A recently published study of CIMO, the Finnish Centre for International Mobility, shows that vocational education and training (VET) teachers and other personnel in Finland participate actively in international mobility. Two thirds of internationally-mobile staff members are teachers and one third administrative personnel, such as international coordinators of schools.
Numbers of mobile personnel have quadrupled in the past 10 years increasing from 1182 in 2003 to 4057 in 2013. However, there are still too few who go abroad for longer periods of time. Nearly 60 % spend less than five days abroad.
The most common obstacles are lack of time and funding. Education providers do not always have a possibility to fund a substitute for mobile personnel and work piles up during a mobility period. Another reason is lack of recognition of international mobility. Experience gained from international exchange does not always have an impact on career development because employers do not recognise skills acquired during an exchange.
The study also shows that mobility varies regionally. The most active schools can be found in southern and western parts of Finland, nearly 80 % of internationally-mobile personnel and students come from these regions.