How do you get a job in Estonia? Well, I do not have an answer to this question yet, but I think I am heading to the right way to know it. Tallinn University is a good point to start. The university gives you the opportunity to meet people from every part of the world, and it offers seminars to show you how to apply for a job here. [caption id="attachment_6912" align="alignleft" width="300"] Franca participating in the Welcoming Programme.[/caption] Besides, there is the Welcoming Programme. It is coordinated by the Ministry of the Interior and provided by Expat Relocation Estonia, IOM Estonia, the Estonian Research Council and the Archimedes Foundation. The aim of this project is to help people to settle in Estonia. I have participated in the Welcoming Programme and I could say that it is very useful for me. The programme has different modules, each one dedicated to specific aspect of daily life. I took the Research module where they gave us legal information about right of residence and temporary residence permit. Then we saw the structure of the research and higher education system. The lecturer was Abel Polese. He was very clear on things like the importance of publications in academic career and how to be motivated to do a research in several fields of knowledge. I learnt about ETIS (the Estonian Research Portal). After that we talked about the Estonian academic networks and organizations and the Organization of Research and Development Act (ORDA). I also took the Basic module where we learnt how the Republic of Estonian governed. After that, we had an introduction to the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia. They showed us the www.eesti.ee page, and all the data which is there. During the afternoon we talked about the civil society in Estonia and the civil conditions in Estonia. They explained us the health care system and how the transport works here. Finally we did some very funny exercises to describe an Estonian and the Estonian culture. I continued with the Studying module. There they introduced to us the Estonian education system and how it works. The great development on IT solutions is because Estonia’s population is small, and they need to do more activities automatically. Another reason is because Estonians do not like personal communication. The module ended with a talk about academic culture and the students’ support services. Between November, 2015 and January, 2016 the Basic Level Language Training takes place. I am taking my Estonian language course on every Monday and Friday. I really want to understand and speak the language of the place I chose to live in. I think that learning Estonian language is the key to demonstrate that you have the will to integrate into the Estonian society, and that you are not just a tourist in the city. I also participated in Work in Estonia Fair. It was an event organized by the Estonian government and different private organizations to help the international students to get a job in Estonia. We had a lecture about what we have to take into account when signing an employment contract. After that we had an interesting introduction to Estonian work culture and two girls introduced us how they started their start-ups. Finally we met some companies that were interested in hiring international students to work in Estonia. This was useful to start building your network. Work in Estonia webpage also provides helpful information about working in Estonia. Also Tallinn University Career and Counselling Centre supports you and helps students to make informed decisions concerning their careers. Text by TU's student ambassador Franca Santia (International Relations MA student).  

Read more about the International Relations MA programme and admission requirements from our webpage.

Ask our student ambassadors what they think about the programme: tlu.ee/ambassadors.