My Tour4Youth journey: Teija

Previous experience in a similar project brought her to work in Tour4Youth

The Tour4Youth program is an international project consisting of project experts from Finland, Estonia and Latvia. One of them is Teija, a tourism lecturer and a researcher in Satakunta University of Applied Sciences. Teija previously worked as a project manager in a similar project and it brought her to work as an expert in Tour4Youth.

Teija’s previous project revolved around the same themes as in Tour4Youth: help young people get employment in tourism, hospitality and catering sectors. As it ended, she was asked to continue to work in T4Y.

Doing is the best way to learn

Teija’s initial task was to produce the Career Management Online Course in Moodle platform, together with another project expert Jonna. It was a big learning experience for her. Teija has also been involved in organising events including an Online Job Event which was a live-stream-event. In Teija’s own words:

“To do a Moodle course -it was a hectic but rewarding experience. I also got to know how to organise an event and I made a lot of new contacts and new ways of working.”

The online course is a free, self-studied online course built to support career management. It is open for anyone interested in these themes, but for trainee participants in Tour4Youth it is a mandatory step before proceeding to traineeship.

“Through the online course, one can easily work on writing and understanding English, do some career planning and learn self-awareness and job search skills. It also gives you the possibility to learn more about the HoReCa sector. Afterwards, you can discuss your options with a project worker. One can for example go to the Baltic countries for a traineeship for a maximum of 8 weeks. I see that at best you can get employed and gain a huge amount of experience through project events and internships, and make new friends and network.“

Teija’s part in the project has truly been a hands-on approach. Upon learning about her accomplishments in the project, it becomes clear she is a great example of someone who teaches as she does:

“Be brave to make decisions, and don’t be afraid to find out more about things or to reflect on your own strengths. Doing is the best way to learn – even apply for jobs where you think at first you don’t have enough experience.”

International students bring insights into cultural differences

Personal coaching is offered for participants as part of the project. Also for Teija, her experience working as a teacher has increased her knowledge on cultural aspects:

“Being a teacher has especially brought more cultural knowledge, and the same has been strengthened by personal conversations with international students, and being able to compare with Finnish culture and working methods.”

For us older people it might sound like a fun and unforgettable possibility to leave your home country and go for a traineeship abroad when you’re young. The reality amongst youngsters, ages 15-24, however, is not so:

“Probably the biggest thing that has surprised me is that the young people involved in the project were not as ready to go abroad for a traineeship as we thought they would be.”

When asked about Teija’s thoughts on how to further develop projects like these in which she has been working for the past few years, she says:

“Employer readiness to employ international students/immigrants, which should also be supported by the community by understanding that not everyone speaks perfect Finnish. More encounters with workers for young people.”