I’m sat at Helsinki Vantaa airport and I’m about to leave Finland for good. Two years ago it was all very different. I’d just managed to land a job teaching Business and Management and Economics at one of Finland’s better schools, Oulun Lyseon lukio. When I arrived in Oulu my initial impressions were extremely positive. My new colleagues seemed friendly, and I loved the old wooden buildings in the city centre. So where did it all go wrong, why have I decided to leave Oulu?

Many foreigners that I have known in Oulu have opted to leave Finland pretty quickly after arriving because they have been unable to find a permanent job here, despite the fact that, without exception, they have been talented and well-qualified individuals. A fair number also managed to learn Finnish too, but to little avail.  However, unemployment is not one of the reasons why I’m leaving. My employment was continuous throughout my two years in Oulu. The extreme climate of northern Finland, high rates of tax and deadly mosquitoes, the size of tractors, don’t feature highly on my list of “push” factors either.

No, the real reason for my decision is simple. Oulu might have an economic need for skilled foreigners. However, in practice, from what I’ve seen and heard, most Oululaiset do not want to share “their” city with foreigners. In short, I’m leaving because I do not feel accepted, let alone welcome, here in Oulu. Racism can show itself in many forms. Most of the foreigners living in Oulu have a story, or two, to tell about racism and their own experiences whilst living in Oulu. Africans that I’ve met though playing football in Oulu have told me about being beaten up, or spat at, by locals. Worse still they also told me that the local Police in Oulu were not interested in trying to find the individuals responsible for committing these crimes.

The racism that I’ve experienced as a white male has been subtle in comparison. Mostly, it involves being ostracised from mainstream Finnish society. For example, the foreigner might not be invited to the end of year social get together at work, or it might be the local tennis club that chooses to ignore a foreigners’ e-mail enquiring after membership. These small trivial daily exclusions add up to something quite significant: a feeling of not being wanted, a feeling that you are an unwelcome guest.  

The feeling amongst most ex-pats that I knew in Oulu was that it was impossible to be accepted here. Those without jobs felt that they were perceived by the locals to be parasites, living off handouts from the hardworking Finnish taxpayer. Even those with jobs felt unwelcome because they were perceived to be thieves, employed to do a job that rightfully belonged to a Finn.  Foreigners living in Finland are expected to ditch their own culture completely and adopt a Finnish way of living. The phrase that I’ve heard time and time again from Finns that sums up this attitude of mind is “foreigners should live in a country’s way.” 
 
From a foreigner's point of view this is an unappealing prospect. If Oulu is to attract and more importantly keep talented foreigners, this way of thinking must change. Oulu city council boldly proclaims Oulu is an “International city”. In practice Oulu will only truly become international when its foreign citizens are permitted to retain some of their own national culture. The current objective of assimilation, or at best integration, must be replaced with a new aim: the establishment of a tolerant, diverse multicultural society here in Oulu.  Achieving this goal will require a sea-change in the way people think and behave towards foreigners. For example, on several occasions when daring to speak English to my two-year old whilst shopping in Oulu, I was told that “you must speak Finnish in Finland”.  This is unacceptable.

Oulu city council is intent on trying to attracting foreign workers to Oulu. However, in my opinion greater emphasis needs to be placed on trying to keep the foreigners that are already here. Disillusioned foreigners that return home tell others about their experiences. Glitzy internet sites boasting about the benefits of living in Oulu are likely to become increasingly ineffective in the future as the number of returnees increases. Bad news spreads faster than good. There are signs that this process has already begun in earnest. Earlier this month Helsingin Sanomat reported that immigration into Finland had dropped by 25% during the last 12 months.  

Finally, in my experience there is one other “push” factor that causes foreigners to leave Oulu. Finns love to boast that they are more honest, hardworking and modest compared to other nationalities. We are also encouraged to believe, by the Finnish media, that Finland’s education, health care and other public services are the best in the world. In the long-term this bragging is counter-productive because it artificially raises the foreigners’ expectations. In practice, instances of dishonesty are just as common in Finland compared to any other country that I’ve ever lived in before. However, when a foreigner encounters dishonesty in Finland it irks more because Finns raised the bar. Exactly the same point applies to public services. Oulu city council could do well to take this point into account when designing web sites and other materials designed to promote the city and its attractions to foreigners.

So, what can Oulu council do to improve the situation? The first and the most important step for the city council would be to engage in meaningful dialogue with its immigrant population. Foreigners who already live here in Oulu can give the council general feedback, ideas, and possible solutions to the problems affecting immigrants. A second, obvious step Oulu council could choose would be to hire more foreign employees. At present less than 30 foreign nationals are employed by the city council. This figure ought to be a considerable embarrassment for the city council, given the demographics of Oulu. Thirdly, the council needs to convince the local Police to take racist crimes more seriously. Finally, more Finnish for foreigners’ language courses could be provided. At present these courses are frequently over-subscribed. Places on these courses tend to be rationed according to the qualifications possessed by the applicants. Those without a university degree find it almost impossible to be accepted onto a full time Finnish for foreigners’ language course.  

(Nigel Watson now lives and works in Guildford, Surrey)