Johanna Kainulainen - Communicating PEER from Irstea

As the coodinator of PEER communications, Johanna Kainulainen already had connections to Irstea which facilitated her going to France from the Finnish environment institute SYKE to work for six months between August 2010 and Feburary 2011.

How did you find out about the opportunity to go and work at Irstea?

I had already collaborated with Irstea before and my stay at Irstea was really a result of a number of coincidences, good luck and the willingness of my superiors to look at the opportunity openly.

What are your duties?

At Irstea, I continue my work as the coordinator of PEER communications, something which I had already done at SYKE. Irstea had a need to also communicate the work of PEER internally to its researchers, so I have also worked on internal communications. I have also helped with other things, for example by checking English translations. Since I only changed the country I work at but for the most part not the duties themselves, it made transitioning very effortless.

Were there any difficulties?

My exchange is not based on any already existing agreement so there weren’t ready-made templates which we could use straight out. So there were quite a few bureaucratic hurdles to jump over, but I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I was saved from the majority of them since the grunt work was done by my superiors. Practically all I had to do was jump on the plane.

Learning the language has however been a bit of a challenge since I had not studied French at school and only had six months before coming to France to learn the language. I can conduct most of my duties in English if necessary, but speaking better French would definitely be an advantage, and obviously speaking the language of the country you live in makes it easier to familiarise with the culture.

Any tips for others who are interested in working at another PEER centre?

Do not be afraid of taking a leap to try something different! It is likely that you will gain from the experience both professionally and personally.

While the centres may at times have vacancies for staff exchange – i.e. some skill shortages that they will actively search suitable persons for, I think in most cases the exchanges will simply be borne out of your personal interests and the contacts you already have, for example through research projects.

What is the best part of living in France?

Well, the food has to be one of the top items. And not only the quality and deliciousness of particular products and dishes, but the entire food culture: the importance of good food for the French people, and the sheer variety of different products and specialty shops. The French are proud of their culinary culture – and very rightly so! There have been several culinary firsts for me: the first oyster, the first yoghurt made from sheep’s milk, the first endives, the first ray, the first île flottante dessert…