Viktoria (rechts) an ihrem Arbeitsplatz in der Oskar Kämmer Schule in Wernigerode gemeinsam mit Gabriela Nagler, Foto © Landesinitiative Fachkraft im Fokus
I studied German, English and World Literature at the University of Kiev. I completed my Master's degree in December 2021. Unfortunately, war broke out in Ukraine in February 2022, which fundamentally changed my life. In May 2022, I fled to Germany and came to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the Müritz region.
I had already spent two months there in 2019 working as a waitress with Work & Travel to improve my German. Luckily for me, my boss at the time got in touch when the war broke out and offered me his support. My mum and sister decided not to flee with me, but I came with two friends.
My boss helped us with the applications and offered us a job in his hotel. This opportunity allowed me to improve my German considerably as I lost my fear of speaking. However, the job was only seasonal, so I worked in a hotel in Ilsenburg during the winter season. I returned to Müritz the following summer and spent the winter of 2023/2024 in Ilsenburg again.
My colleagues from Ilsenburg had prepared a furnished flat for me and I worked part shifts, so I hardly had any time to deal with bureaucratic formalities. In January 2024, I finally made the decision to use my diploma. I started researching the recognition of my diploma and tried to have it translated, which proved difficult and resulted in several rejections. Through internet research, I came into contact with the WelcomeCentre of the state initiative Fachkraft im Fokus. I made an appointment with the regional advisor Gabriela Nagler in February 2024 to get support with recognition. My goal was to become a German teacher. Mrs Nagler already recommended the Oskar Kämmer School to me at this point. As there were no vacancies there at the time, I continued to work at the hotel and looked for suitable vacancies at the same time.
In summer 2024, the Oskar Kämmer School in Wernigerode was looking for a teacher for integration courses. My application was successful and I was offered a permanent position from 1 August 2024. Now I'm hoping that I can apply for my Blue Card in the future.
I have since moved to Wernigerode with my boyfriend and am very happy with how things are going here so far. I have great colleagues, great contacts in the school management and great students in the German courses.
The bureaucracy is a big challenge for a foreigner. The hurdles are high and it is often difficult to find the right contact person at the relevant authority at the right time. The assessment of the equivalence of my qualifications by the ZAB was quick, but the recognition of my diploma is still a long time coming.
Life in Germany is not easy and you have to do a lot yourself to make a living and achieve your goals. Nevertheless, I am very happy and very grateful to everyone who has supported me.
I can very well imagine a future in Germany and am looking forward to the time ahead.
Viktoria
