EURES helps Slovakian jobseeker find skilled work in Finland

Janne Vainikkala and Alexndra Mikulaslova

Alexandra had been in a job in the Slovakian export-import sector for two and a half years when she felt like she was no longer progressing. She started to think about her friends and schoolmates who had moved abroad, and the idea seemed interesting to her. “I knew that I wanted to try life abroad and travel a bit, it seemed appealing to me. I chose Finland based on my friends’ experience who had already been there,” she says.

Thanks to EURES, Alexandra and her boyfriend found work in the food industry in Finland, which did not require specific qualifications or Finnish language skills. Eventually, she left this job to study the Finnish language.

“During my language studies, I was looking for an internship, so I contacted my previous Finnish employer. I was interested in HR assignments and payroll, as in Slovakia I studied finance, banking and investments with a focus on financial management,” she says. “When I got in touch with the company, they had merged to become a part of Econia, another Finnish company that is also a EURES Member. Econia provides recruitment services for applicants from all over the world.”

Since 2014, Finnish EURES Adviser Tomi Puranen has worked closely with Janne Vainikkila from Econia to support jobseekers by delivering job fairs, recruitment trips, seminars, workshops, TE-live broadcasts and informational videos. They also participated in the EURESinAction event in Rome together in 2022.

“Alexandra is very good example of how people evolve in a new country and find their place in new culture and working practise,” says Janne.

“When Alexandra learned Finnish, she came back to work at Econia to contribute her own expertise in salary calculation. This shows how it becomes possible to find work in your own field of expertise later, when you have learned the local language,” notes Tomi.

Alexandra has been working for Econia for five months now, and shares how it has made her reflect on her own journey moving abroad.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to help and support workers and applicants in situations in which I have been in before myself,” she says. “Change like this is always a test for a person, and I have learned a lot about myself. I have gotten to meet new people and make new friends, I’ve learned about different cultures, and it has given me a new perspective.”

Alexandra is eager to praise the services provided by EURES to help her move abroad. “Moving abroad is not an easy thing, so people need assurances to help them make this decision. Trust is very important. EURES services are supported by authorities and officials, which helps with this a lot. I would certainly recommend EURES to jobseekers from Slovakia, as it is a safe way to get a job in another country.”

Interested in working abroad? Check out the EURES portal’s vacancies or contact a EURES Adviser for support.

Related links:

Econia

EURES: Find a job in Europe

Contact a EURES Adviser

Read more:

European Job Days

Find EURES Advisers

Living and working conditions in EURES countries

EURES Jobs Database

EURES services for employers

EURES Events Calendar