Embracing Cul­tu­ral Exc­han­ge: Paul’s Jour­ney as an Ent­repre­neur in Fin­land

Meet Paul Fairc­hild, an enterpri­sing indi­vi­dual, ori­gi­nal­ly from Lon­don, England who has cal­led Fin­land home for the past 24 years.

With a pas­sion for lan­gua­ge and com­mu­nica­tion, Paul Fairc­hild star­ted his ent­repre­neu­rial jour­ney 21 years ago in Sei­nä­jo­ki, establis­hing a success­ful busi­ness that specia­lizes in pro­vi­ding English lan­gua­ge trai­ning to adults as well as com­pa­nies. Through his expe­riences, Paul has not only wit­nes­sed the growth and deve­lop­ment of his busi­ness but also the remar­kable cul­tu­ral exc­han­ge that takes place in Fin­land’s dyna­mic busi­ness landsca­pe.

Nur­tu­ring Cul­tu­ral Exc­han­ge

Being an ent­repre­neur in Fin­land has allowed Paul to unders­tand the dif­fe­rence of cul­tu­res. As he inte­racts with indi­vi­duals from various backgrounds, both wit­hin his client com­pa­nies and in the broa­der Fin­nish busi­ness com­mu­ni­ty, he gains a dee­per unders­tan­ding of dif­fe­rent cul­tu­ral pers­pec­ti­ves.

Accor­ding to Paul, the valuable les­sons that other count­ries can learn from Fin­land’s approach to work are its impact on emplo­yee well­being, pro­duc­ti­vi­ty, and trust. He sta­ted, “The hap­pier the wor­ker the more success­ful the busi­ness”.

As Fin­land is at the forefront of tech­no­lo­gical advance­ments, Paul has embraced inno­va­ti­ve tools and digi­tal plat­forms to deli­ver lan­gua­ge trai­ning pro­grams more effec­ti­ve­ly. He uti­lizes inte­rac­ti­ve onli­ne plat­forms, to enga­ge his clients and crea­te an immer­si­ve lear­ning expe­rience around Fin­land. Howe­ver, he also works at the office loca­ted in Sei­nä­jo­ki.

Paul will also be one of the pre­sen­ters in the Mega­Match­ma­king event!

The Mega­Match­ma­king event is the big­gest rec­ruit­ment event in Oulu in which brings local job see­kers and emplo­yers toget­her. The event will take place on 14th of Sep­tem­ber at 9:00–15:00 in Tul­li­sa­li, Oulu.

Paul’s pre­sen­ta­tion is on sta­ge 2, 10:30–11:15. Make sure to be the­re!

Paul cho­se to be one of the pre­sen­ters because he finds it an inte­res­ting sub­ject to sha­re. Such topics inclu­de direct and indi­rect com­mu­nica­tions, hie­rarc­hies, small talks, beha­ving in mee­tings and inter­views, and a lot more!

If you are loo­king for work, then it is impor­tant to be matc­hed up because networ­king is an essen­tial part of for loo­king to work in Fin­land and he is hap­py to be a part of it and make new con­nec­tions.

“People should par­tici­pa­te in the event to gain new ideas which can make a big dif­fe­rence in their career paths and gai­ning new networ­king and oppor­tu­ni­ty to look for posi­tions so come along and make new con­nec­tions”

Free time and friend­ly advice

Besi­des the ent­repre­neu­rial life, during Paul’s free time, he is a foot­ball couch for men in Sei­nä­jo­ki, due to the wor­king life balance. He also enjo­ys the space and the Fin­nish natu­re.

Paul sha­res a few friend­ly tips for the newco­mers or tho­se who plan on moving to Oulu:

“As soon as you get to Fin­land start lear­ning the lan­gua­ge. You don’t unders­tand the people you don’t unders­tand the cul­tu­re if you don’t unders­tand the lan­gua­ge. Most people say the Fin­nish lan­gua­ge is not the easiest lan­gua­ge to learn so do not put too much stress into it just a litt­le bit day by day, a couple of words eve­ry day and build it slow­ly.”

”You do not lose anyt­hing by lear­ning the lan­gua­ge, it is good men­tal exerci­se.”

“Even if you come here with the inten­tions of staying 1 or 2 years, you don’t know how things are going to turn out. You do not lose anyt­hing by lear­ning the lan­gua­ge, it is good men­tal exerci­se.

Not eve­ry­bo­dy is a lan­gua­ge per­son but it’s a marat­hon not a sprint, you have to rea­lize it takes time.”

Text: Nada Abass