In today’s ever-globalised world, many individuals make the decision to relocate to another country for work, studies, family, and/or safety, among many other reasons. Finland is not exempt from this worldwide trend and has seen a significant growth in foreign nationals calling Finland home in recent years. It is of national interest that foreigners integrate and become members of society in order to create peace, feed the economy, raise the intellectual capital, boost innovation and diversify the nation. A large number of internationals choose Finland for their higher education, many of whom wish to continue living in Finland after their studies are complete. Further, Finland’s ageing population and reduced workforce would benefit greatly from international talent remaining in Finland. However, a students’ ability to speak the national language/s, gain qualifications, build social circles and networks, obtain work, and generally integrate have a great effect on their decision of whether or not to stay in Finland.
Sisu, a Finnish word for extraordinary strength, determination, and perseverance in seemingly hopeless situations, where success is unlikely, is indeed needed to survive and thrive in Finland as a foreigner; but is it enough? With some sisu, is the situation still seemingly hopeless, or is there hope for international students to successfully integrate into Finnish society?
This qualitative study aims to consider individual experiences to investigate the general international student experience, as well as assess what can aid the integration of these students into Finland. The study follows four broad themes – academic life, social life, working life, and everyday life, whilst considering factors such as language ability and COVID-19. It is overdue that this study is completed in a Finnish context – a country troubled by how to better integrate their ever-growing number of new arrivals into society. This study uses the findings to provide recommendations to educational institutions, organisations, and individuals in order to improve the integration situation for international students specifically in regard to their employment and social situations, contributing also to theoretical literature.
This thesis was conducted as part of the research project led by Dr. Wei Lu on International Student Experience at Aalto University School of Business.
