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Actually, I'm not even sure, if the ～たい-form of a intransitive verb is possible, or grammatically correct, but I sometimes read 終わりたい or 終わりたくない like for example

まだ終わりたくない

But from everything I learned I would guess that 終わってほしい or 終わってほしくない is like 'grammatically right', but also I know, that there are some special rules for like 終わる, so I guess both is possible.

So, if both is possible, what's the difference? Is it, that for 終わりたい it is meant for something I'm doing oneself and 終わってほしい is for something I'm just 'begging' and can't change myself?

Would my question change for verbs like 助かる or 見つかる?

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Both are correct for different meanings and/or nuances.

「[終]{お}わりたい」 is used to talk about something that one is actively and/or personally involved in. One would generally have at least an amount of control of when it can be finished.

Example: You have been doing your homework and you wish to finish it as soon as possible so you can go play tennis.

「終わってほしい」 is used to talk about something that one is not personally involved in (though you may be there). One has basically no control of when it might be finished.

Example: You are attending a lecture and getting bored. You would love to leave if at all possible, but obviously you cannot. All you can do is to wish it ended soon.

One could say the same about 「[助]{たす}かる」 and 「[見]{み}つかる」. All that matters is whether or not you are part of the group that is waiting to be saved or found.

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  • To elaborate slightly on this, てほしい is a common construction when the speaker wants someone else to do something, while　たい is when you want yourself to do something. (There's also 〜たがる for when other people do the wanting). That's why l'électeur is putting it the way he's putting it. If you have some control over it ending, then you're basically saying you want you (or your in-group) to do it. So たい. However, if you have no control, then it's someone outside your group, which means you have no control at all, so てほしい
    – Kyle
    Commented Apr 17, 2015 at 8:34

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