Tariq Al-Maáitah, Bild: Landesinitiative Fachkraft im Fokus
Gabriela Nagler (WelcomeCenter Sachsen-Anhalt) und Tariq Al-Maáitah, Bild: Landesinitiative Fachkraft im Fokus
Tariq Al-Maáitah was born in Jordan and had dreamed of becoming a doctor since his youth. Language courses and medical school are very expensive in Jordan, but his parents still made it possible for him to pursue this path, and after graduating from high school, he studied medicine at Mútah University in Al-Karak from September 2014 to June 2020. From July 2020 to July 2021, he deepened his knowledge in the fields of surgery, internal medicine, gynecology, and pediatrics at Prince Ali Military Hospital in Al-Karak. He then worked as a general practitioner at “South Jordan For Occupational Health” in Al-Karak until the end of 2022.
While searching for a suitable location to continue his medical training, he learned about the partnership between the Federal Employment Agency—specifically the ZAV Central Foreign and Specialist Placement Office in Bonn—and Jordan. As one of 316 applicants, he was awarded one of 15 scholarships to relocate to Saxony-Anhalt.
On January 10, 2023, Tariq Al-Maáitah entered the Federal Republic of Germany and, as early as January 13, 2023, received his employment contract and housing at a clinic in the Harz region. At the same time, he attended the C1 specialized language course alongside his work, which he successfully completed on August 10, 2023.
After successfully completing the C1 specialized language course and being able to apply for his work permit, he was unexpectedly informed that his fixed-term employment contract could not be renewed due to the hospital’s financial circumstances.
In August 2023, Gabriela Nagler from the WelcomeCenter Saxony-Anhalt in Halberstadt was brought in to assist with the process. She immediately contacted the parties involved and the Federal Employment Agency and set all available measures in motion to find a new employer for Tariq Al-Maáitah with suitable housing. For Tariq Al-Maáitah, his five-year residency training as a medical resident and his planned stay in Germany were at stake. Thanks to the excellent cooperation among the parties involved, a new solution was found promptly, and he was hired on October 1, 2023, as a staff member in the orthopedics department at the “Teufelsbad” Rehabilitation Clinic in Blankenburg (Harz), where he was also permitted to live. Since circumstances had changed in the meantime at the original hospital and a new employment opportunity arose, he decided to continue his career as a vascular surgeon there starting December 1, 2023.
His colleagues at the “Teufelsbad” rehabilitation clinic were extremely accommodating and supported him in his decision to continue his specialist training, making another short-term job change possible.
He has since received his medical license. This means his residence permit is no longer at risk, and Saxony-Anhalt is gaining a specialist who spares no effort to pursue his career path with determination and successfully complete his desired specialist training.
Tariq Al-Maáitah greatly appreciates the discipline and high quality standards in Germany, but would like to see less bureaucracy. He is grateful for the support of his parents, Inga Thomsen at the Federal Employment Agency, Dr. Katharina Bühl, Alexandra Hahne from the Employer Service, Gabriela Nagler from the WelcomeCenter Saxony-Anhalt, and the entire team at the “Teufelsbad” Rehabilitation Clinic in Blankenburg (Harz).
The WelcomeCenter Saxony-Anhalt is a service offered by the state initiative “Fachkraft im Fokus,” through which the state aims to make it easier for prospective newcomers and their families to settle into their old homeland or new home, as well as to support companies wishing to employ skilled workers from abroad with their professional and social integration.
We’re just a phone call away.
Gabriela Nagler, Regional Advisor, WelcomeCenter (Harz)
nagler(at)fachkraft-im-fokus(dot)de | +49 152 56647855
