Internships are a key part of studying at a university of applied sciences—but how do you find one, and what should you expect? In this UNICOM+ podcast episode, we explore internship opportunities for students at Turku University of Applied Sciences and share real experiences to help you succeed.
The episode is hosted by Lucia Vuillermin, International Relations Coordinator at Turku University of Applied Sciences. She speaks with Ashmita Devkota, a Bachelor's student in Engineering, and Aaro Mustonen, Senior Lecturer at Turku University of Applied Sciences, about internship experiences and guidance from both student and staff perspectives.
Topics covered:
- A realistic overview of internships at Turku University of Applied Sciences
- Practical advice on how to find and secure an internship
- How internships are linked to study credits at Turku University of Applied Sciences
- Differences between internships within the university and in external organisations
Find more information:
- Recruitment services - Turku University of Applied Sciences
- Information about practical training (login behind Turku University of Applied Sciences credentials)
- If you are a research university student, see this episode.
The UNICOM+ podcast series is designed to help international talents residing in Finland navigate their transition to Finland and, later on, to the Finnish job market. The podcast series is produced in collaboration with the University of Turku, Turku University of Applied Sciences and Åbo Akademi University. UNICOM+ project (2025–2027) is co-funded by the European Union.
UNICOM+ podcast series is produced by Junaid Raza.
Length of the episode is 19 minutes.
You can also listen on:
Text alternative for the episode:
Lucia: Hello and welcome to another UNICOM+ podcast. The project that we have together with the Turku University of Applied Sciences, Turku University and the Åbo Academy here in the Turku region. Today we will talk about internship. In the previous podcast we had our academic university talking about how they structure their own internship but is very different from Turku University of Applied Sciences where the internship are more practical and the credits are obligatory to take so and they really connect with the work life experiences. So today we will talk about our university experiences, and we have invited our student and our teacher to share with us a bit more about how the internship are structured and why they are beneficial for our students. So, let's dive into the arguments shall we?
Aaro: Yes, thank you for the invitation.
Lucia: Thank you for joining us. So Ashmita and Aaro are here with us today. We start ladies first. So
Aaro: Of course
Lucia: We start with Ashmita our student. So, thank you for joining us. Can you tell a bit more about yourself? Where are you from? What are you studying?
Ashmita: I'm Ashmita Devkota from Nepal. I arrived in Tuku on 2024, August 28th and I'm studying energy and environmental engineering.
Lucia: Okay, welcome. So still fresh to Finland
Ashmita: Yeah.
Lucia: But you already have a lot of experience that we will hear soon. So, in fact you just recently finished your first internship experience here in Turku and very exciting wasn't it?
Ashmita: Yeah, a bit it was.
Lucia: We talked a bit before behind the scenes and so what actually did you do during internship what skills did you gain?
Ashmita: It was a very new for me as well because I just completed my high school from my home country and then I came here for bachelor studies. So, it was a very new experience. I had to like start from the very beginning. So, writing reports drafting questionnaires for the customers for getting sustainability information. So actually, I was a sustainability reporter. So, I had to like write some sustainability report for the company. It was Nord Blue OY. It is located in Logomo and I was there working as an sustainability reporter. So, I I had to write report for the company. I had to calculate some emissions, air emission and transport emission as well and I had to do some Excel calculations about the company's income and there were other things as well.
Lucia: Okay. So very hands on.
Ashmita: Yes.
Lucia: You were not taking coffees and doing photocopies.
Ashmita: Yeah. I had a real work.
Lucia: Okay. That's great. Yeah. Finally a student they have a successful internship.
Aaro: Yes. Good.
Lucia: So you know that a lot of students they are currently looking for internship they face a lot of challenges.
Ashmita: Yes.
Lucia: Finding opportunities in Finland. We know that the economy is not at its best unfortunately and we have like a lower lower amount of available places both in the work life and then in even in in the internship position unfortunately. So how did you overcome those barriers and how actually did you uh approach all the process to find this internship?
Ashmita: It was hard for me as well from the very first. So, I also applied for very different companies for internship from the very beginning of the semester but after third semester I got like, I think it was there was a website in our Turku university. Yeah it is called Job Teaser
Lucia: Job Teaser.
Ashmita: Yeah, I applied from that there were many companies looking for summer training like uh yeah so I applied for from that to the Nord Blue and I was called for an interview we had a face to face interview for like 30 to 40 minutes.
Lucia: Okay.
Ashmita: So after that the interviewer said that they are other students as well. So, if you are selected then you will get informed in two weeks. So, after two weeks they said that you you are selected. Yeah.
Lucia: Congratulations.
Ashmita: Thank you.
Lucia: Wonderful. And how did you prepare for the interview?
Ashmita: I was very like panicking because I didn't have such interview face to face and especially about like the companies and I did know something, but I didn't know everything.
Lucia: Of course.
Ashmita: Yeah.
