Kulmahuone: Equality?–?but not for all?

‘Go and do an exchange abroad.’ ‘Study languages.’ ‘How about an internship abroad?’

Internationalize, internationalize, internationalize, it is magic! It will make you better, it will improve your chances of finding a job and help you understand cultures, people and the world.

It looks pretty damn good on your CV, since, lets be honest, you can justify a lot of personal and professional qualities with internationalization despite the fact that the employers or relatives do not always understand the competence you have achieved.

But sometimes, living in the happy world of teddy bears, rainbows and internationalization, we tend to forget that not everyone can internationalize to the same degree.

In fact, a study ordered by the Finnish Centre for International Mobility on equal opportunities of internationalization in education shows that students with families, disabilities or immigrant background do not necessarily have equal opportunities to go abroad, since it might require lots of extra arrangements. These are actual problems, but luckily, internationalization is also possible within the borders of Finland.

Internationalization at home has gained even more value due to the emphasis that the Ministry of Education has put on it. Finnish students can do all sorts of things to gain international experience. ThereÂ’s international tutoring, language studies, courses held in English, active participation in international student organizations, you name it! One can surely find equal chances here, right?

In spite of all these goodies, inequality is still an issue - especially with international degree students. Yes, you understood correctly. The chances for internationalizing must be equal for international degree students as well.

Often, however, they are not. First of all, it is harder for international degree students to enrol for language courses. I am not talking about Finnish or English here, but voluntary language courses that are taught in English. Usually the information on how to access the courses does not even exist. Secondly, international degree students do not have equal access to employment services due to lack of resources or reluctance to arrange them. Thirdly, being active in the student associations or at the university is hard because breaking language barriers takes time and effort. Therefore, it is easier for international degree students to form their own associations.

Even though Finnish universities have come a long way and done great effort towards internationalization, challenges still remain in enabling equal chances for internationalizing, for all Finns and foreign students alike. One does not have to go all the way to the other side of the globe to change this. Sometimes it is best to start at home.

Veikko Mäkelä