Job Shadow Day for International Students

International Students are invited to set up their candidatures for Job Shadows. The Students will get a chance to spend time in the workplace as observers, and can ask questions to a professional in the field.

Start your career development in Estonia!

International Students are invited to set up their candidatures for Job Shadows.

The Students will get a chance to spend time in the workplace as observers, and can ask questions to a professional in the field.
Students "shadow" professionals during a normal working day to gain a first-hand look at the skills, knowledge, and education required to succeed in a career.

Job Shadowing can help to get a better sense of the options available.
This is a chance to explore the daily lives of Estonian companies and make contacts for a future internship and career.

If you are interested in participating in Job Shadow Day, please find a company (from the List of Companies (ods, 48 KiB)) and send a short Motivation Letter to the company you are interested in.

The Motivation Letter should answer the following questions:
Why are you applying for the chosen company? What are you studying and where?

Please remember that after receiving an invitation from the Company you are expected to respond! Please let the contact person of the Company know if there are any issues, for example, if the suggested date is not suitable for you.

Job Shadow Day for International Students is organised by The .

Job Shadow Day is co-funded by the European Social Fund.

10 recommendations for participation in Job Shadow Day

What should you know before visiting a company?

  1. Be active yourself because Job Shadow Day is in your best interests and the number of places is limited. Please send a short (0.5 A4) motivational letter to the contact email given in the advertisement, explaining your reasons for visiting this particular company. Write a bit about yourself: which university you are studying at and what your specialisation is, which skills you have and so on.
  2. If you have received a letter from the company then read it carefully and behave according to the instructions received. Certainly answer a received email or phone call! Also reply in the case if you can鈥檛 participate for some reason. If the company offers you a specific time to visit and it doesn鈥檛 suit you, then apologise and ask if it鈥檚 possible for you to come at another time.
  3. Go to the meeting prepared. Research the company鈥檚 information on their webpage. Dress according to the weather conditions and the job position. Be ready to introduce yourself briefly.
  4. Arrive on time. In Estonia it鈥檚 common to arrive 2 minutes before the agreed time, as it gives you time to take off your coat and fix your hair. Being late is bad etiquette, and if it happens for some reason, then call and say that you will be late. And don鈥檛 arrive too early, as then someone will have to spend time with you before the meeting starts.
  5. Be friendly and open, and these slightly closed Estonians will respond to your greeting and become more open. In fact, everyone is very friendly and helpful here.
  6. On the first meeting it鈥檚 enough, if you say 鈥淭ere!鈥. If you are meeting a man, you can shake hands; in the case of a woman you should watch whether or not she reaches out her hand; if yes, then of course greet her with a handshake. Hugging and cheek kissing are not common in Estonia.
  7. At the first meeting it鈥檚 normal to address the person more formally and using the surname (Mrs. Kivi, Mr Saar); it鈥檚 very likely that in the future you will be asked to address the person using their first names and the "you" form. Maintain eye contact in the conversation, too active gesticulation with hands or expressive facial expressions can be confusing for local people.
  8. Active participation and expressing your own opinion is very welcome, but try to express your position in a specific and brief way, in two-three points. A local may not understand overly illustrated comments with a long pre-amble, as he will be thinking over the first sentences and won鈥檛 be able to listen till the end of the speech.
  9. At the end of the meeting thank your partner for a pleasant meeting and shake hands (cheek kissing would still be very unexpected for us and would create confusion). It would be good, if you sent a summary email within a couple of days.
  10. Give feedback to the Job Shadow Day organisers.