But we’ve already seen him in a movie.
Iltalehti reports on growing discontent among Chinese families who paid tens of thousands of euros to send their children to Finland through the startup Finest Future — only to find the reality falling short of expectations.
The company, founded by former Rovio executive Peter Vesterbacka and partners, promises students a pathway to Finnish high schools through an intensive Finnish language programme. Students typically study online for two months before attending a four-month language camp in rural Finland. If they pass a language exam, they can apply to Finnish high schools organised through the company.
For Amy, a Chinese graphic designer, this opportunity was a dream come true. In 2023, her 14-year-old son travelled alone to Kaustinen for the language camp after two months of online learning. The programme cost her family 25,000 euros — nearly four times the average annual salary in China.
However, the promised immersive Finnish experience never materialised. Amy’s son says the camp was composed entirely of Chinese students and lacked contact with locals, aside from a caretaker. Meals were basic, and communication was difficult.
“He could barely say his name in Finnish when he arrived,” Amy said.
Adult participants expressed similar concerns. Alessia, an experienced teacher from Shanghai, paid the same sum after being told she could start work directly as a kindergarten teacher. She was housed in cramped dormitory conditions in Kouvola and described the experience as “the worst time of my life.”
Both Amy and Alessia claim they were misled by local agents who presented the programme as a Finnish government initiative. Contracts, however, were signed with a little-known company called Cross Northern Pole — registered in Finland and owned by a Chinese businessman. Its contact details are identical to those of Finest Future.
The startup did not respond to Iltalehti’s questions, and there is no clear data on how many students returned home without school placements. Some families are now considering legal action, but Amy says they are unlikely to receive support under Chinese or Finnish law.
“We lost our savings,” she told the paper. “But even worse, my son lost a year of his life. That’s something we can never get back.”
That’s definitely a feature.
Just sent in an unsolicited application to be their fox warden…
Of course, my official badge shall be:
I bet Abigail put them up to this.
That’s a red panda:
https://web.archive.org/web/20120228204829/http://www.mozilla.org/projects/firefox/firefox-name-faq.html
But it is a fox in our hearts.
Pandas are cuter.
But never mess with them.
Sorry, Mozilla, the muzzle is too long to be a red panda. Also, coloring is wrong.
Yes. Definitely a fox.
