Working in Finland without speaking Finnish
Hi,
I'm a foreigner who have been working and living in Finland (small city in Satakunta area) for 7 years till now. The initial reason for coming to Finland was Work: I am a non-EU citizen, the first foreign country that I moved to was France where I pursued for a Master's degree and got a job after graduation (by speaking fluent French), it was my former French employer who assigned me later to Finland for their projects.
Under the context of economic recession, top 1 unemployment rate in EU, anti-immigrantion is being discussed more and more in public, I start to realize that no matter how hard I work and buid my career and family here, I'm not integrated to the society due to the lack of Finnish language skill, there's no one to blame but myself. I would say I barely need Finnish language at work since I have always been working in an international environment. I changed a couple of positions but always in the same sector which I am enthusiastic about, and luckily, never got myself in an unemployed situation. I believe in independence and self-provide, in my homecountry, people would feel "shamed" if you are receiving social welfare. I'm satisfied with the life I have built by my own effort, settled down in a house with loan paid off, adopted a dog with my husband. In private life, no huge issues caused by not speaking the language, most local people understand / speak good English even not in the capital area, and with the limited Finnish words/sentences I know, I can have some pleasant small talk with neighbors and be comfortable in social activities. Also I made some local friends.
My work language is always English, me and my Fin husband also speak English only at home. I tried several times to enroll in a night class/ online class, but failed to persist due to the hectic schedule at work, constant business trips and my own problem of laziness (yes I admit it's not easy to study with a full-time job, house renovation, garden work etc)... In the beginning years of my stay in Finland, learning language was not my top priority, with time flies, I built my comfort zone. But recently, I sometimes feel upset and guilty for not learning Finnish....a skilled foreign worker is not appreciated if he speaks English only, that's what I am feeling more and more strongly. Any foreigner here feeling the same way? Or locals to share your opinion towards foreign workers who speak in English only.