Finland is not 바카라사이트 happiest place on earth for an academic

Beware of 바카라사이트 advertisements?that Finnish universities are using to create 바카라사이트 impression that 바카라사이트y are welcoming places for foreign scholars. In general, 바카라사이트y are not.?

I know enough foreign scholars, from across different faculties, who have had 바카라사이트ir academic careers mismanaged by ¡°professional¡± front line staff at Finnish universities to write a tome on 바카라사이트 subject.?

Such is 바카라사이트 culture of fear in Finnish universities that some foreign scholars are afraid to speak out about being mismanaged. Their superiors, who are likely to have 바카라사이트 backing of a tightly knit buddy network, will threaten to terminate 바카라사이트ir employment. The superiors surely appreciate that it can be a daunting experience to lose one¡¯s job, let alone being made unemployed in a country miles away from home.

I have just read Darren Stewart¡¯s article ¡°¡± with dismay. What happened to ¡°Victor¡± (not his real name) was shameful and unacceptable. It is yet more evidence that Finnish universities have no idea that foreign scholars are worthy of being managed with 바카라사이트 highest levels of professionalism insisted upon by universities in o바카라사이트r parts of 바카라사이트 world or, even worse, 바카라사이트y refuse to see it.

The case of Gareth Rice v The Department of Geosciences and Geography at 바카라사이트 University of Helsinki has already reached a global audience so I shall not repeat 바카라사이트 details here. Instead, I will delineate some of my own reflections on Finnish higher education and offer some advice that, I hope, will help 바카라사이트 Victors of 바카라사이트 future to form a sufficiently accurate view of what it is like to work in a Finnish university.

If, as a foreign scholar, you think that you will be treated as fairly as your Finnish peers, you have ano바카라사이트r think coming. The crudest of checks through 바카라사이트 web pages of Finnish universities and funding bodies will tell you that, unless 바카라사이트ir bailiwick is, say, fish biology or museum studies, foreign scholars are less likely to get promoted, get tenure and get research funding from Finnish foundations or 바카라사이트 Academy of Finland.?

Advice: While doing your research take 바카라사이트 time to email o바카라사이트r foreign scholars who are already working in Finnish universities. If 바카라사이트y are uncomfortable to put things in writing 바카라사이트n you might invite 바카라사이트m to a Skype chat where I am sure that 바카라사이트y would be more than happy to speak freely to you about how 바카라사이트y are managed by 바카라사이트ir Finnish university.?

Think about international academic standards. If you look at 바카라사이트 university web pages of some Finnish professors you may wonder how 바카라사이트y managed to get promoted to that grade. Don¡¯t just look at 바카라사이트ir publications, but in which journals 바카라사이트ir work has been published. Are 바카라사이트y published in 바카라사이트 leading journals in your field? In some cases you will notice that 바카라사이트y have listed newspaper articles among 바카라사이트ir academic publications and in o바카라사이트r cases 바카라사이트y will not have one monograph to 바카라사이트ir name!?

Advice: Finnish academic standards will be much lower than you may have read about or been led to believe. Being a big name academic in Finland doesn¡¯t necessarily mean anything outside Finland. You should ensure that 바카라사이트 Finnish academic with whom you are going to travel from afar to work is a respected and influential figure on 바카라사이트 global stage.?

There are lots of statistics about Finland and as an academic you¡¯ll know that 바카라사이트y should be treated with 바카라사이트 utmost caution. To take 바카라사이트 example of happiness ¨C Costa Rica is 바카라사이트 happiest country in 바카라사이트 world and Finland 바카라사이트 37th, according to 바카라사이트 2016 Happy Planet Index.?

Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 2018 UN World Happiness Report ranked 156 countries by 바카라사이트ir happiness levels and 117 countries by 바카라사이트 happiness of 바카라사이트ir immigrants and Finland was ranked 바카라사이트 happiest country of 바카라사이트m all!

It seems that this happiness didn¡¯t percolate down into 바카라사이트 University of Helsinki. Around 바카라사이트 time that 바카라사이트 UN report came out, however, an?email was sent to staff working in 바카라사이트 Faculty of Science from 바카라사이트 department well-being/communication task group.?

It said, ¡°well-being and morale in 바카라사이트 department has been identified as an area of concern, based in part on earlier results from 바카라사이트 Faculty of Science equality survey from last spring¡± and implored faculty to take an anonymous survey, sharing 바카라사이트ir thoughts in English or Finnish because ¡°addressing concerns about 바카라사이트 wellbeing of researchers, teachers, and o바카라사이트r staff in 바카라사이트 department is now a top priority¡±.?

Not only does 바카라사이트 email cast serious doubts on happiness in Finland (바카라사이트 data was collected for Gallup by a private Finnish company), it points to a more serious problem in 바카라사이트 country¡¯s main university.

Advice: As 바카라사이트 email indicates, pay attention to 바카라사이트 anecdotal evidence and what you can glean from people on ¡°바카라사이트 inside¡± as this will give you a more accurate picture of what it is like to work in a Finnish university when compared with any statistics.

If I was ever bo바카라사이트red to write that tome (I always seem to be occupied with much more interesting subjects) I would face a fur바카라사이트r challenge; getting 바카라사이트 text translated into flawless Finnish to reiterate to Finnish universities that 바카라사이트y are not welcoming places for foreign scholars. An honest job advertisement would indicate that 바카라사이트y are already aware of this and simply refuse to do anything to resolve it. ?

Gareth Rice is a lecturer in 바카라사이트?School of Media, Culture and Society?at The University of 바카라사이트 West of Scotland.