In Syria, Reem A. successfully completed her training as a medical-technical laboratory assistant. Shortly thereafter, she married and quickly became pregnant. She has two more children a short distance apart. “I loved giving my time to my children. My role as a mother has completely fulfilled me, ”says Reem, who is now a mother of four. Her husband earns very well in his work as an engineer and dealer in auto parts. But then the war breaks out, Aleppo is bombed, Reem flees with her children. In 2017 the family comes to Aachen. And now a difficult path begins for Reem, as for many refugee women: How should she gain a foothold here? It goes without saying that she would like to work: “I don’t even know how to get money from the state. For me and my children I want to be independent and earn my own money. “
“I can’t get an internship with a headscarf”
The way to work begins with learning the German language. Since there is no daycare place for Reem’s little daughter, she cannot attend a German course. After a year her daughter gets the place, about six months later Reem starts the course. At the beginning of last year, Reem successfully completed her second language test. In the job center she learns that Training positions as a medical-technical laboratory assistant are possible in Düsseldorf. But moving is out of the question for her, so she has to look for something else. She learns that there is a great need for educators. “I really like looking after children and have the patience and understanding for them.” The employee at the job center recommends Reem to do internships first to find out whether she really likes this area of work. The first thing Reem asks at her daughter’s daycare center. “The manager said in front of my little ones that I couldn’t get an internship in the daycare with my clothes and my headscarf. My daughter later asked me why not. I was speechless. ”At the same time, she is looking for an apprenticeship as a nanny, because there are vacant apprenticeships part-time in Aachen, and Reem would like to work part-time. “I think it is better to start slowly because the German language is a big hurdle for me.” The job center would only finance full-time training. Reem applies for another German course at the job center. She gets a rejection: Her language level is sufficient for the training, she is told that she doesn’t need more.
The Abitur certificate has to be recognized – she misses the application deadline
But Reem does not give up and continues to look for an internship and now also for a full-time apprenticeship. In the fall, she met a member of the primary school in a church aid group for refugees, who her youngest daughter is now attending, and is given an internship there for two weeks. “That was a very good experience, the work team was very cooperative.” Only because of her headscarf, Reem doubts that she will find a job after completing her training. But she kept looking, found a school that had vacant apprenticeships and began to prepare her documents with the help of German friends. Your Abitur certificate must be translated again in Germany and then recognized, this takes three to four months. Due to the corona pandemic, recognition has been delayed – until now. Reem missed the application deadline, which expired on February 1st, 2021. She is not allowed to submit the documents later.
Reem meets online on Facebook groups in which other Syrian women share their experiences, and she learns that there is a job called “childminder” where she can work independently. That gives her new hope. “I think and hope that it will give me better chances to work than in school or daycare.” Reem searches online for courses to prepare for the job. “I would love to start working right away, after all, I’m no longer young,” says Reem – she is 41 years old.
“It takes five to seven years”
The education system in Germany and the asylum and residence laws, which differentiate according to age and country of origin, are very difficult for migrants to understand, says Rudaba Badakshi, the regional coordinator for the East-Central Germany region at DaMigra: a Umbrella organization of migrant organizations. The association works against all forms of discrimination, for networking, qualification and equal opportunities and equality for migrants. DaMigra is funded by the Federal Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration, the Federal Ministry for Family, Seniors, Women and Youth and the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
The women need reliable, multilingual advice that is also familiar with the systems in their countries of origin, she continues. “Depending on their physical and mental situation, people need between five to seven years to really get here.” Asylum seekers are not allowed to work in certain phases of the asylum procedure or leave their place of residence without a permit, which takes months, sometimes years. Some women get a tolerance for years, which is not a permanent residence status, and cannot do anything, says Badakshi. Short-term residence permits that are shorter than the duration of an apprenticeship prevent many from getting places. The recognition of the certificates takes far too long and is expensive. “Women who did not bring their certificates with them from their home country or who did not have them recognized have to start with their training from scratch.” The living conditions of many women make it difficult for them to access education and advice centers, says Badakshi. Some live in initial reception centers far away from public transport or do not receive childcare. They lack social networks that could catch them and help them.
Noha is frustrated and hopeless
Another example: Six months after the birth of her daughter, Lena, Noha G. gets back to work. She works as a human resource manager in a national bank in Egypt. Since her daughter is severely disabled and needs permanent medical treatment, the family has to move to Germany. With a heavy heart, Noha quits her job, leaves her family, friends and her beloved home and moves to a village near Düsseldorf. But she hopes for new luck. She is diligently learning German, getting her driver’s license and looking for advice centers in order to reorient herself professionally.
That was six years ago. Today Noha is frustrated and hopeless. “I have been financially dependent on my husband for six years. I never was in my life. ”It took her husband about a year to find a job. Despite a good knowledge of German, fluent English and hundreds of applications, Noha was only invited twice for an interview and then received rejections. Even when applying for internships, she doesn’t get an answer. “I’m going around in circles because I just don’t know what to do. I would study again too, just what exactly? “
In Egypt she earned more than her husband
In each counseling center she gets different information. The training that was recommended to her and which she was able to finance and successfully complete with the help of her husband did not help. In a counseling center, she gets a mini job with her counselor. “I really need a real job. That not only gives me financial independence, but also a life of my own. At the moment I only have a life with the help of others. ”Noha enthusiastically talks about her old job, how she and her colleagues have transformed the bank into a sought-after bank. How they made the structure fairer. How popular she was and how she loved her job. How she traveled to many places through her work and met people from different countries. She earned very well, more than what her husband now earns in Germany, and she had her own car. She can’t believe that she can’t even finance herself now. “I’ve always mastered the challenges and achieved what I wanted to achieve. Now I’m more desperate than ever. But right now I should be strong for my daughter in order to be able to support her psychologically. “
Raising awareness of intercultural diversity
“We need funding for” diversity training “on the job market with the aim of creating awareness for intercultural diversity,” says Rudaba Badakshi from DaMigra, “and political education, especially in schools, in order to reflect and understand To create global developments. To do this, we have to reform our asylum laws and readjust the exclusive and disadvantageous restrictions. ” She encourages women to look for ways X, Y and A and B and C, be patient and never lose hope.
This text appears as part of the “Voices of Exile” project by Tagesspiegel and Körber Foundation. The Tagesspiegel has been regularly publishing articles by exile journalists under the title #jetztschreibenwir since 2016. The Körber Foundation makes in its focus topic “New life in exile” the journalistic, artistic, political or scientific activities of people in exile in Germany are visible. To do this, it cooperates with the news platforms, for example “Amal, Berlin!” and “Amal, Hamburg!” or organizes specialist events (Exile Media Forum).
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