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EURES (EURopean Employment Services)
News article2 May 2019European Labour Authority, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

German safari park teams up with EURES to hire Italian jobseekers

In February, EURES Staff from the Zentrale Auslands- und Fachvermittlung (ZAV) in Lower Saxony-Bremen, Germany, teamed up with one of Europe’s largest safari parks to host two recruitment events in Italy.

German safari park teams up with EURES to hire Italian jobseekers
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Placement Officer Marianne Perrin and her colleague Stephanie Diegel organised events in the Italian cities of Ancona and Macerata in collaboration with the Serengeti Park. They were supported by colleagues from EURES Italy, who had been in touch with Italian jobseekers and invited 27 candidates to the event as part of a pre-selection process.

At the event, a general introduction by EURES Staff from the ZAV was immediately followed by interviews with representatives from the park. By the end of the events, 14 candidates – over half of those present – had been hired!

An unexpected, but ideal, opportunity

Serena was one of the successful participants who attended the event in Macerata. She graduated from college with a qualification in hospitality two years ago, but her dream was to work with animals. When she heard about the event on Facebook, the chance to work for a safari park seemed ideal.

‘When I read about this project, I immediately thought it was perfect for me! So I could combine my hospitality school diploma with my huge passion for animals,’ she explains. ‘The event was very beautiful,’ she says, adding that ‘everything was illustrated perfectly, starting from a general speech on Germany to detailed information about salary and taxes’.

Shared language builds immediate trust

Another participant, Maria, also found out about the event through Facebook. Maria says she really liked the event ‘because the atmosphere wasn’t too formal and they were all interested to find a job that could really suit my profile.’

As Marianne explains, ‘the employer was able to hire also candidates with little or no German knowledge, because the owners of the park are an Italian family and some managers are Italian speaking.’

‘One of them was with us and held a presentation in Italian and she also did the interviews with candidates without German knowledge. This was of course a big advantage to build a trustful atmosphere.’

Marianne says that moving to Germany represents ‘a wonderful opportunity to bridge a gap of unemployment, to brush up on German language and to make an international experience with little personal risk and many opportunities.’

Many of the park’s jobs are seasonal, although there may also be opportunities to stay longer term. This suits Serena and Maria, who are both happy to see how it goes before making any long-term decisions.  

Support from ‘Your first EURES job’

Both Serena and Maria plan to move to Germany to start work in April. To prepare them for their move, they have been taking part in a fully-paid, intensive German language course supported by the Your first EURES job scheme.

For Serena, the chance to work in Germany came as a surprise, but it was an opportunity she couldn’t turn down: ‘To be honest, I never thought of Germany as a country where I would work and live, but I couldn’t miss the opportunity. I hope that this testimony of mine can help someone to take this path that for me was like a gift.’

After this successful initiative, Marianne and her colleagues at the ZAV are planning to hold more similar events in Italy with German hospitality employers.

If you would like to stay informed about upcoming events, be sure to follow the ZAV on LinkedIn, register on the EURES portal and contact your local EURES Staff.

 

Related links:

Zentrale Auslands- und Fachvermittlung (ZAV)

EURES on Facebook

Your first EURES job scheme

ZAV on LinkedIn

EURES portal

 

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