How GMCFinland got its start
Five friends. "We all worked for Johnson & Johnson in France. We are still very close and have children of the same age," says Jenny Rajahalme, Managing Director of GMC Finland.
🌎 "I know how they feel," says Jenny Rajahalme, Managing Director of GMCFinland, referring to those who move to a foreign country for work.
She has moved to study or work in Mexico, France, Belgium - and also to Finland, her home country.
Let's let Jenny tell her career story to find out why GMCFinland is an excellent choice to help employees and families of foreign companies moving to Finland.
📚 Jenny was an exchange student in Mexico, where she learned Spanish. After graduating from high school, she was admitted to Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, where she studied a degree in English.
Jenny went on student exchange to France to study for a Master's degree. "I was told there was no point as I didn't speak French. In the end, I got my diploma with good grades from Blaise Pascal University," says Jenny.
A traineeship at the UPM mill in Strasbourg led to a work offer. Jenny called to Finland and said that she’s staying in France and will finish her studies later. Which she did while in France. Jenny settled in France and after UPM, she got a job at Johnson & Johnson because she spoke Spanish. The company moved Jenny's job to Brussels, so she moved to Belgium.
👜 "On May Day 2012 I moved to Finland after ten years abroad. Moving back was a difficult task, as I only had a Finnish passport and a personal identity number. I had to deal with social security, tax, bank, telephone contract and many other issues" says Jenny.
She was soon hired by Rolls-Royce Marine. At the time, TVO's third nuclear reactor was being built at Olkiluoto, so there were hundreds of foreigners living in Rauma.
"I was excited. I talked to French people, Germans and others. Many of them became friends, asking for help with various practical matters. I would help them out in my spare time," says Jenny.
🧩 It was then that the idea of starting an own business slowly dawned on Jenny.
"Finland is a good country to live in. What if I bring internationalism to me instead of me going international? I started doing small favours for compensation. In 2017, I started to serve people coming to work in Finland full-time."
GMCFinland's customers are mainly foreign companies. For those coming to Finland and their families, GMCFinland organises relocation services on a tailor made basis.
"Residence permits, tax numbers, ID cards, driving licences, apartments, rental cars, school and day-care places, registration of spouses as job seekers, and so on," says Jenny.
More comprehensive packages offering personalised help and advice on all kinds of everyday and leisure issues are also popular.
"I know from personal experience how many and how different questions a person moving to a foreign country can have. It's great to be able to help people and employ myself and others at the same time," says Jenny.
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