One of Finland's oldest higher education institutions, the University of Turku has evolved into an exciting, vibrant academic hub in Finland. As a new employee, you'll be joining a superb institution that has eight faculties and four independent units encompassing 3,600 staff who serve around 25,000 students.
Since its inception in 1920, the University of Turku has strived to be as all-encompassing as possible through a focus on multidisciplinary themes in the research projects available to its employees. These themes encompass the use of new technologies, digitalization, learning, healthcare, diagnostics, social change, and sustainability. Opportunities to flex your intellectual muscle - and to collaborate with others outside your expertise - are readily available when you join the University.
It all adds up to the University that offers an exciting present and is building toward even brighter future for those who work with it. But if you need a little more convincing, here are key reasons why the University of Turku is the right choice for your academic career.
REASON 1
You'll Join a Top-Ranked University That Is an Educational Leader
Times Higher Education consistently ranks the University of Turku as one of the world's top 350 universities. Several of its individual departments, in fact, rank even higher. The University of Turku is committed to responsible assessment and to acknowledging and recognizing a broader and more
diverse range of institutional success than is indicated by various university rankings. With high-quality basic research and a multidisciplinary research profile, the University of Turku creates innovations and solutions in the areas of sustainability, biodiversity, health and the welfare state, economic, legal and cultural issues, digitalisation, and technologies. Close cooperation in research infrastructures creates the basis for international top research.
The University of Turku is in charge of two Research Flagships i.e. clusters of expertise - Inequalities, Interventions and a New Welfare State (INVEST) and Innovation Ecosystem Based on the Immune System (InFLAMES) - and participates in two other flagships - Digital Waters (DIWA) and The Education for the Future Flagship (EDUCA). The Flagship Programme is an instrument that supports high-quality research and increases the economic and societal impact emerging from the research. Addition to this, the University of Turku leads a Centre of Excellence - the Biological Barrier Mechanics and Disease Center - that is at the cutting edge of science in its field internationally.
REASON 2
The University of Turku Takes Its Responsibilities to Employees Seriously
As an employer, the University of Turku is dedicated to openness, creativity, and actions based on strong ethical principles. You're not only respected at the University but encouraged to reach for excellence. It's why the University of Turku was awarded the right to display the HR Excellent in Research logo, presented by the European Commission to institutions of higher learning that display a commitment to continuous development and provide exemplary working conditions to its researchers and employees.
The University's Study and Work Well-being Services unit coordinates and develops practices to make the University of Turku the best working environment for you. The Occupational Health Care Services paid by the employer are available for all employees. The services of Campus Sport are designed to help you maintain your physical and mental fitness. Flexible working arrangements allow you to achieve a true work-life balance.
The University of Turku is an organization where you are encouraged to develop your expertise and professional skills. This is done by offering versatile training and competence development possibilities. All this you can do during the working hours. You also gain free access to Open University courses to further your training when you become an employee. An important factor of the well-being of the University's personnel is high-quality leadership and supervisor work, which the University strives to develop by offering also to supervisors extensive training and onboarding.
That's just a small selection of ways the University of Turku demonstrates its commitment to its employees. When you arrive, you'll find a university dedicated to support your work both in your own discipline and when you collaborate with others.
University of Turku
Convinced yet?
REASON 3
Academic (and Employee) Diversity Are Key Focuses
Diversity, equality, and a shared vision of excellence. These factors create an engaging and supportive work environment at the University of Turku. Not only is the University comprised of academics from around the world - the University employs staff from 78 different countries - but many of its ongoing research projects are conducted in collaboration with international partners and funders, such as the Coimbra Group and the Southern African Nordic Center. It's this academic diversity you'll experience when you join the community of the University of Turku - international cooperation is a key focus and often intertwined into the work that you'll do.
When you arrive on campus, you'll discover the University's Advisor on Equality Issues who guides both students and staff on matters related to diversity and equality. That advisor is part of the wider University Equality Committee, which has created an Equality Plan that will be in place for 2024 through 2030. That plan ensures consistent assessments of the equality measures, which include gathering data about workplace wellness, salaries, and personnel statistics. In short, the University collects the data that ensures you're working in an environment that's designed to be as fair to all as possible.
REASON 4
The University of Turku Offers Help for Your Relocation
Visiting a new country can be an eye-opening experience - one that brings with it plenty of excitement. To help you make a smooth transition to life in Finland, the University helps all new employees - along with visiting researchers and teachers - relocate comfortably.
Before you arrive, the University helps with key immigration obligations, such as acquiring visas or residence permits. After you arrive, you will also receive guidance in areas such as obtaining a tax card, a Finnish ID card, and managing your daily life in Turku.
Advice is offered with many more practical issues and information for family members is also available. To make the transition even more personalized, the University of Turku offers a "Buddy Programme" through which you're paired with a local to help you, your spouse and any other family members to settle in Turku. It's a great way to start your new academic career off on the right foot.
REASON 5
Turku Is a Beautiful Place to Live
The University is located close to the Turku city center, giving you ample opportunities to explore Finland's oldest city and take in vibrant sights including the Aura River and Turku Cathedral. Art exhibitions, the Turku Philharmonic, and yard markets add to the excitement and variety of the city. Its beauty and spirit are so enticing that three-quarters of the University's students say they'd like to stay after they finish their studies.
Of course, you're a career-focused individual who wants to know what the city can offer you and your family job-wise. Positions are available for international talent in the technology, engineering, finance, and academic sectors, to name a few, with practically every aspect of Turku's economy being on the up. Add Turku's commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2029, 40,000 islands in the Turku archipelago for you to explore, and an affordable cost of living and you have a great city in which to live and work. Not just a great city, in fact - a great country. Finland tops the UN World Happiness Report as the globe's happiest country, with Turku being one of its crowning jewels.