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Tsemppi - a safety net for international students

Government offices, banks, residence permits, and course plans.  In addition to their place of study and career plans, foreign students are faced with plenty of riddles to solve when starting their studies in Finland.  Tsemppi – an Organization for International Students was founded five years ago at the University of Helsinki. It offers foreign students a safety net, providing help with questions about matters related to studies, bureaucracy and more.

"Tsemppi was founded especially for the needs of foreign students who are completing their whole degrees at the University of Helsinki. It exists to narrow the gap between the Finnish student organisations and the Erasmus Student Network," says Julia Toivanen, the chairperson of Tsemppi.

In addition to generally making the international students heard, Tsemppi aims to provide them with tools to integrate with Finnish society. For Anna Bessonova, a sociology student from St Petersburg, the important thing was to get moving and be active. The relaxed hanging-out atmosphere together of the early stages later turned into more concrete help in matters pertaining to bureaucracy and studies.

"If I was in need of help there was always some number to call. This way having fun can prove also useful."

In addition to various events and visits, Tsemppi organises meetings that acquaint students with problems related to various themes.

"We don’t always necessarily have all the answers but we know experts who can help," says Toivanen.

Lately, issues pertaining to the world of work and Finnish language have proved particularly important for students planning to stay longer or even permanently in Finland, especially in the case of doctoral students.  To respond to this need, one of the services provided by Tsemppi is a Finnish language club.

“More and more intelligent people who are a benefit to society are coming to Finland, not only as researchers at the university but also in the private sector and as part of governmental organisations.  They are a resource for the future and it would be a shame if they moved away from here just because employers are scared of hiring them", says Bessonova.

The two women demand this same open-mindedness from Finnish students.

Despite our mission, we are not exclusive and everyone interested in internationalism is welcome – including Finnish people!

Text: Kai Maksimainen
Photo: Veikko Somerpuro
Translation: AAC