What nobody tells you before you start.

A community-based initiative that collects honest, first-hand answers from people who've actually built something here — a company, a career, a first job, a freelance practice, a whole new life in a new country.

unlock/TURKU is a private initiative, built by a group of professionals who want to help shape the vision of migrants in Finland. Too often, we're exposed to the bad news, while the good examples of integration go ignored and invisible — the quiet workers adding real value to Finnish society every day. The goal of this project is to share that other side of integration: the impact it has, and an example for migrants to follow — proof, and motivation, that building a life in Finland is possible.

Starting out in a new city, a new country, or a new field usually means the same handful of questions come up again and again: Where do I even begin? How do I actually find a job here? What permits or paperwork does nobody warn you about? Is the language barrier as bad as people say? What do I wish someone had told me sooner?

Instead of guessing, we asked the people who already went through it — business owners and employees alike. Every interview on this site is a real conversation with a real person, searchable by the exact question you're asking right now.

This isn't official advice, and it isn't a substitute for talking to the city's employment or business services. It's the version people tell each other over coffee — collected in one place, for anyone about to start.