Title

In recent years, a large number of Estonians have made Finland their home, becoming the largest minority in Finland. It is assumed that Estonians integrate easily, resulting in a lim-ited amount of information and in-depth knowledge on the specific needs or challenges Estonians might face in Finland. The goal of the thesis was to produce information con-cerning the integration needs of Estonian minority in Finland and what an Estonian immi-grant association can do to assist with regards to the integration process. The study is qualitative. The data was collected by interviewing 12 Estonians. The inter-views were semi-structured and focused on the experiences of the interviewees regarding their arrival and settling in. The theoretical framework is based on Berry’s model of accul-turation and ethnic identity as a salient part of determining one’s integration process. The results showed that having an adequate level of the Finnish language was a prevalent factor influencing the chances for successful integration. A sufficient command of the lan-guage opens up possibilities for advancing in the working life, education and increases the chances of creating social contacts with locals. Reaching an adequate level of Finnish seemed to be the greatest difficulty for most. Based on the results, we concluded that there is a lack of support structures to promote better language learning. It is only over a longer period of time that the interviewees inte-grate fully into the society, gaining a sufficient level of Finnish that enables one to function as an equal member in the society