Cultural preparation for exchanges and work placement abroad

• Everything seems to be different in the new culture and nothing feels safe and sound. At the same time, your familiar safety nets are left behind at home. You might feel that no one understands you and you do not understand why things are not going like you think they should.
• When adjusting to a new culture, a person usually experiences different kinds of stress symptoms. If a person for example changes jobs, moves to another city to study or moves on from studies to his/her working life, he/she goes through somewhat similar feelings of stress.
• Cultural differences might come up for instance in relation to different bureaucratic models, hierarchical structures at work, communication styles, expected behaviour and social customs. These are based on e.g. the beliefs, norms and values of the host culture. Concrete differences, such as ways of greeting people and appropriate dress code, are easier to observe and learn than the deeper level, usually more value-based differences, such as appropriate behaviour and communication for superior and subordinate. 

You can explore the culture of your host country by studying cultural profiles. However, the profiles should be read and interpreted with caution: they should be used only as generalisations of typical cultural behaviour. It is important to be open-minded and attentive to observe the culture once you start your work placement. Plenty of profiles are available through online resources and on the websites of e.g. embassies and ministries for foreign affairs.  

• Cultural adjustment is a process that everybody will go through in their own way. Thus, it is good to be prepared for it.
• Symptoms and the intensity of the stress caused by cultural adjustment may vary a lot. They can appear at different times. The term "culture shock" refers to adjustment stress. Typical symptoms of culture shock are for example a desire to be left alone, being absent-minded, various fears (a fear of getting cheated or getting sick), lowered motivation to study, an excessive reaction to small setbacks, homesickness, longing for familiar things, a desire to deal with 'smart' people, a general feeling of being abandoned, etc. Culture shock can also have very physical reactions: headaches, stomach aches, troubles of sleeping or the excessive need of sleep etc.

The process of adjusting to a new culture has five stages:

ENTHUSIASM

The initial enthusiasm, everything seems to be beautiful and wonderful and interesting in the new culture, the so called "honeymoon" stage. You experience the new environment very positively. Especially students going to short work placements might not get further than this stage.

CRISIS

The change, everything seems to be bad and annoying in the new culture, frustration, irritation and tiredness are common feelings, the so called stage of "culture shock".

ADJUSTMENT

You learn to accept the differences of the new culture and stop seeing things only in black and white, you learn the "cultural language".

BACK TO NORMAL

You accept that you are a part of the new environment and learn to know its culture at a deeper level, you feel almost like being at home in the new environment.

BACK HOME

Reverse culture shock, you are not exactly the same after living abroad. Coming back home will require re-adjusting to the 'old and familiar' environment.

• Information about the host country and the host culture will help you to adjust to the new culture but it will not exclude the possibility of cultural adjustment stress.
• There are many ways to reduce the stress of adjusting to the new culture:
  Recognise the adjustment process and its different stages; only then you can be prepared for its symptoms and find ways to cope with them.
• Be active in getting to know the local "cultural language" and try to recognise and accept cultural differences
• Concentrate on actively building your everyday life in the host country for example through hobbies, friends and routines
• Learn at least the basics of the local language
• Bring your focus on the positive sides of the new culture and new situation
• Actively build your knowledge of culture and intercultural differences
• Ask help from the locals if you don't understand something
• If possible, talk with other people who are from different cultures
• Keep in mind that there is always a place to contact or a person to turn to. You should not try to struggle alone with difficulties for too long.
• Returning back to daily life after a good experience abroad may feel challenging if the re-adjustment shock hits you. It may help you if you can share your feelings and experiences with the students who also have been on abroad and know how you feel after you have returned home.

• When you are getting prepared for your work placement, it is good to stop for a while to think about your goals for the work placement. By setting goals and evaluating your progress you get the most out of the work placement.
• You can think about the following points for example:
• What are my strengths in a work environment? And what would I need to improve?
• Which field-specific skills do I especially want develop?
• What general skills do I want to develop as an employee?
• What do I want to learnt about my professional field?
• How do I describe my own culture? What do I know about the host culture? What observations do I make of the host culture related to my own culture?
• What are my strengths when I work with people from other cultures? And what would I need to improve?
• What intercultural skills do I especially want to improve?
• What are my strengths when I need to use another language? What do I need to improve?
• It is good to consciously pay attention to your learning during the work placement. Every now and then you might want to take a moment to think about what you have learnt and which skills you have developed. Also, you might need to re-adjust some of your goals.
• Do trust in yourself, things will work out!