Spanish IT specialist finds a fresh start in Germany

Leaving behind Andalusia, the 27-year-old moved to Bottrop in western Germany, where he quickly secured a job thanks to support from EURES Germany.

After learning last year that his job contract in Seville wouldn’t be extended, Jose had been looking at his options. He’d spent a semester at Graz University of Technology in Austria via the Erasmus programme and was studying German at the Goethe Institute in Seville. Given continuing high unemployment in Spain, he had been considering a move to Germany for a while.

EURES services in Germany are delivered by the German International & Specialized Placement Services (ZAV). Jose quickly had an appointment with Markus Skrbina at ZAV, an adviser seconded to the agency’s Dortmund team, who explained the possibilities. ‘We could answer all his questions about living and working in Germany, and suggested a number of vacancies in this bottleneck profession,’ Markus says.

Bottrop is in the Ruhr region, a part of Germany once known for heavy industry that’s now opening up to new industries, and where, like the rest of the country, IT specialists are in demand. Local software company Celano had been looking to reinforce its team for some time, and the employment agency suggested that they look beyond Germany’s borders.

International staff for international solutions

So, last July, representatives from Celano, the Employment Agency Bottrop and Markus Skrbina met to discuss the requirements for foreign specialists. Two weeks later, Jose and a Celano representative spoke by phone, followed by an interview in person a week later. In October, Jose began his new job.

‘The advice provided by the ZAV helped us a great deal, because we always had a contact person for questions,’ Celano spokesperson Maria Niehoff says. ‘And our employees like the fact we now have international staff.’

Jose is enjoying the experience, even if everything is new. ‘The biggest problem was finding a place to live,’ he says. And he isn’t the only person in his company dealing with a new life in a foreign country: Italian colleague Michele Geri is a fellow newcomer, and was also advised by ZAV.

As for Markus Skrbina, his secondment to the ZAV team in Dortmund was a valuable experience. As an agent in the employer service in Mülheim, he can now speak from experience when presenting the possibility of recruiting specialists from abroad to local companies.

Celano

Living & Working in Germany

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