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Rosario Fina remembers hearing flashes of sentences in an unfamiliar language in Torquay, England, where he was on a language course as a young man. The language was Finnish, and it turned out that studying it would satisfy Rosario's desire to learn a rare language. Now he has lived in Finland for about twenty years altogether, and his CV is filled with various jobs in language teaching and educational leadership.

In 1997, Rosario Fina came from Italy, his home country, to Kuopio for his first Finnish language course. Since those days, his path has taken him – through numerous professional and personal phases – to the principal’s post in the Ruovesi comprehensive school and from there to work as a deputy director of the European School of Helsinki.

Before his job as a principal, Rosario, a holder of two master’s degrees, had been teaching Italian for a couple of decades at different educational institutes, embassies and firms as well as working as a mentor at the Universities of Jyväskylä and Tampere. In addition, he had translated Finnish fiction into Italian as well as made translations for the European Union.

“After teaching and training I find administration and management work as my passion – this is a new stage in my career.” 

Rosario wants to develop education and influence young people’s growth opportunities. The meaningfulness of management work is further increased by opportunities to provide support for teaching staff.

Rosario likes to talk about integrating into society, networking, social relationships as well as job-seeking and working. A key in all this is learning the language of the country: “For example, universities are their own self-contained worlds. In academic communities and big cities, you can cope well in English. But if you fail to get funding for your research or wish to stay in Finland for other jobs, it is essential that you master the language – comprehend, speak and write it.”

From the viewpoint of integration, Rosario finds it important that an immigrant knows what people are discussing in society. In addition, it is beneficial for one’s self-esteem that one can deal with issues in the country’s official language and understand what is happening: “Thanks to your language skills, your life will not be confined to small spheres, and you will be able to get things done smoothly.”

In Rosario’s experience, attitudes to learners of Finnish are twofold. In everyday settings, Finns easily switch the language of discussion to English. On the other hand, when seeking a job, the requirements typically include excellent skills in Finnish. “It has been good to get the opportunity to speak Finnish in everyday situations,” he says. “They have been the best way to learn the language.”

Rosario Fina encourages everybody learning Finnish not to give up. Learning does not always progress linearly, and you need motivation, encouragement and a little good luck as well.

Rosario finds social relationships and personal support especially important. He’s not referring to monetary social benefits but to human relationships, professional communities and collaborative activities also in a person’s free time, such as mentoring activities. The importance of personal support is highlighted in a new working environment and in developing professional confidence in a new culture.

Rosario greatly values the team spirit and collegial approach between the teachers and students at the Ģ��ֱ��’s Institute of Educational Leadership. Support from the community has proved to be invaluable. He is particularly grateful to Mika Risku, the former director of the institute, University Teacher Hanna-Kaisa Pekkarinen, the current head of the institute, and Programme Manager Anu Sopanen. In his work, Fina has noticed that Jyväskylä’s networks are far-reaching.

“I am grateful to everybody I met in my educational leadership studies at the Ģ��ֱ��: my colleagues, fellow students and other educators. Studying in Jyväskylä is always refreshing. There people work together, believe in the individual and encourage each other.”

There are few school principals like Rosario, someone who has immigrated to Finland as an adult, speaks Finnish as a second language and is fully integrated into Finnish society. The road has not been straightforward, and the merits have had to be earned each time. “It was essential that they believed in me in Ruovesi, even though I did not grow up in the Finnish school system,” Rosario says.

“I already have my principal’s qualification and now I need to complete my subject studies in educational leadership,” says Rosario Fina, a holder of two master’s degrees and the epitome of continuous learning.