Oksana Katantseva an ihrem Arbeitsplatz
I completed a degree in social work in my home country of Ukraine and then studied economics. During my studies, I worked as an emergency paramedic for 8 years. After that I worked as a bank clerk for 2 years as a counsellor in all financial matters. In the following 12 years, I worked as an employment mediator at the job centre in my home town. In this position, I looked after a total of between 300 and 400 customers. I took care of everything. Every day I registered new customers, calculated unemployment benefits, informed unemployed people about job opportunities on the labour market, helped customers to compile their CVs and letters of application and, of course, looked for suitable staff for employers. I looked after around 50 customers a day and made appointments every 10 minutes. My main aim was to bring a worker and the right employer together. Although the workload was enormous, I really enjoyed this job.
Due to the outbreak of war in Ukraine, I had to leave my home country. In March 2022, I fled to Magdeburg with my daughter and was accommodated in a hostel. There we received great support from volunteers and a German family. In May 2022, I completed a German course and then completed a B2 integration course. After that, I started looking for a job. Nataliya Detka from the WelcomeCenter Saxony-Anhalt gave me a lot of support. She explained to me how to write an application and a CV here in Germany. She also helped me prepare for job interviews and explained the work culture and communication in the workplace. These are very different from those in Ukraine. Thanks to the great support, I even had the choice between two jobs and finally decided on the position as a job placement officer at the job centre. I am really happy with my decision. Our department is relatively small and I have very nice colleagues who are always there to help and advise me. There is a comprehensive induction plan and I hope to be able to carry out my first job placements soon.
I really like Magdeburg and I hope to find a new home here. My daughter is now studying at Otto von Guericke University and has also settled in quite well.
