Savonia-artikkeli: Supporting international students in Finland: lessons from the pilot programme
This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At Savonia University of Applied Sciences, a new pilot programme was launched in 2024-2025 as part of the Working Ability Project. The goal of this initiative was to support international students – specifically those enrolled in the Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, in building a stronger sense of integration within Finnish society and the higher education system. At its core, the programme focused on one of the most fundamental human needs: the need to belong. To better understand the belonging we need to first have a closer look on the “Peacock’s Tail”.
Understanding the “Peacock’s Tail” of international students
To frame the complexities faced by international students, the concept of a “peacock’s tail” serves as a useful metaphor, initially brought by John Whittington in his book “Systemic Coaching & Constellations”. This image represents the unique identity each person carries – shaped by their values, beliefs, fears, strengths, cultural background, and life experiences. Our personal “tail” evolves as we move through various relationship systems, from family to school, to workplaces, and broader society. Culture, as a larger system, influences all of these.
For international students arriving in Finland, their carefully cultivated “tails” are often challenged. They find themselves navigating unfamiliar educational, cultural, and social systems, often without the foundational support of friends or family. This transition can be jarring, leaving students feeling that their identities are misunderstood or devalued. Cultural norms feel impenetrable, language barriers persist despite the existance of English in cities, and everyday routines become sources of stress and disconnection.
These pressures take a toll. Students may unconsciously adopt coping patterns – projecting independence while yearning for connection, overcommitting or withdrawing, or attempting to belong to multiple spaces without truly fitting into any. These survival strategies often come at a cost, contributing to exhaustion, impostor syndrome, and emotional disengagement. Indeed, this emotional toll may explain why nearly half of international students in Finland plan to leave after graduation, citing a lack of opportunity and connection.
From concept to practice: designing the pilot
Against this backdrop, the pilot sought to create a safe space for reflection, peer support, and experiential learning. The programme focused on second-year students under the assumption that, by then, they would have developed enough familiarity with Finnish life to bring valuable insights to the group.
A “learning circle” format was chosen, designed to foster collective learning from both personal and shared experiences. The idea was to help students experiment with new ways of addressing the challenges they face, while the group setting would offer mutual encouragement and reduce the sense of isolation.
When intent meets reality: initial challenges
While the programme was well-intentioned and 12 students initially signed up, only half attended the first session, and over time, only two students participated consistently. This stark drop in engagement highlighted a disconnect between the programme’s structure and the day-to-day realities of the students it aimed to support.
What we heard: key insights from participants
Through honest conversations with the remaining participants, several important themes emerged:
· financial pressures: many students work alongside their studies to manage basic living costs, making it hard to commit to extracurricular activities.
· lack of academic credit: activities that don’t offer credit or little credit are often seen as non-essential, regardless of their potential for personal growth or emotional support.
· emotional weight of the topic: the pilot touched on sensitive, often painful topics. By their second year, many students were confronting feelings of exclusion – struggling to find internships, facing limited social integration, and wrestling with a growing sense that they don’t truly belong. These challenges are compounded by factors such as the language barrier, cultural distance, and Finland’s long, dark winters.
As we discovered, working with students in this emotional and psychological state is particularly complex. Even when there’s a desire to engage, the process of confronting uncomfortable realities—without adequate external motivation or credit—can lead to early withdrawal.
Rethinking the approach: lessons and next steps
This experience made it clear that support must come much earlier. Rather than targeting second-year students, integration efforts should begin from the moment of application and continue through onboarding, orientation, and the following semesters. Providing guidance early – on study practices, daily life, and social integration, can help prevent the development of a defensive or disengaged mindset.
More than a one-time intervention, such support must be sustained throughout the student’s academic journey. Over time, the focus can evolve from initial cultural orientation to academic adaptation, and eventually to career development and working life in Finland.
International students face challenges that are often invisible to Finnish peers. They navigate different systems, bear heavier emotional loads, and are more vulnerable in academic and professional spaces. They don’t just need information – they need connection, recognition, and belonging.
Toward a culture of belonging
Ultimately, what’s needed is a more cooperative and flexible support system – one that makes space for international students to reveal and embrace their full identities, their “peacock’s tails.” This means not only university-based interventions, but broader cultural shifts in the workplace and society to better welcome diverse backgrounds.
Change doesn’t happen through grand gestures alone; it emerges through small, sustained actions. With early, continuous, and culturally sensitive support, we can help international students move from surviving to thriving – transforming their time in Finland from a test of endurance into a meaningful chapter of growth, belonging, and contribution.
Agnieszka Laherto
International Coordinator and Business Coach
Wellbeing specialist in Tulevaisuuden työkyky project, Savonia UAS
