Foreign students do not put down roots in Finland

Foreign students studying degree programmes in English do not tend to stay in Finland after they have finished their studies. In practice, their efforts to find a job are hindered by insufficient knowledge of Finnish. In addition, their contacts with Finns remain superficial.

In the last three years, 90 foreign degree students graduated from the University of Tampere and 75 percent of them stayed in Finland. Although the figures may seem good, they are deceiving. The foreigner graduation percentage is even lower than the Finnish: A good half of the students do not bring their studies to conclusion.
The university has over ten MasterÂ’s programmes taught in English.

MasterÂ’s programmes do not require students to complete any compulsory Finnish studies. The University of Tampere can only offer elementary courses for students who want to learn Finnish voluntarily. The few advanced courses available are often too difficult. The tuition is mostly tailored to suit the needs of exchange students.

Heikki Kangasniemi teaches Finnish as a foreign language in the Language Centre, and thinks that the situation is dreadful.

“If someone has already studied Finnish in their home country, there is actually nothing new the university can offer them."

Bureaucracy hinders integration

The University of Tampere, Tampere University of Technology (TTY) and both Tampere and Pirkanmaa Polytechnics are cooperating in a project called SITR (Studying in Tampere Region), which tries to encourage foreign students to stay in Finland. The project coordinator, Maria Virtanen, says that the progress of the cross-institutional arrangements has been slow.

“Degree students can only study in their own educational institution. They are in the same situation as Finnish students - in practice you are only allowed to study in another institution as a JOO (Flexible Study Right) student."

Regarding language courses, cooperation would be necessary. The University of Tampere is the only one of the four institutions that is able to offer higher, B and C-level language courses. Due to the institutionsÂ’ rectorsÂ’ mutual decision, exchange students are allowed to take courses wherever they choose, while degree students are still left out of the arrangement.

The goal of The Ministry of Education four years ago was that in 2008, Finnish universities and polytechnics should have 12,000 foreign degree students. The current number is only 5,000. However, the number does not surprise Maria Virtanen: Finland is far off and does not have well-known brands like Oxford.

“Exchange students spread the word efficiently and entice other people to come and study here. On the other hand, the reluctance of authorities regarding residency and work permits and the high price level quickly drive away people who do not manage to find work."

Political history and flirting tips

On a Monday morning in February, around twenty students in Väinö Linna auditorium are listening to an English lecture about the political history of Finland, arranged by the Department of Sociology. The lecture progresses in twists and turns, from the years of oppression to the parliamentary reform.

In the front row people are playing battleships, writing text messages and browsing dictionaries. Hungarian Bálint Andrássy is indeed interested in the phases of the kindred nation, but not so much in the politics. Korean Bit Na Kim admits that Finland’s progress to independence has remained somewhat unclear to him.
It is easy to empathise with them. Even a person who knows Finnish history may find it hard to understand the sprawling logic of the lecture.

Various departments arrange some lectures in English, but they focus on their own subject. There is only one lecture series offering a general introduction to Finnish society and culture, arranged by SITR.

“The UUNO language programmes on the internet have also been established in SITR cooperation. With their help one can learn languages by oneself, through everyday situations", Virtanen explains.

In the recently released second version, one can learn socializing vocabulary and pub/nightlife customs for example. Apparently, the best thing to make people learn Finnish and settle here is a Finnish spouse.

Leading a normal life makes it easer to adapt

Mexican Angel Unglesias Ortiz, Taiwanese Chineting Weng and American Felicia Stroud - all studying in different MasterÂ’s programmes - say that their language competence is still modest. Ortiz has not been to a language course yet, Weng is learning the basics and Stroud goes to NNKYÂ’s (YWCA) lessons for the slightly further advanced.

“It is hard to get to know Finns if you speak English. I have a few Finnish friends, but it often happens that they start speaking Finnish among themselves", says Computer Science student Weng.

Ortiz and Stroud can learn Finnish on their couch at home, because both of them are going steady with Finns. Public Health student Stroud first came to Finland as an exchange student, and met her boyfriend through her hobby, rugby.

“The best way to make yourself at home is to lead a normal Finnish life", says Ortiz, who is doing a Master’s programme in Europeanisation of Politics.

All three agree on the fact that more tuition for foreigners should be arranged on job seeking, the society and being an active participant of it. The will to stay in Finland is strong.

FinlandÂ’s safety, public services and general functionality are seen as particularly attractive. However, a person coming from outside the EU has to face a lot of bureaucracy.

Large companies and the information technology industry may use English as a working language. Stroud, on the other hand, has been looking for a job for several years, but the Public Health student, who does not speak Finnish well enough, has only been offered cleaning.

“I am an experienced coder, so in principle I am needed in the work field. But because of the language problem, only large-scale companies such as Nokia could hire me", Weng continues.

A Syrian Kurd Mahmoud Haj-Rashid is writing his doctoral thesis for TTY and working full-time as a computer engineer. Having lived eight years in Finland he already gets by with Finnish, and has applied for citizenship. According to Haj-Rashid, many foreign students fail to complete their studies in Finland, because studying only in English alienates them from the environment.

“However, the best motivation to study is to know that one will have a job after graduating."

Text: Simo Holopainen
Translation: Varpu Jutila