Take your first step towards internationalisation – hire an international intern with support, easily

Lead-in paragraph

Do you want to bring new perspectives and international expertise to your team? The Internationalisation Kickstart offers your company a supported and flexible route to recruiting an international intern, with direct access to dozens of top talents. Through the programme, you will find an intern who matches your exact needs, and receive practical support throughout the process – from introducing suitable candidates to recruitment and induction.

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 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 – saving you from processing hundreds of applications
advice on employer obligations and practical matters
coaching for building a diverse work community – a competitive advantage that ensures your company’s success in a changing labour market
coaching for leading a multilingual work community and tips on good practices

Additionally, higher education institutions have their own internship grants that students can apply for to partly cover salary costs in accordance with the 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), including the employer’s social costs.

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.

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
the internship offers the company an easy and flexible way to bring international expertise into the team according to their own needs

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