Visiting employee from the city of Jyväskylä, Finland
New experiences, professional skills and language learning abroad!
Employees of the City of Jyväskylä are offered an annual opportunity to apply for a 1 to 3 month period of training and work abroad. Through the international training program, Jyväskylä city employees can improve their international competence and obtain new skills and ideas for their work from abroad. Simultaneously, employees from abroad will have a reciprocal opportunity to work for the City of Jyväskylä.
A total of 2 to 5 people from the staff of City of Jyväskylä can be selected to the training program each year. There is one application period per year, starting in May and ending in August. To be selected, applicants must contribute actively to the realisation of the working period and possess proper motivation for their work and its development.
Setting objectives
The working period must provide each person with learning opportunities and challenges on their respective area of expertise. Objectives for the working period are set together with the supervisor. The pretraining includes language studies and the planning of a personal learning process. The persons must command the local language well enough to be able to perform their work tasks. From the point of view of both the city employee working abroad and the receiving organisation, the best way to ensure a successful work period abroad is to set the objectives for the period together and to find an active contact person in the target organisation. The rewards of the trip shall be reported within 3 months of returning home.
Location for working abroad
The city's international networks and cooperation municipality connections are utilised in the search of locations. Previous locations include Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Germany, France, the Netherlands, the UK, Scotland, Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, Israel, Russia, Australia, the USA and Tanzania. The receiving organisation should participate in the planning of work tasks and work orientation and provide the employee with a suitable workspace.
Responsibilities regarding payments
During the working period, an employee of the City of Jyväskylä will receive his/her salary as per normal practice. The City of Jyväskylä reimburses the travel costs of its employees working abroad as well as reasonable rent costs in the destination country. The employees are responsible for any other costs abroad.
Utilisation of experience since 2000
The international visiting employee programme started in 2000. Annually, a total of 2 to 5 people have worked abroad in assignments related to their work in Finland. A variety of city experts and professionals have worked abroad, among them a class teacher, a nursery school teacher, a headmaster, a youth worker, a nurse, a fireman, a dentist, an instructor of the mentally handicapped, a school assistant, a physician and a librarian.
The participants of the programme have gained rewarding and positive experiences. International working experience and ideas from abroad have been utilised in different organisations of the City of Jyväskylä.
More information:
Ms Satu Heikkinen, International Relations Manager
E-mail: satu.heikkinen[at]jkl.fi, Tel.+358 14 26 61561
Ms Varpu Autere, Liaison Assistant
E-mail: varpu.autere[at]jkl.fi, Tel: +358 14 26 61560