Lucia: So you're a researched a bit.
Ashmita: Yeah. I shared some questions like about related to sustainability related to my field and but the interview was so like she was so good. She was asking about me as well and she was telling about herself as well. So, it was quite good for me.
Lucia: Yeah.
Ashmita: She was very friendly.
Lucia: Exactly. Because a lot of students are feeling interview are like a questionnaire with the lighting actually are conversations most of the time
Aaro: Trying to find the best person.
Lucia: Yes. Get a good match you. So they have to like you but and you have to have the skill and competencies but you have to like them as well.
Ashmita: Yes.
Aaro: Both ways.
Lucia: It's very good to go and ask even questions right to interview you have some question prepared for that.
Ashmita: Yes. like I asked few questions just like what are the things that I need to do? Will I get some help from you? She was like I'll be guiding you don't worry you'll get full help and support from here. So, it was even it was difficult for me to for a few days she was very helpful and kind yes she helped me in every aspect.
Lucia: That's very nice to hear. Thank you. Thank you very much. So now if you have to look back to all your experience like what do you think that actually was the most valuable things that you learned during your internship?
Ashmita: I became more confident I think and now I can like go I can go for interviews like that. I feel like yeah I can do that and there were so many valuable experiences that I gained from the internship. I didn't even know how to write reports and there were so many things like ESC I didn't know even I'm studying energy and environmental I didn't know such some terms about sustainability
Lucia: Of course.
Ashmita: Yeah so I get to know from writing reports and the calculations the Excel calculations the drafting questionnaires yeah it was hard but yeah
Lucia: Rewarding
Ashmita: Yeah but I learned
Lucia: Yeah okay so what would be the advice that you would give if some of our students are currently looking for internship opportunities which I guess there are many which key advice would you give what you say that is the first thing they should do when they start to look for internships
Ashmita: You have to be like active and don't just don't give up like if you get rejection from one of few companies don't get demotivated
Lucia: Yeah
Ashmita: You should be motivated and I have that kind of positive thinking that even I got rejected they atleast take my CV then I need to like do extra work for myself. So even if you get some small opportunities just grab it. Yeah. And then don't forget to apply.
Lucia: Yes. Yes. Of course. Internship don't fall from the sky, right?
Ashmita: Yes. You have to like apply more and more.
Lucia: Thank you very much. That was really like a successful internship. What do you think Aaro?
Aaro: Yes. So happy for Ashmita.
Lucia: Congratulation to Ashmita and thank you so much for sharing all this valuable experience I hope that our students find it very interesting themselves. But now we change the other side of the medal and we are going to talk with our teacher Aaro. Would you tell us more about who you are and what do you teach in your role?
Aaro: Yeah, I'm Aaro. I've been working in TUAS for three years now. I've been a tutor teacher of Ashita. That's one side of my work. Then I've been teaching mathematics and physics and ICT tools. The Excel I hope that helped.
Ashmita: Yeah. It helped a lot
Aaro: In calculating the CO2 emissions.
Ashmita: Yeah.
Aaro: Those are my tasks.
Lucia: Okay. Thank you. Interesting. So you already know each other of course. And maybe we for the sake of our listener, I'm colleague with Aaro. So we work in the same environment. So that's why we are talking today more about Turku University applied sciences but I think that the most important question is that our students sometimes are a bit lost in term of internships and they maybe don't understand even the full value of the internship. So, what would you advise to them? So how the internship are integrated in their studies?
Aaro: Yeah. Yeah. in the curriculums of the engineering students at least in the faculty of engineering there are three obligatory internships
Lucia: There are a lot
Aaro: Yep. During the studies so kind of equaling 1/8 of the full study amount altogether 30 ECTS points for these internships they are called basic practical training the first year training second year infield or field specific as they might be called and third fourth year professional training. So, each 10 easy test points part of the studies.
Lucia: Okay. So, they are embedded in the studies because a lot of students are wondering is it an internship is a volunteer opportunity but for us it's very clear what the internship entitles. Do you have some kind of contracts or module or report that the students have to fill?
Aaro: Yep. So they are each 10 points and u kind of equaling for course or implementation as we call them. So, students take a course called training and after finishing the training they get that point amount on their on their ISB on the curriculum.
Lucia: So, it's a full course basically it's considered like a course they need to start and end and they get the credits.
Aaro: Exactly. And to highlight the inter importance of our internships the university of applied sciences it's in Finnish “Ammattikorkeakoulu” so there's very much emphasis in on the Ammatti the profession so that must be the reason also why we have some so many internships
Lucia: Exactly so you need to get real experience with the work life in our university and the connection with the work life are really important.
Aaro: Yes.
Lucia: But what do you think is the role of the teacher in guiding the students like before and then during the internship and then after the internship? So how can you support our students?
Aaro: Yeah, the actual teachers of this internship they are called internship coordinators. So, all of our university schools, different schools have dedicated persons. These coordinators.
