International Degree Students : a Survey of Studying, Working and Living in Turku
Laine, Tytti-Maaria (2016)
Avaa tiedosto
Lataukset:
Laine, Tytti-Maaria
Siirtolaisuusinstituutti
2016
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-7167–05–2
https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-7167–05–2
Kuvaus
Preface
Summary
List of figures
List of tables
1 Introduction
2 International student mobility
2.1 The global view
2.2 The competition on international students in Europe
2.3 International degree students in Finland
2.4 International degree students in Turku
3 Survey data
3.1 Methodology
3.2 The respondents’ profile
4 The attraction of Turku
5 Studies in Turku
5.1 Studies at Åbo Akademi University
5.2 Studies at the University of Turku
5.3 Studies at Turku University of Applied Sciences
5.4 Studies at Novia University of Applies Sciences
5.5 International students and Turku as a place to study and live
6 International students’ Finnish language skills and availability of Finnish language courses
7 Internship and employment
8 Who decides to stay in Turku?
9 Main findings
10 Conclusion
References
Appendix: The survey questions.
Summary
List of figures
List of tables
1 Introduction
2 International student mobility
2.1 The global view
2.2 The competition on international students in Europe
2.3 International degree students in Finland
2.4 International degree students in Turku
3 Survey data
3.1 Methodology
3.2 The respondents’ profile
4 The attraction of Turku
5 Studies in Turku
5.1 Studies at Åbo Akademi University
5.2 Studies at the University of Turku
5.3 Studies at Turku University of Applied Sciences
5.4 Studies at Novia University of Applies Sciences
5.5 International students and Turku as a place to study and live
6 International students’ Finnish language skills and availability of Finnish language courses
7 Internship and employment
8 Who decides to stay in Turku?
9 Main findings
10 Conclusion
References
Appendix: The survey questions.
Tiivistelmä
International degree students are an important resource for Finland and Turku. The number of them in Turku has almost tripled since 2004. It is vital for the local economy that the students stay in Turku after their graduation and find employment. This study examines what attracts international students to Turku, how are they integrating into Turku, what could be done to help this integration process, and finally, what do the students plan to do after their graduation.
The study is based on a survey sent to all international degree students of Åbo Akademi University, the University of Turku, Turku University of Applied Sciences and Novia University of Applied Sciences’ Turku campus. 303 students responded to the survey in September 2015.
The results of this study show that although international students seem to be very happy with their studies in Turku, many students need more help with career planning, finding internships and learning Finnish. Most of the international students graduating in 2015/2016 had either completed an internship in Finland or had been employed in Turku. A third of the respondents had done both. Internships were found to be an extremely efficient stepping stone towards employment. Two thirds of the respondents stated that they would prefer staying in Finland after graduation if work was available. Also, two thirds of the respondents were interested or possibly interested in becoming self-employed in Turku.
The study is based on a survey sent to all international degree students of Åbo Akademi University, the University of Turku, Turku University of Applied Sciences and Novia University of Applied Sciences’ Turku campus. 303 students responded to the survey in September 2015.
The results of this study show that although international students seem to be very happy with their studies in Turku, many students need more help with career planning, finding internships and learning Finnish. Most of the international students graduating in 2015/2016 had either completed an internship in Finland or had been employed in Turku. A third of the respondents had done both. Internships were found to be an extremely efficient stepping stone towards employment. Two thirds of the respondents stated that they would prefer staying in Finland after graduation if work was available. Also, two thirds of the respondents were interested or possibly interested in becoming self-employed in Turku.