Irena is a trained nurse from Macedonia and moved to Berlin a couple of months ago. She had wanted to move to Germany since she first visited the country as a tourist three years ago, but she didn’t take this decision lightly.
In this interview, she tells us about her first steps into her new life. Half a year into her job in a clinic in Berlin Irena has learned a lot of what it means to start anew in in this young and fast-paced city, and she has come to regard Berlin as her second home.
Start Relocation: Germany has a great need for medical professionals. You are a trained nurse with very good references. Was it easy to find a job here?
Irena: In the beginning I thought finding a job would be easy. I contacted the Federal Employment Agency and quickly had some interviews with them. However, I didn’t have a very good impression of their service and I found it difficult to trust them. I then checked online and found out that they had gotten quite negative ratings in the past! Their promises don’t seem to match reality. First they tell you that you will be paid well and have a good job, but in the end that never happens. I was very disappointed, but my husband then put me in touch with Start Relocation.
Yes, we had already supported your husband with getting his visa and work permit for Germany – and we had found a flat for both of you here in Berlin.
Exactly! And Nenad has been very happy with your service and glad he could recommend you.
Your colleague Miriam told me immediately that she would be happy to help me, and it was “love at first sight”. Getting a job placement with her was very different from what I had experienced with the Federal Employment Agency. Instead of talking endlessly with authorities and filling out questionnaires, she put me in direct contact with my future employer and I could ask them all the questions I wanted.
I am sure Miriam already had some suggestions in mind when she met you…
Miriam advised me to start in a smaller clinic first, so it is easier for me to integrate and learn German as well as all the medical termini! She contacted a small clinic in West Berlin for me, and we had a meeting soon after – me, Miriam, and the head of the hospital. We sat down together and discussed the job, what my expectations are and what the clinic would require of me. My boss then asked me when I wanted to start and I said: Immediately! (laughs)
Do you like your job?
Absolutely! I was a bit nervous in the beginning of course – a new job in a new country, and everything is in German. But I knew that I only needed some time to get used to the new circumstances, and then I would be able to prove what I know and what I can do!
…I am sure it was still difficult in the beginning.
Of course the work flow and how situations are dealt with here are very different from Macedonia. German hospitals have better medical equipment, higher hygienic standards and easier procedures. To be honest – before I started work I was not sure if I could make it. It is so difficult to prove yourself when you have difficulties to communicate in the local language!
I learn so much every day here! This makes me proud and happy. Every day has its new challenges, I really like that. My colleagues and the doctors were a great help in the beginning, and they are still now. We are an international team and my fellow nurses come from all over the world – China, Peru, Bulgaria, Chzech Republic. All of us know exactly how it feels to start in a new place, so we are almost like a family for each other. The patients are from all over the world as well! When there are people from Turkey for example that don’t speak English or German, one of my Turkish colleagues takes over. From what I can tell – I think you can only have good experiences as a nurse here.
How is the support you get from the hospital?
Really good. I remember one situation in the beginning that almost grew over my head. I was alone on shift and had to prepare the equipment for blood sampling, everything had to go very fast. But I didn’t know the names of the medical instruments and where they were stored! One of the doctors quickly helped me and showed me everything, and all went well in the end. This moment gave me great strength and motivation to learn. When you work in a hospital you have to be very fast – a fast learner and a fast worker. This is not a problem if you have good support from your colleagues, and now I know all the medical names and exactly where I find which instrument.
We also have regular classes for medical German that are paid for by the hospital. They have been helping me a lot as well!
Do you have feedback for us as well?
Sometimes I have time to think and then I ask myself: Is this really true? Did this actually happen? I think it doesn’t happen so often that everything comes together at the right time and place. I am very grateful for this. I know I can always ask Start Relocation when I have problems and that they will respond to me super fast and help me whenever they can. Our move to Berlin from Macedonia went very well – without you it would have been very difficult. Finding a job, getting the right permits and all this paperwork done! And the flat market in Berlin is so difficult, we would have never found our current place without you. Relocating is easy when there is somebody helping you through the whole process and who is always there for problems and questions. I am very grateful, because I know that not everybody has the chance to have this.
What do you advise others with the same wish like you?
If you really want to move to Germany, then do it. It’s almost impossible to make mistakes here – people in Berlin are nice and so international! Life here is fast and the people are young. It’s easy to adapt to and integrate into this city.
I hope everyone has the chance like me to succeed here. I hope that everything will work well for others coming here, too. If you work really hard and if you really want something, it will happen. It might not be easy in the beginning, but if you have one goal and one direction then you will succeed – you have to know where you want to go.
In Berlin there are so many possibilities, not only in regard to work. Everyday there are new things to learn, to develop yourself. In Macedonia we also lived in the capital, but it was different there. In Berlin there are always new impulses, new challenges, there is always something going on. If you want to become something or someone, you can just do it. I don’t know why, but I feel relaxed here. I go to the streets in the morning and I feel that I fit. In Macedonia I often felt stressed – life felt more difficult then.
