The OSU project – students who have graduated as teachers abroad complete their studies at TAMK to get qualification to work in Finland as teachers

The first group of 15 students began their studies in October at the Tampere University of Applied Sciences School of Professional Teacher Education (TAOK). The autumn application period is open until 21^st of November, and the next application round will be in the spring from 23^rd of January to 30^th of April 2025. The complementary studies were prepared in the OSU – project, funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture, in cooperation with other vocational teacher education colleges and SIMHE (Supporting Immigrants in Higher Education in Finland) services. Similar implementations are also organised in other professional teacher education colleges.

Hanna Ilola, the director of Pedagogical Innovations and Culture, says that the education strengthens the opportunities for immigrants to find suitable teaching positions.

“It is important that teachers have diverse backgrounds – it sets a good example and provides support for many students, learners, and their families from other cultures. Multicultural backgrounds also enrich the activities of the pedagogical community. The flexible application process has proven its necessity. There is no need to wait for an annual application period, since the basic teaching skills are already in place.”

Updating the teacher education completed abroad to meet Finnish qualification requirements may have previously been a laborious process for students. The Finnish National Agency for Education makes an equivalence decision for each student, determining which complementary studies they need to complete in addition to their previous degree.

The challenge has been that individual complementary studies have not necessarily been available. Many students have applied for professional teacher education, even though they would need significantly fewer studies to qualify in Finland. There are many applicants for professional teacher education, and it may have been challenging to be accepted into the programme for those who have completed their degree abroad.

On the first contact teaching day of the education, the students reflected on their strengths.
"Motivation, equality, honesty, reliability, cultural competence, and the right approach with each student. Teacher studies provide a boost towards professionalism," the students reflected.

The studies are conducted in Finnish. It is important for the students to strengthen the professional vocabulary of their teaching field when working as a teacher.

"In teacher tutoring, the key aspects are guiding the students in their studies, supporting their learning process, and promoting networking with local community and educational stakeholders. Essential part is also to study co-teaching with other teacher students. It is particularly important that the selected teacher students experience studying and a sense of belonging with other future professional teacher students," says Kosti Nivalainen, the lecturer responsible for the education.

The OSU-project was the initial impetus for the education

The OSU-project, funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture, which completed last year, aimed to supplement the official qualifications of teachers with an immigrant background to meet the Finnish school system. Another important goal was to support the employment of teachers with an immigrant background in Finland.

A key finding in the project was, that as the number of immigrants has increased, also the need for special support and guidance services has grown. Additionally, there is a need for broader cultural competence at various educational levels. For this reason, it is important to have teachers with multicultural backgrounds.

It is possible to apply for complementary pedagogical studies if you meet the following requirements:
• An equivalence decision from the Finnish National Agency for Education for completing pedagogical studies
• A relevant higher education degree
• The necessary work experience, if there is an intention to become a teacher for parts of a vocational degree
• Sufficient proficiency in the Finnish language

The complementary studies and teaching practice begin flexibly after the student selection. The studies include educational science courses, didactic studies and supervised practice. Each student will have a personal study plan. During the studies, there will be individual discussions with the teacher tutor about the progress of the studies.