Kati Laitinen studied English philology at the University of Oulu, intending to become a language teacher. But when Finland joined the European Union, she ended up on a long career track in the EU. Today, she works as the head of communications of the European Commission Representation in Finland.
Kati’s student years were shadowed by the high interest rates caused by the economic recession of the 1990s. Despite this, Laitinen worked as a substitute teacher and remained confident in her job prospects. Her university years were enjoyable, and she has many fond memories of Oulu’s student culture, particularly Rauhala and karaoke nights in Reidar.
Laitinen recalls her university years to be the most stressful of her life – even more so than her years in the workforce. “That’s why I believe that students shouldn’t have to worry about making ends meet, because they’ve got enough stress as is.”
Laitinen finished her master’s thesis while simultaneously working in 1995. “I worked as a substitute teacher at Sotkamo Sports High School. I had nothing better to do than working and attending community college exercise classes, so I finished my thesis there.”
From a translator to a chief – and beyond
When Finland joined the European Union in 1995, job advertisements for positions in the EU started appearing in the papers. Laitinen noticed an ad for a translator position in Kaleva, and decided to join the competition.
“I always figured that I’d end up living abroad at some point. Granted, I thought it’d be somewhere in the United Kingdom, but once I saw the ad I figured that Brussels or Luxembourg could be worth the shot.”
To pursue a career in the EU, candidates have to go through competitions organized by the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO). When Laitinen herself applied, the process was quite similar to what it is today: the first stage consisted of language proficiency tests, including reading comprehension tasks and questions testing EU knowledge. After that, the applicants completed translation tasks from two EU languages into their own native language. Finally, the most successful applicants were invited to an interview.
“The interview sure was something, considering I had no knowledge of any EU protocols. Eight interviewers sat in a row and started throwing curveballs at me. In a way, it was a really pleasant, relaxed situation, but I was interviewed in foreign languages and they went through all the languages I had listed myself proficient in. But I definitely don’t feel like it was an impossible experience to get through.”
Laitinen passed the competitions and was offered a career opportunity in the EU. She left her job as a teacher at the Patela secondary school and headed to Luxembourg. “I fell in love with the job and its community when I arrived in Luxembourg. There was a nice sense of community, the way people helped each other. We were sort of like pioneers as Finns in Luxembourg.”
After working as a translator for ten years, Laitinen moved into a managerial role despite never having thought about ending up in such a position.
In Luxembourg, she advanced to become the Head of the Finnish Translation Unit before being recruited for her current position as Head of Communications of the Commission Representation in Finland. She was hesitant at first, but after some consideration she felt that the change would be the right move.
During her career spanning over 20 years, Laitinen has witnessed great changes in the operations of the EU. There is less bureaucracy, and the commission has become a more modern employer. In addition to this, there is a great generational transition happening within the institutions of the EU. The first Finnish EU officials are now at a retirement age, and new Finns are desperately needed in the union.
“I feel like it’s my responsibility to ensure that the generational transition is smooth. Once that’s done, I’ll be the last of the original staff to depart and leave the work in the hands of the new team.”
EU careers need ordinary Finnish workers
Laitinen encourages anyone interested to apply for careers in the EU. She suggests that even those unfamiliar with the competitions should give them a try, if only for the experience. After all, academic grades don’t play a significant role in the selection process.
“We simply just look whether a person has completed a degree, even with mediocre grades, and has some work experience. Then we’ll have a conversation with the applicant during the interview.”
Laitinen is content with her career in the EU. The assignments are fascinating, there’s room for progress, and the union offers a decent salary. There’s also encouragement for employees to try out various jobs within the union.
It’s not impossible to get a job in the EU; Laitinen notes that she, too, was just a regular student. “Often, the media reports focus on creating this image of an application process filled with extremely difficult tests and the idea that an applicant must be some sort of exceptional individual. I’ve had what might seem like a remarkable career in the EU, but in reality it’s an ordinary place of work for ordinary people.”
KATI LAITINEN
- Head of Communication and Outreach section of the Commission Representation in Finland
- From Haukipudas
- Lives in Viertola, Vantaa
- Enjoys dancing and nature during her free time
Translation by Anna Tiira.
INFORMATION ABOUT CAREERS IN THE EU:
- EU Careers
- Euroopean Commission’s Lähde EU-uralle! page (in Finnish)
- Eurooppalainen Suomi ry (in Finnish)
- Facebook group EU-career network in Finland
