Lea Jaena worked in a family in Hong Kong for many years. She had become very attached to the children in that family, and leaving them was not an easy thing to do. Sad goodbye was worthwhile as new life in Finland promised opportunities for better education, a good income, and working conditions.
When Lea arrived in Finland, it was a dark, cold, rainy day. Soon her mixed feelings about her decision to take such a massive leap in her life turned into excitement and happiness: Finland gave her a fantastic opportunity to learn a new profession and enjoy all the benefits employees in Finland have. A small, wealthy country in the northern outskirts of Europe also holds a promise to one day bring Lea’s family together.
“I first learned about HSS from my friend, who saw an ad on social media. First, I ignored the ad as it felt too good to be true,” tells Lea, but as she saw another ad later, something made her start searching for more information. “One night, I was almost falling asleep when suddenly I decided to get up and apply.”
Lea says that the whole HSS process is impressive as it is well planned and built: it has all the needed information about learning the language, introduction to the Finnish culture, level of skills required, process with immigration documents, flights, etc. “And once we arrived in Finland, we were warmly welcomed, and the intense one-month training was very well designed as well,” praises Lea about HSS’s way of working: “HSS truly is an ethical recruitment agency”.
“I was assigned to work in Mainiokoti Linnantaus in northern east Finland, Kajaani. Working there was very different from my previous job, but it didn’t matter as I could provide the level of caring required”. Living in Finland is not only work. There is time to explore and enjoy, too. “I liked Helsinki city center with its architecture and life events with street performances,” says Lea. Nature is near you everywhere you go in Finland, and Lea also enjoys the variety of Finnish woods and lakesides when she has leisure time: “Nature makes me relax, and I also enjoy taking pictures there”.
Lea says that in her opinion, Finland is the happiest nation in the world because the balance between social life and work is so good: “People here prioritize their well-being and family time”. Also, Finland is a multicultural country, and Finnish people are open to foreigners: “Finns are very respectful and honest people who like to teach us about their culture!”.
But it is not a coincidence that Lea is happy living in Finland: “It took me a lot of work and patience to earn my place here. My friend, who first introduced this opportunity, didn’t, unfortunately, pass the exam, so I believe that this is really meant for me” tells Lea and concludes: “This is an amazing opportunity for my career as well as for my personal life”.
For those who are considering coming to Finland, Lea says: “be patient and do your very best -then success will follow. If you have a dream, don’t give up! We are waiting to welcome you here!”