Open your door to international students – provide a summer internship

In summer 2026, the Cities of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa will implement a joint summer internship pilot that will connect employers with international bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and university of applied sciences students studying in Finland, as well as recent graduates. Through the programme, you can recruit a talent for a 2–3-month paid internship. The programme provides practical support to employers in recruiting and inducting an international student or recent graduate.

Why join?

Many international students obtain a high-quality degree in Finland, but few find a job that matches their education after graduation. At the same time, businesses are looking for talent for growth, development and internationalisation.

The summer internship programme is a supported and low-threshold way to:

  • find talent to support growth and development
  • bring new perspectives and language skills to the organisation
  • test recruitment before a potential longer-term employment relationship
  • strengthen the capacity to work in a diverse work community.

What kind of support will the employer receive?

You will receive concrete support for the entire recruitment process:

  • support in finding and selecting an intern
  • advice on employer obligations and practical matters
  • coaching for building a diverse work community
  • language awareness training.

Additionally, higher education institutions have their own internship grants that students can apply for to partly cover salary costs in accordance with the education institution’s conditions. The minimum salary for an intern is the minimum salary according to Kela’s annual work requirement (EUR 1,463 / month in 2026).

Kesäharjoitteluohjelma.
The summer internship programme.

What kind of talent is available?

The interns will come from the following higher education institutions: Aalto University, Hanken, University of Helsinki and Metropolia University of Applied Sciences.

The internships will be assigned based on the student’s skills and the employer’s actual needs.

The interns will bring in know-how from the following education programmes:

Aalto:

  • Fields of technology

Hanken:

  • Master's Programme in Intellectual Property and Business Law- Specialization in Intellectual Property Law (1 student)
  • International Strategy and Sustainability, focus sustainability (1 student)
  • Master's studies in Supply Chain Management, focus Humanitarian Logistics  (1 student)
  • Master’s in Marketing (1 student)

University of Helsinki:

  • Changing Education
  • Finnish Language and Culture
  • Contemporary Societies

Metropolia University of Applied Sciences:

  • Business School
  • Field of technology

For whom is the programme intended?

The programme is aimed at businesses and organisations that:

  • need talent for development, project work or internationalisation
  • want to try recruiting an international talent with support
  • are willing to provide a paid, degree-related internship.

A maximum of 16 employers will be selected for the programme.

Schedule

The call for employers and the preparation process will take place in early 2026.

The internships will take place between May and September 2026, lasting 2–3 months.

More information

Helsinki: Marita Nieminen-Seppälä,  marita.nieminen-seppala@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program)

Espoo: Wei Cui,  wei.cui@espoo.fi(Link opens default mail program)

Vantaa: Piia Pentti,  piia.pentti@vantaa.fi(Link opens default mail program)

Application form in Finnish(Link leads to external service)

Application form in English(Link leads to external service)

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