New Perspectives and Results – Experiences of Hiring an International Trainee
Frank Ofori, originally from Ghana, brought fresh perspectives to reaching international job seekers during his internship at Luotsi. The survey he conducted provides valuable insights into job search channels, challenges and information needs, and supports the development of more targeted communication. At the same time, the internship offered Ofori an encouraging learning experience, allowing him to become familiar with Finnish working culture while further developing his skills. The trainee was recruited through Talent Hub Eastern Finland following a carefully managed recruitment process based on close cooperation.
During spring 2026, Frank Ofori worked as a higher education trainee at Luotsi North Karelia Employer Services, as part of a team of EURES experts Juha Forsblom and Johanna Tolvanen, who focus on promoting international employment. Frank, originally from Ghana, is currently completing his degree in Educational Sciences at the University of Eastern Finland. He has nine years of teaching experience.
New Insights to Support Communication Development
As part of his internship, Frank designed a survey based on the team’s needs, targeting international job seekers already living in Joensuu and the wider North Karelia region. The purpose of the survey was to identify where international job seekers look for job opportunities and which social media channels they use for this purpose. In addition, the survey explored what kind of preconceptions newcomers had about the labour market in Finland and North Karelia before arriving.
- The goal is to improve our team’s communication, better reach international job seekers, and understand what kind of information they are looking for, Juha and Johanna from Luotsi explain.
Frank was responsible for drafting the survey questions and identifying suitable distribution channels. His contribution was particularly valuable in refining the details of the survey.
- Frank is better able than we are to put himself in the position of our target group, as someone who has moved here from abroad and works part-time alongside his studies, Juha notes.
Experiences and Observations from the Internship
Frank found the atmosphere at Luotsi very encouraging and welcoming. There was hardly any language barrier within the team, as English was the working language during the internship. At the same time, he also learned some Finnish. The internship experience and the survey results have encouraged Frank to invest more in learning Finnish.
During the internship, he also became familiar with Finnish working culture. He found the main task of the internship – implementing the survey – very important and interesting.
- I drafted the questions according to the employer’s wishes. Together, we refined the survey into a publishable format on the Webropol platform, Frank says.
At the end of the internship, Frank summarised the key findings of the survey:
- Luotsi’s role is fairly well known, but finding information about it is considered somewhat challenging. By far, the most sought-after information concerns job opportunities. Many people use informal channels and their groups, such as WhatsApp and Facebook, in their job search.
A key challenge identified was the lack of feedback from employers on job applications. It is often difficult for applicants to know whether they are progressing in the recruitment process or whether their application was considered strong – and how they could improve their applications in the future.
The Internship Recruitment Process in Practice
The trainee was found with the assistance of the Talent Hub Eastern Finland activities of six educational institutions in Eastern Finland.
- We described the kinds of projects we wanted the trainee to work on. We had a fairly clear goal from the start, which was to create the survey, Juha and Johanna recall.
Talent Hub Eastern Finland prepared the job advertisement, which was distributed through various channels to students and coordinators at the Joensuu campus of the University of Eastern Finland and Karelia University of Applied Sciences. In addition, hundreds of applicant profiles from the Talent Pool database were accessible.
From among the applicants, Talent Hub project specialist Maria Saastamoinen interviewed four students.
- We want to ensure that the internship is a successful experience for both the employer and the student. That is why we conduct preliminary interviews to reduce the risk of mismatch. During these interviews, we assess motivation and whether the applicant has familiarised themselves with the employer, Maria Saastamoinen explains.
The applications and CVs of these four candidates were then forwarded by Talent Hub to the employer, in this case the EURES experts at Luotsi North Karelia.
- We interviewed all four candidates and could have happily selected any of them. We chose Frank because his studies focus on the challenges faced by international job seekers. He also has strong networks that were useful for distributing our survey, Juha and Johanna explain.
Maria Saastamoinen emphasises that applying for an internship is itself an important learning process for students. Preparing an application and CV, familiarising oneself with the employer, and attending a job interview are often first-time experiences in Finland for international students, which can naturally feel challenging.
The internship experience shows that a well-planned internship can bring new perspectives to the employer and provide the student with a valuable first step into working life in Finland.