Hanken supports international students in building careers and futures in Finland

For many international students, internships are a crucial stepping stone into the Finnish job market. Despite the challenging economic climate, Hanken students Rie Koshida and Katia De la Guardia Westerdahl succeeded in securing internships.

De la Guardia Westerdahl is from Spain. Her mother is a Swedish-speaking Finn and her father is Spanish, but she grew up “entirely Spanish”, as she herself puts it. She studied law in Spain and, after graduating, chose to come to Finland because she also holds Finnish citizenship.

”I chose Hanken because I wanted to combine my law degree with business elements. I liked the fact that Hanken is quite small. My family was also really happy to hear that I got in.”

After submitting many applications over the course of a year, De la Guardia Westerdahl eventually managed to secure an internship at the infrastructure company Destia.

“I was hired to work in business development, focusing on market analysis. I’ve also taken on tasks I’ve never done before, like financial analysis.”

She is one of the very few non-Finnish speakers among roughly 2,000 employees.

“I never learned Swedish or Finnish as a child, so it has been a challenge to be in such a strongly Finnish environment. The intranet, the meetings – everything – is in Finnish, so I rely quite a lot on translation tools.”

The internship period lasted five months, and after that she was offered hourly employment and is called in when needed. She is also writing her master’s thesis for the company.

The importance of networking

Rie Koshida studied social science and worked in the oil industry in her home country, Japan, before moving to Finland when her husband was offered a job here.

”I thought getting a Finnish degree would be the most efficient way to get a good job here, so I applied to Hanken. I wanted to understand how to improve business operations through strategy and sustainability for a better future, and Hanken’s programme was the best fit for that.”

Koshida managed to secure an internship and thesis work at the measurement technology company Vaisala. During her internship, she developed an intranet that made it easier for sales and strategy teams to share knowledge with each other. 

Koshida got to know about the thesis position through a project course at Hanken. One of the stakeholders knew a person working at Vaisala, where she had already started an internship. This connection gave her the opportunity to discuss the possibility of joining the Vaisala environmental team as a thesis worker for a sustainability topic closely related to the course project. 

“This gave me a very concrete understanding of how important commitment to one’s studies, and the meaningful networks built along the way, truly are — especially for international students who don’t have established networks here in Finland.”

Get involved and stay active

Both Koshida and De La Guardia Westerdahl, who are studying in the master’s programme in international strategy and sustainability, agree that an internship is a good way to show future employers that you truly are competent. In addition, it is a valuable opportunity to make contacts and build a network.

Their advice to other international students looking for internships is to get involved in the events organised by Hanken’s career services.

“I was very active, and it made a big difference. By showing up repeatedly, I got to know the staff and built meaningful connections. Those small interactions helped me feel more integrated. The career support team helped me prepare for interviews, as well”, says Koshida, who also recommend students to take part in Hanken’s mentorship programme. 

De la Guardia Westerdahl encourages students to be prepared for the possibility that they might not find a job in their field right away – and to stay active in the meantime.

“I worked part-time in a bar and joined every student group I could. Those relationships made a big difference. Employers notice that you can integrate and collaborate with Finnish people. It helps you bridge the gap.

Broad support to ease students’ integration

The work of supporting international students in their integration into Finnish society begins already when they accept their study place at Hanken, says Mirjam Granström, manager for Hanken International Talent.

“Our goal is to provide support throughout their studies and to help our international students find the tools they need to build a future in Finland on their own.”

In addition to corporate partnerships, integration courses and career events, Hanken also offers individual guidance and the possibility of having a personal mentor. Hanken furthermore has strong relationships with key actors in society, both at regional and national levels.

Granström also mentions a new pilot project, Hanken JobShadow, which gives international students the opportunity to spend a day at a Finnish workplace, get to know the work culture and make contacts with experts in their own field.

Learning the local languages is becoming increasingly important for international students who wish to build a life in Finland.

“In addition to the possibility of studying languages at Hanken’s Language Centre, we also organise, for example, a Language Café where students and staff can use the languages in a relaxed setting. Students can also have a language mentor whom they can accompany to places like grocery shops or libraries in order to practise the language in an everyday environment,” Granström explains.

Rie Koshida and Katia De la Guardia Westerdahl are both very satisfied with the integration support they have received from Hanken.

“There’s only so much Hanken can do, and I feel they are already doing it. Career services can’t secure you a job, but they do offer both career guidance and emotional support — a feeling that you’re not on your own. The warm interactions helped me keep going when I was struggling in the job market”, says De la Guardia.

Koshida adds that the career services staff made her feel that she mattered.

“Before joining Hanken, I sometimes struggled to feel at home in Finland, but my experience at Hanken helped me feel much more settled and integrated.”

Text: Jessica Gustafsson
Photo: Gustaf Hafström