Our alumni Joanna Rengel: Learning the language was the key to multicultural work

– Learn Finnish and take a warm winter jacket with you!

Joanna Rengel would give this advice to international students and job seekers who want to stay in Finland.

When Rengel herself came from Spain to Finland as an exchange student in the fall of 2017, she didn't know a word of Finnish. Even the cold weather surprised her.

The young woman was only going to be in Finland for a short time. Then she met her Finnish husband, and her plans changed.

Joanna Rengel had graduated in Spain as a social worker and early childhood educator. However, finding employment in Finland was difficult due to the lack of language skills.

– I didn't want to stay in Finland without a job. I first worked as an intern in Sweden and as a youth coach in Åland. After that, I got a job in a kindergarten in Finland, where I could work in English. I also learned some Finnish there.

However, Rengel did not want to stay working at kindergarten. She started looking for postgraduate studies that would help her create networks and learn more about the social sector in Finland.

At TAMK, she found the Community Work and Multicultural Development studies in English, which led to a master’s degree.

– The education was a perfect combination for me, because it dealt with multiculturalism and community work. As an immigrant, multiculturalism is present in my everyday life, but it is also something that interests me a lot.

Rewarding, but also hard work

Now Joanna Rengel works as a social worker in Wellbeing services county of Vantaa and Kerava, in youth intensive work team. She started to work there in the summer of 2023.

– We are the last step in open care before placement. We do intensive work, which means we meet young people and their families several times a week for a maximum of six months.

Rengel likes working with young people, because she can really discuss things with them. Sometimes she and the young person disagree, but often they think about things the same way.

– Young people are very intelligent. They are just not always understood.

The work is also tough, because many young people have problems with drugs, criminal activity and mental health issues. Also, not everyone wants to accept help, even if it is offered to them.

The working language is Finnish, which Rengel thinks is still the scariest thing at work. Her Finnish language skills have improved, but she still finds the language difficult.

Rengel has learned Finnish especially at work.

– I have taken Finnish language courses, but I learn more when I hear and speak Finnish at work every day. I'm still not perfect, but I'm improving all the time.

Even if the working language was English, she sees that it would still be important for people moving to Finland to learn Finnish. Language is needed in everyday life anyway.

The best part of the studies were discussions

In Joanna Rengel's opinion, the best thing at TAMK was the warm, open and conversational atmosphere. Here you could say out loud even if you disagreed with something.

– We didn't just study theory from books, but we talked a lot and learned from each other. Different opinions could be brought forward. It was valuable, she reflects.

The studies of multiculturalism have been very useful for Rengel in her current work, as many of the clients have an immigrant background. From the studies, she got more skills to meet people with different backgrounds, ideologies, religions and perspectives.

In the future, Rengel would like to study more, maybe a doctorate. MDFT (Multidimensional Family Therapy) training also interests her, as does specialization as Specialist Social Worker in child protection.

Before that, however, she plans to focus on a new phase of her life as a mother of a small child.

– The estimated due date is in January. It's very exciting, she says with a smile.