Lucia: That is really important. Internship coordinator. You have to know who is your internship coordinator.
Aaro: Exactly. They are supervising the internship. They provide support to students through sharing information on internship or training opportunities, job fairs, recruitment events, etc.
Lucia: That's great. And I just as part of UNICOM+ initiatives, we have actually a thesis fair. So yes, it's really important that as you said you got a step in the door like a foot in the door actually in English that you are starting to connect early with future employer and the thesis is one of the way. So exactly the thesis fair will be conducted even this year together with find your future. Find your future is the Turku UAS’s job fair that will be in our premises in Edu city. It is actually one of the biggest in the region. So we have over 60 companies that are here to talk to our students or take the opportunities.
Aaro: Yes.
Lucia: So but go back to the internship we'd say that we have noticed that a lot of students even from University of Turku have internship opportunities inside our research groups.
Aaro: Mhm.
Lucia: But because it's maybe so hard to find internships outside so in the real working world which internship opportunity to look after. So, what do you think why do you think is so important for our students to get this opportunity outside university and into the organizations?
Aaro: Yep. So I would see it as a real contact with the companies building professional networks. they can lead future jobs and as you said during the last training phase there is possibility of already doing the thesis to that company. So, it gives also data and experience on that side. Yes. And also there can be a daily practices from workplace that you don't get in classroom studies. So yes.
Lucia: Yeah. And that that Ashita benefits so much like both like hard and soft skills like learning how to work in a different environment because you said that you've never have experience in a company before.
Ashmita: Yeah.
Lucia: That's great. But talking a bit more, what do you think are the challenges now for our students?
Aaro: Yeah. Finding the company that is the difficulty.
Lucia: Yes. And yes, I've been here for three years only. So, I needed to make a short interview to my colleague who has been working longer with the internship supervising. So, she said that when you get the job, the internship there isn't many problems during that phase. Might be something with the orientation that some of the students get better oriented in the in the company.
Ashmita: Yes. Yes.
Lucia: When you say orientation, you mean like get in contact with the company? Yes.
Aaro: And like the tasks needed on in the in the internship that how are they oriented and guided to that that company. So some problems on those but not many.
Lucia: Actually it was interesting article in Turun Sanomat about this issue that a lot of company do not have maybe work and then an open internship position or summer jobs.
Aaro: Okay.
Lucia: And I don't remember who wrote the article but the key concept was very interesting and actually it was asking the companies to open anyway those positions because they will give experience to our students. They don't have to solve a new task just even learning the existing task that organization the company is carrying would be great or assisting or job shadowing. So, so it was really a cry for help to open more internship and summer opportunities for students in general. And do you think, I know that you work a lot with international students, but in your experience, do the international students face the same challenges of domestic students or do they face maybe more?
Aaro: Well, maybe I could think that for the company there is of course some more work to be done with the international students getting them into the jobs they are in compared to the Finnish ones. That's obvious.
Lucia: For the language?
Aaro: Language and guidance for the working culture I could presume. So of course, for the companies there might be some more work to do with the international students but then on the other hand I think they would get very like international workers
Lucia: With international mindsets
Aaro: With multilanguage skills and maybe connections to their home countries. So, lots of benefits too.
Lucia: Yes, that's a good point. Was your internship in English mostly?
Ashmita: Yes, mostly in English.
Lucia: Yeah. Okay. And were you exposed a bit to Finnish as well?
Ashmita: Uh, a little bit because I think it was told in the description that contact language will be English.
Lucia: Okay.
Ashmita: Wasn't that hard for me.
Aaro: Mutta Ashmita puhu suomea myös.
Ashmita: Vähän
Aaro: Hyvää, hyvää.
Lucia: But you've been brave. So that was surely that why you were rewarded as well. So being proactive, being aware, aware of the challenges. So, and be prepared.
Ashmita: Yes.
Lucia: So, that was the the key point. Okay. Thank you very much. Anything else you would like to add to this internship for our students that are listening to us?
Aaro: Well, I wish you all good luck with the process. Hope you find good jobs, good companies for the internships and good contracts.
Lucia: Yes.
Aaro: Yep.
Lucia: Let's be positive then. Let's end it in a positive note. So thank you Ashmita and thank you Aaro. It was really interesting to hear about your point of view and your experiences on the internship. So they are a good opportunities but it comes with some challenges we heard but actually they help the students in the end. So it's more rewarding to find internship outside in the companies or working life, gain practical experience we said, build your professional network which is very important after you end universities and then even explore what you want to do you know which career path you want to follow. So,
Aaro: Exactly.
Lucia: if you don't try you don't know.
Ashmita: Yeah.
Lucia: Okay. Thank you everybody for listening. I hope you enjoyed this episode of our podcast about internship opportunities at Turku University of Applied Sciences. And let's catch up in the next episode.