International Committee HYY

I See Our Futures

International students are the future of Finland.  Yes we bring talent but so much more. 


We are hardworking, skilled, diverse, and ambitious.  
But it often feels like we are ignored by Finnish employers and new policies are making our lives harder here. 


We are being locked out of the Finnish labor market as we struggle to find sustainable and meaningful employment.  


It leaves many of us questioning our futures in Finland 
That’s why we’re launching a brand new campaign to improve our employment opportunities!  
So we as international students can see our futures in Finland!

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Our Four Demands

Internships

City of Helsinki and Careers Services to work with IC to create an action plan to boost the number of international students using the internship subsidy

Part-time work

Careers Services to develop more information services to better sign-post international students to part-time work opportunities. 

Unions

Akava Union to work with IC to deliver an initiative to engage international students with trade unions in fall of 2024 

Salary Requests

Oikotie to permanently translate the ‘palkkavertailu’ page to english on their website 

About Our Four Demands

Internships

City of Helsinki and Careers Services to work with IC to create an action plan to boost the number of international students using the internship subsidy 
 
“Our first campaign topic revolves around an issue that many of you currently struggle with: Finding an internship for the summer.   
 
The job situation in Finland is tough and many internationals who want to stay after their studies are worried that they might not find employment. We are often told that internships are the best way to start our career and build a professional network but how are we supposed to do that if there are 300+ applicants for one position?  
 
This problem gets even more obvious when looking at statistics from Uni Helsinki.: In 2023, only 7 internationals compared to 400 Finnish students used their internship subsidy! This is a shocking number that we as IC cannot accept. While there is potential to improve information by the universities, discussions with you showed clearly what the main problem is: There are not enough internship positions available for international students. 

That’s why we’ve been calling on the City of Helsinki and Careers Services to work with us to create an action plan to boost the number of organisations and companies hiring international student interns. We are pleased to say they’ve said yes and are motivated and committed partners to tackle this issue with us. Together, we want to carry this spirit towards companies and organizations and ensure that more of them realize the potential of international talents.  Watch this space for more exciting announcement soon! 

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Part-time Work

International students struggle to find full-time employment in their related fields, which could take months on end.  Yet, they need to be able to afford their living expenses now, all while combining it with studying for their degrees. Our second campaign focuses on the part-time jobs in the hospitality and service industries 

We aim to collaborate with career services to help international students find available positions. Even though Careers services have a wide range of services on how to find employment in our chosen career paths,  there should be more information and support to international students looking for part-time work in hospitality and service industries that could help with the cost of living.  

The purpose is to accelerate the integration of international students and help them find employment to support their studies. We have met with Career Services to discuss this issue, and they have agreed to look into what more they can do to improve their existing services. This way, international students can experience less hardships in finding part-time employment in Helsinki. We’ll share more information of upcoming changes soon! 

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Unions

In Finland, trade unions play a pivotal role in safeguarding workers’ rights and ensuring fair treatment in the workplace. However, many international students are unfamiliar with the significance of these unions and the protections they offer. This knowledge gap highlights the pressing need for education and empowerment regarding trade unions and their functions among international students. 

Recognizing the critical need for empowerment and education, the International Committee proposes a proactive solution. The initiative aims to bridge this knowledge gap through a series of initiatives in collaboration with Akava (the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland) to support international students engage with the work of trade unions in the fall of 2024. 

We’ve already met with Akava to discuss our proposed suggestions and outline specific steps towards achieving our goal. They’ve said yes to working with us! We’re now coordinating plans to deliver an event and resources later in 2024, so watch this space!   

By fostering awareness and understanding, the initiative not only addresses immediate injustices but also lays the foundation for a more equitable and inclusive working environment for international students in Finland. 

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Salary Requests

International students don’t know what to say when asked for their salary request in a job interview or job application

Palkkavertailu is a website where anyone can search for open job positions around Finland. The main goal of the website is to collect salaries from different companies and roles in Finland all in one place to create a database that job seekers can use to
inform their salary requests when applying for jobs.

Job seekers have the right to be informed about the salary range for their role and seniority when applying for open positions. International job seekers are at risk of asking for lower salaries, so it is important that this information is accessible to
them too.

Palkkavertailu currently operates in Finnish only, limiting its reach to those who can speak Finnish. Not many international students know about the website due to it being in Finnish. We want the team at Oikotie to permanently include an English version of the website to render salary requests and access to the job market fairer for everyone.

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Why Employment Campaign?


Employment was voted the number one issue when we asked international students to share what issue was most impacting their lives in December

We hosted a training in February to breakdown the problem of employment into 8 smaller issues

As a board, we picked the 4 issues that we felt were most meaningful and winnable.

Our Outreach Team did further research on each of the issues

We’ve tested the ideas with students at a Careers Fair and met with HYY, Business Helsinki and Careers Services specialists to get their input.

Support the I See Our Futures Campaign and Join the IC

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Recap

What else have we done to advocate for international students this year?

Wrote an opinion piece in Helsingin Sanomat

Source:Helsingin Sanomat Opinion Piece
Katja, Vice-Chair at the International Committee, together with Vice Rector Hanna Snellman, emphasizes the significant role of international students in contributing to Finland’s economy, growth, and innovation. The opinion piece stresses the need for Finland to not only attract international talent through its universities but also to retain them post-graduation to address the country’s demographic challenges and skills shortages. The article calls for comprehensive policies to enhance both the allure and retention of international talent in Finland.

International Students’ Appeal to University Rector

International students at the University of Helsinki penned an open letter to Rector Sari Lindblom, voicing concerns over the Finnish government’s immigration and educational policies that affect them. They highlight issues such as the increase in tuition fees and strict language requirements. The letter requests a more inclusive dialogue with university leadership and involvement in policy discussions to ensure their needs and perspectives are considered in decision-making processes.

Highlighting challenges faced by international students learning Finnish in Helsingin Sanomat

This article discusses the difficulties faced by international students in Finland, particularly regarding the expectations to learn Finnish to a high standard to improve employment prospects. Michael (Chair of the International Committee) and Lisa (Vice-Chair of the International Committee), among others, share their experiences of the high language requirements that seem unrealistic within their study timeframe, which complicates their integration and employment opportunities in Finland.

Opposition to Raising Tuition Fees

The Student Union of the University of Helsinki (HYY) expresses strong opposition to the Finnish government’s draft proposal to raise tuition fees for international students. HYY argues that such measures contradict the goals of internationalization and may reduce Finland’s attractiveness to potential international students. The union highlights the negative impact on the integration and financial burden of international students and suggests that improving scholarship systems and financial aids could better support international students and Finland’s educational objectives.

Met with government ministers to highlight challenges faced by international students

International Committee board members Yenlik and Michael were part of the University of Helsinki’s team of international students and staff who met with the government’s Minister for Employment Arto Satonen and Minister for Science and Culture Sari Multala!  We exchanged views on migration policy, talent attraction and the reputation of Finland. We highlighted the various concerns the International Committee have heard over the past 8 months from international students about racism in Finland, employment prospects, language learning, and the impact of proposed changes to residency and citizenship laws. The meeting all came from the letter we wrote to the Rector Sari Lindblom back in the fall, where we called on the University to include international students in their conversations with government about the new government programme.