |
| Phone service | 3 €/min | See “Why I don’t answer the phone” below |
The licence permit, theory exam and driving test are paid to Ajovarma. Their current fees are listed at ajovarma.fi.
Where lessons start
Driving lessons start next to Martinlaakso station and shopping centre, on the street in front of Fitness24. In bad weather we meet in the shopping centre car park, near the car wash.
Martinlaakso station is served by train and bus, so you can get to a lesson without a car of your own. Students travel in from across Uusimaa — from Kirkkonummi through Sipoo to Vuosaari.
Theory lessons are online, so you can join those from anywhere.
- Meeting point
- Martinlaakso station, Vantaa
- In bad weather
- Shopping centre car park
- Public transport
- Train or bus to Martinlaakso
- Theory
- Online
Enrol on the course
Enrolment starts with an email. Tell me your name and whether this is your first driving licence.
Why I don’t answer the phone. I am in the car teaching for most of the day. Answering the phone would interrupt a student’s lesson and make the road less safe, so I handle everything by email. I reply between lessons.