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Would you like to find out more about relocating to Germany? Just email us if you have any questions about the immigration process.
Why did you decide to come to Berlin?
Moving out of my comfort zone has been always important to me. Germany is known for its amazing technological developments in the automotive/mechanical industry. Coming to Germany for education was a pre-planned decision. I received acceptance letters from a few universities in Berlin.
However, finalising Berlin has a funny story behind it. In high school I was an energetic and talkative kid. My math tutor would always say – “You are crazy my child, you should go to Berlin”. This is a Franz von Suppé quote which he said in a different way to make fun/ scold me at times. Somewhere, in the subconscious mind, I always fancied Berlin. I was aware of the great cultural extravaganza of Berlin. Moreover, I also got admitted in HTW Berlin for Automotive management. This is how I landed up here.
What did you think when relocation became serious, when it was REALLY time to move?
Turning wishes to goals and then achieving those goals is majorly satisfying. When the time came to move – I felt proud of my parents, brothers, family and friends who supported me through the highs and lows. For me, being able to achieve my dreams was a hurdle in itself. I was excited about my future in Germany, but also super proud of my roots and my life that I was leaving behind.
When did you come to Germany and when did you start working at HelloFresh?
I moved to Berlin in October / November 2014. I moved to Berlin to pursue my masters in Automotive Management. I joined HelloFresh SE in February 2016 as a working student for Hellotech. I also completed my master thesis with HelloFresh SE (the Global IT team).
Did you come by yourself or with your family?
I came here by myself and not with family.
Did you get help with the paperwork and the move in general?
I moved to Berlin as a student. I did not take any help with the paper work or general work. I had to do all the paper work in India before relocating as a student.
How was the support of Start Relocation?
I learned about Start Relocation when I got the full time employee contract at HelloFresh SE. Switching from a student visa to a work permit was very challenging.
I had decided to switch from Mechanical to IT. My educational qualifications had a mismatch with the job profile. HelloFresh SE and Start Relocation have taken a lot of effort to get the paperwork cleared. I give all our CTO Nuno Simaria, HR Sarah Rogers and Helen Neumann from Start Relocation for making this happen.
Helen managed to get my paperwork done, she took the appointment for the visa and also accompanied me to the visa office. This process from discussing the full time contract till getting the visa took nearly 4 months. Helen from Start Relocation agency has really been patient with me and handled all my doubts/questions very well. I have troubled her with lot of questions. Thank you Helen! (If you are reading this).
What did you organise yourself and what did Start Relocation/HelloFresh do for you?
For changing my visa to work permit, I have not done a single thing except providing my previous visa details. I did not worry much about this, Helen was amazing at her job 🙂 Start Relocation agency and the HR department have done all the work from scratch
When did you start to feel home in Berlin?
After moving to the student apartment. I did not have a permanent apartment for two months after moving to Berlin. The day I set up the furniture in my apartment I knew that it was home. Sadly, I have to leave my current apartment by the end of this year. I can always rely on Start Relocation for finding a new home. 🙂
In which district do you live?
I stay in Lichtenberg.
What´s the lifestyle of this place?
The place I stay in is a Student apartment. We have a lot of diversity there, it is also a very calm area. It is not as fancy as Mitte/ Prenzlauer Berg. It is beautiful in its own way. For a person like me who loves to be home in a peaceful location, enjoys strolls in the park with animals around it’s the best place to be in.
What´s extremely different to where you come from?
Climate. I come from a place where 15 degrees celsius temperature was considered to be winter. While in Berlin, that’s the summer. At least this year.
What do like the most about Berlin?
You know the famous quote from Jack Lang “Paris is always Paris but Berlin is never Berlin”. It has been more than 2 years now and I am still exploring the various layers of Berlin. From street art to diverse people. From varying different lifestyles to music & museums. Everything is vivid and crazy. I think that “you don’t move to Berlin, you become Berlin.“
Is there anything you would recommend to people who plan to relocate to Berlin?
Berlin is diverse, and definitely has opportunities for talent. You should definitely start your own story in Berlin, but you need to plan for it. This includes knowing about the job market, housing situation, living expenses. I have experienced the city evolving, adapting to it is the ultimate key.
What is your profession at HelloFresh?
Currently I am 1LQA Manager at HelloFresh SE, I also support my team as QA Engineer. It has been a wonderful experience so far, HelloFresh SE focuses on the individual professional growth along with team progress.
How is your team … how international is it?
HelloFresh SE is very diverse. We have many nationalities. My colleagues are from Turkey, Morocco, South America, United Kingdom, Canada, all around Europe.
Well, interview is finished… You are also happy you can go back to work now?
I am, because it´s always something new.
Thanks for your time, Praktiksha, and sharing your relocation story. It was a pleasure to talk to you!
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