Voluntary university staff members act as UniBuddies. The UniBuddy activities are informal and may include having coffee or lunch together, walking around campus, or participating in a free event in the city. We have made a small Guide to UniBuddy for the international newcomers interested in the programme. UniBuddy-activity is as such not meant to replace or complement onboarding at the workplace or relocation support (provided by HR).
“I applied to the programme because I like meeting new people. I thought it might be nice to get acquainted with someone new who works at the University.”
“The UniBuddy programme helps international staff integrate into Finnish society. They learn how things work in Finland when they can easily talk to someone they know who also knows the University of Helsinki as an employer.”
“I warmly recommend the programme to all University staff! It has been an amazing experience for me and I have learned a lot.”
EveryBuddy needs SomeBuddy! You can sign up to have a UniBuddy already before your arrival. You can join now by completing the sign up form for newcomers joining Unibuddy.
Unibuddies are University staff, who have lived in Finland for at least two years. You can be a Unibuddy for a newcomer by completing the sign up form for becoming a Unibuddy. Master´s students or exchange students are not included in the programme, but there is similar activity available for them, e.g. via Erasmus Student Network.
For the volunteers to become a UniBuddy there is a small Guidebook, to get a better idea of the role of an UniBuddy.
UniBuddy is also in Facebook: UniBuddy (University of Helsinki)
For more info, email unibuddy@helsinki.fi.
Information for arriving international staff