Anna moved to Finland in 2014. She enjoys the city and gets to do a variety of work. Read about all the things Anna gets to do in her job.

 

Career story in Finnish at Hämeenlinna.fi: Anna Kolata – Hämeenlinna (hameenlinna.fi)

I work for the City of Hämeenlinna as an immigration and relocation advisor and as a website editor. I started working in the integration promotion service in April 2019, initially as an immigrant advisor. Over the years, my job duties have evolved according to my skills. I began assisting with the myintegration.fi website while it was still a project. When the project ended, I continued to update the content and started writing and translating texts into English.

Before joining the integration service, I did a traineeship as a teaching assistant at various schools in Hämeenlinna, as I am also a qualified English language teacher.

What made you apply for a job at the City of Hämeenlinna?

I moved to Finland in 2014 and immediately felt that I wanted to work in this particular city. I wanted to contribute positively to this wonderful place where my career brought me and my family.

What are your responsibilities in your current job?

I currently have quite versatile responsibilities. I help internationals in Hämeenlinna to support their integration and inclusion into society. I meet them at the International Service Centre in Kastelli, and I provide services in Finnish, English, and Polish. I also write content for the myintegration.fi website in both Finnish and English, and I update our social media. My responsibilities include various communication tasks.

What’s the best thing about your job?

Versatility. I feel I can develop my job tasks according to my skills and make an impact. Communication tasks require extensive cooperation with various services. I have great colleagues – I’ve made friends, and we’ve even travelled to my hometown, Krakow!

What kind of work community do you have?

We have a very diverse work community. My team is international and open to diversity. We aim to strengthen the attractiveness of the city of Hämeenlinna, and we understand that diversity and international growth are key to Finland’s future. We want to be part of this great future!

What is it like to work at the City of Hämeenlinna?

It’s really interesting work; I feel that each day is different. I meet many people from different sectors and have managed to build a good network through my communication tasks. It’s also really easy to get along with everyone – people help a lot, listen to each other, smile, and say hello in the corridors. It is an honour to work for the City of Hämeenlinna!

How has the City of Hämeenlinna supported your professional development and career path?

I often participate in various training sessions. I can choose which training I want to attend, and my team leader always supports and encourages me to participate in different events and training. It’s really good that the city offers different development opportunities because it’s really important for me to learn new things.

Tell us about a particularly memorable experience or achievement from your career working for the city.

I have had quite a lot of memorable experiences in my customer work. I hear how difficult it is sometimes to find your place in a new country. I try to solve everyday worries and provide people with information. Sometimes I tell other internationals about my career at the City of Hämeenlinna and notice that it is important for them to hear that a person whose native language is not Finnish has managed to learn the language and find a job.

It is also a great achievement for me to be able to update such a large website that works in seven different languages and inform foreign-language residents through different channels.

Why should you apply for a job with us?

If you want to participate in and influence the building and development of services in Hämeenlinna, if you want to work in a positive and encouraging work environment, and if Hämeenlinna is in your heart, then you should apply for a job with us. Hämeenlinna is a great place to work.

Read more about the career stories of the City of Hämeenlinna.

text in Finnish and translation: Anna Kolata, Hämeenlinnan kaupunki,2014