Cleaner Satu Jesenko
Satu Jesenko and her husband Jarrad Dowd wanted to start all over again. They left their homeland of Australia and moved to Finland to learn the language and get to know the country Jesenko’s mother came from. Today they both work as cleaners in a hotel. The work does not help them to improve their knowledge of the language much but they learn from everyday life. Shopping for food often turns out to be an amusing experience.
Satu Jesenko is 30. Her mother is Finnish and her father German. Back home in Melbourne, Australia, they spoke English. Her husband, Jarrad Dowd, who is 29, is also from Australia. It was easy for the couple to settle in Finland, as Jesenko already knew the country.
Jesenko and Dowd moved to Finland in 2006, travelled for a while and started to look for work in Helsinki. They browsed through the papers and spoke to people, but nearly everywhere a good standard of Finnish was required.
When the Seaside Hotel was looking for cleaners, Jesenko and Dowd applied. They gave it a go for a few months, visited Australia again, and on their return went back to being cleaners at the hotel.
“We are trying to save money and settle down here in Finland. We want to learn Finnish more and at some point do something else other than cleaning work. We’d like to travel to other places in Europe. It’s easier and cheaper from here than from Australia.”
In Australia Jesenko worked in retail customer service and travel and tourism. She had also gained a business qualification, but to continue in that field she would need to know Finnish.
“While I’m cleaning I think about all sorts of things. So the work is creative.”
Jarrad would need a university degree to be able to teach English here. They will have to do with being cleaners for now.
Cleaners do a five-day week. They usually get time off during the week. The working day consists of a schedule of jobs which is given out in the morning.
A room which has been vacated has to be cleaned throughout. The bed linen and towels have to be changed, the wastepaper bins emptied, the floors vacuumed, the furniture dusted and the room got ready.
“The work is physically demanding. You only have 20 minutes to do a room that has been vacated, though sometimes you might need longer. Messy rooms are irritating, but it’s a challenge to try and keep to the schedules. I was really slow at first.”
Jesenko works alone in different parts of the hotel, is always on the move, meets the hotel guests, and tries to resolve their problems on her own. The hotel management know their business, and there is a good atmosphere among the fellow-workers.
“We’re encouraged to talk to the guests. That boosts morale. We are part of the hotel team, and not just cleaners. It’s nice when the guests say hello. The American pensioners especially like to stop and chat. Of course they are curious to know about my Australian background. I don’t recall ever meeting anyone nasty here.”
A cleaner can get by with modest Finnish language skills. The work suits foreigners, but it is hardly any good for improving one’s knowledge of the language. But for Jesenko the job’s just fine.”
“This is a great stage in our life as we are continually learning something new. At home Jarrad has become a wonderful cook while we’ve been here.”
Text and photograph: Anu Likonen, Jukka Vuolle and Nanni Akkola
The Ministry of Employment and the Economy