Multicultural Work-Life Coaching in spring 2026
Join the Multicultural Work-Life Coaching!
Whether you’re a Finnish student considering an international career or an international student navigating the Finnish job market, the Multicultural Work-Life Coaching is designed to support your growth, career identity, and employability in today’s diverse and global working world.
Over the course of the spring term, you’ll take part in a coaching journey that helps you reflect on your career story, understand your strengths, and build practical tools for thriving in multicultural work environments, both in Finland and abroad.
What’s it all about?
This coaching program brings together a group of 25 international and Finnish students from different study backgrounds for a shared experience of learning, growth, and exchange. You’ll gain valuable insight into:
- How your values, background, and personality shape your career identity
- What it takes to navigate cultural differences in the workplace
- How to understand the local job market and communicate with employers
- What cultural intelligence looks like in real working life situations
- How to become more confident in your own story, skills, and aspirations
The coaching is based on career theories, including narrative career counselling, life design and career construction theory, as well as cultural intelligence frameworks. You’ll be encouraged to explore your experiences deeply and creatively, building a personal career portfolio as the output of this coaching.
What’s included?
The coaching includes a mix of group and individual sessions:
- 3 joint sessions with all participants (scroll for dates)
- 3 small group sessions focused on reflection and peer learning (scroll for dates)
- An individual career counselling session with a career counsellor
- An employer visit to meet professionals and learn from the field
Sessions are interactive and reflective, designed to help you learn from each other’s stories, worldviews, and career goals in an encouraging space.
Who can apply and when?
The coaching is open to students at the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, curious about how culture, identity, and self-awareness connect to career choices:
- International students seeking to understand Finnish working life and reflect on their career development
- Finnish students interested in working internationally or in diverse teams
You don’t need to have a clear career plan. What matters is that you’re open to exploring who you are, where you’re going, and how to get there, with others who are doing the same.
The application period is open until March 12th.
Schedule
All sessions are held on campus in Turku.
Dates for the mandatory joint sessions are:
- Friday 20 March, 12:00-15:00
- Friday 24 April, 12:00-15:00
- Friday 29 May, 12:00-15:00
Mandatory Small group sessions (you will be part of one group, choose your preference in the application form):
Small group 1: March 25, 13:00-14:30 / April 8, 13:00-14:30 / May 12, 14:00-15:30
Small group 2: March 26, 10:00-11:30 / April 9, 10:00-11:30 / May 12, 12:00-13:30
Small group 3: March 26, 13:00-14:30 / April 9, 13:00-14:30 / May 13, 14:00-15:30
Small group 4: March 27, 10:00-11:30 / April 10, 10:00-11:30 / May 13, 12:00-13:30
The Multicultural Work-Life Coaching is part of the university’s UNICOM+ -project, co-funded by the European Union and aiming at increasing the employability of international university talents in the region.
Contact:
Lotta Metsärinne, Career Counsellor / UNICOM+ project planner
lotta.metsarinne(at)utu.fi
