In English
TEXT by Pablo Santur
Before getting the job The path to get a job is full of ups and downs. It is not an easy task, especially when facing unemployment in a different country, and lacking a professional network. This is a short story of my journey to get my first full time position in Finland, and what I learned along the way.
MAYBE YOU, LIKE ME, HAVE HEARD TONS OF STORIES ABOUT WHAT A STRUGGLE IS TO FIND A JOB IN FINLAND, EVEN MORE IN COVID TIMES. Anger, frustration,
and fear are some of the many emotions I remember when talking with people who had already go through that path. I did not want the same, so I did my best during my study years to pave my way to a job, as smoothly as possible. When finishing my studies everything was ready. Or I thought it was. But in the end, as often in life, a sequence of unexpected events put me in the situation I was more scared of. Back then I had to face the upcoming ending of my residence permit with no job and just enough savings for some months. A foreign job-seeker with a strong determination, which was tested several times in my pursue of a full-time job to make a living in Finland. THE BEGINNING OF THE JOURNEY I came to Finland with the sole goal of finishing my degree within my two-year scholarship. The idea of staying here came after meeting my now wife. We agreed that this cozy Nordic country was more convenient for our future plans. Hence, I had to carefully prospect my next steps. If coming here took me a couple of years of planning, to get a job without a network and knowing the language was not going to be an easy task. Anyway, I was happy to face it. After living here a while, I realized that regarding humanities, which is my field, Finnish was a huge obstacle to get a job. Also, although I have a reasonable previous working experience, since my mother tongue is not English, I was in disadvantage to native speakers when applying to job positions asking for “native or almost native English language skills”. I mean, I am proficient, but I make mistakes every now and then. Therefore, I considered as the most suitable option, to apply for a doctorate position. I enjoyed doing research, I had previous teaching experience… it was a good option. But to get the study rights to a doctorate position and to get a paid position are different things. A job does not just fall from heaven. So, I went back to planning stage, prospecting different research groups
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in Finland and also nearby countries, just in case. Luckily, after writing many emails, research plans and motivation letters, I got a paid doctorate position. It was not in Finland but close enough to have a reasonable long-distance relationship of visiting my beloved once or twice monthly. Also, it was aligned to my previous line of inquiry. I was happy, and for a moment I felt in heaven. Little did I know it hasn’t all been said yet. DON’T COUNT YOUR CHICKENS BEFORE THEY HATCH After arranging all the papers, saying goodbye to my friends, making plans with my partner, and a stressing COVID travel, I arrived at the new city. Then, everything started to crumble. I knew that part of my income would come from the government, but I ignored that it was a grant that in some cases was denied. Even doctorate students who got it, did not get the money until they got the local residence permit. But the tricky thing was that the process takes two months, and I got the acceptance letter barely 15 days in advance. The cherry of the cake? My boss and my coordinator told me different things when asking them about it. All those incidents were red flags for me. I have worked in organizations with similar problems before, and I have to say my experience was not good, to say the least. A piece of advice: if you detect them, stay and contribute to fix them or leave immediately. Also, after living here a couple of years, I realized that at the bottom of my heart I love order and clarity. So, I declined the offer and came back knowing my plans for the next four years were crashed. This time I had not chance to do some prep-work or plan. After deducting the travel expenses such as the goods I bought considering a 4-year stay, and I had to give away, I had enough savings for some months. The clock was ticking, and I had to start looking for a job straight away.
