INTERNATIONAL TALENT AT TURKU SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS On becoming a doctoral student in Turku, Finland

On becoming a doctoral student in Turku, Finland

The number of international doctoral students at Turku School of Economics has increased steadily for the last 10 years. We met with two of them and talked about why they came to Turku and are they going to stay?

Teksti Elina Järvinen Henkilökuva Isabel Galvis, Elina Järvinen

Coming to Turku

Isabel Galvis Cardenas is a doctoral candidate in international business. She first came to Turku ten years ago from Ecuador to do a master’s degree in the Global Innovation Management program at Turku School of Economics (TSE). When considering studies abroad, she heard about Finland from a friend in Ecuador who was doing a master’s degree in Finland. He suggested that Finland could be a good option for her as the education is high quality and free for everyone (from 2017 onwards there has been a tuition fee in Finland for students outside EU).

Isabel returned to Ecuador after completing her master’s degree. However, in 2017, after few years of working as a consultant, she decided to return to Turku to do her PhD. “I found my passion, social entrepreneurship at TSE during my master’s studies and wanted to continue working further with that concept in my doctoral studies,” says Isabel. Now she is researching community building practices of an INGO (International Non-Governmental Organization) in a new local context.

“AT SOME POINT YOU KNOW WHERE YOU FIT, AND I FIT HERE, THE MOOD OF THE PEOPLE SUITS ME,” SAYS MOHAMED.

Originally from Egypt, Mohamed Farhoud, also known as Mo to his friends, came to Turku in 2019 to do a PhD in Entrepreneurship. Mohammed was already doing PhD studies at the University of Pretoria in South Africa when he decided to go for another PhD. Finland was on his list because he had been working as an engineering consultant for Nokia in the Gulf area before starting his studies in South Africa. “I was already aware of Finland,” says Mohamed.

Mohamed had several offers from different universities, but after talking to Ulla Hytti and Pekka Stenholm from the department of Entrepreneurship at TSE Mohamed decided that Turku would be the right place for him. Mohammed is now doing his PhD on a Cotutelle agreement which is a double doctoral degree. He’s PhD is jointly supervised by the University of Pretoria and University of Turku. Like Isabel Mohamed is interested in social entrepreneurship. He is researching how crowdfunding can help social enterprises to access recourses.

Dress the part

To be a Finn you must dress the part. “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes,” says Mohamed quoting the Norwegian saying. When arriving to Finland finding information on suitable clothes for wintertime was something that Mohamed struggled with. “It is not in the student brochure,” says Mohamed. “You feel cold, and you look at people around you and they seem to be doing just fine.” Now Mohamed is glad to share his insights to new international students who ask him tips for winter clothing. The first thing he tells them is the importance of having the right base layer.

When Isabel was leaving for Finland for the first time, she was told horror stories about the cold weather in Finland during wintertime. The scariest thing that she heard was that the outdoor temperature in Finland during winter was even colder than the temperature in a freezer. “I remember opening my freezer back home in Ecuador and putting my hand inside and thinking even colder than this – that’s cold,” describes Isabel. But when she arrived here, she realized that if you have good layering and materials you will get by.

A sense of belonging

When in a new environment one ponders “Do I belong here?”. Sense of belonging is a feeling that leads to higher levels of engagement and well-being. Working as a consultant, Mohamed got accustomed to moving around. “At some point you know where you fit, and I fit here, the mood of the people suits me,” says Mohamed. Isabel decided to come back to Finland for her PhD because she felt that even though Finland and Ecuador are culturally very different, against all odds, she felt at home in here.

. D ?ID YOU KNO W .

INFO THE PERCENTAGE OF INTERNATIONAL DOCTORAL STUDENTS IN DIFFERENT FACULTIES AT UNIVERSITY OF TURKU IN 2020

Turku School of Economics

Faculty of Technology and Faculty of Science

Faculty of Medicine

Faculty of Social Sciences

Faculty of Humanities

26% 42% 16% 13% 11%

“RELATIONSHIP BUILDING TAKES TIME,” SAYS ISABEL.

“IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO STAY IN FINLAND START BUILDING YOUR NETWORKS EARLY ON,” SHE ADDS.

Belonginess can be increased by engaging with others. According to studies international students with social networks in Finland are more likely to stay here after they finished their studies. During her time in Finland Isabel has actively seek out activities and groups of people with whom she has common interests. Isabel is volunteering at Ashoka the world’s leading promoter for social entrepreneurship but is also a keen salsa dancer. She advices international students to join hobbies but also network professionally. “Relationship building takes time,” says Isabel. “If you are planning to stay in Finland start building your networks early on,” she adds.

Future plans

Students who have graduated from doctoral programs are more likely to leave Finland after graduation than master students and students attending the university of applied sciences. About 60 % of doctors who graduated in 2011 were still in Finland three years later. Isabel would like to stay in Finland at least for couple of years after her PhD. She would like to combine a career in academia and her passion for working in the non-profit sector. After graduation international PhDs are more likely to stay at the same county where they studied than Finns. Also Mohamed is keen to stay in Finland, and especially in Turku after fin ishing his PhD. –-

> LÄHTEET:

Mahies, C., & Karhunen, H. (2019). Suomeen valmistumisen jälkeen jääneet tutkinto-opiskelijat tilastojen valossa. In V. Kazi, A. Alitolppa-Niitamo, & A. Kaihovaara (Eds.), Kotoutumisen kokonaiskatsaus 2019: tutkimusartikkeleita kotoutumisesta (pp. 69─78). Työ- ja elinkeinoministeriö. TEM oppaat ja muut julkaisut, 2019:10.

Opetushallinnon tilastopalvelu Vipunen, https://vipunen.fi/fi-fi

Turun yliopiston opiskelutilastot, www.utu.fi/fi/opiskelutilastot/ulkomaiset-opiskelijat

. D ?ID YOU KNO W .

INFO

81% 91%

FROM INTERNATIONAL DOCTORAL STUDENTS GRADUATED BETWEEN 2009 AND 2011, THE ONES THAT STAYED IN FINLAND WERE EMPLOYED WELL.

of international doctoral students were employed three years after graduation

of Finnish doctoral students were employed three years after graduation

the amount that international doctoral students pay taxes (3 years after graduation) after transfer payments have been reduced. 9000€