Ana-Marija Vratanar, from a little village in Slovenia, had been looking for a good job at home before seeing a job vacancy that aroused her curiosity. The job advertised at her local job centre was for a position in a family-run hotel in Austria. ‘I thought to myself, why not?’ So she made contact with EURES Adviser Žarko Markovič, based in Ljubljana.
‘I had had many jobs in Slovenia. I have worked in bars and restaurants, and as a teacher in a primary school where I helped kids with learning problems,’ explains Ana-Marija. ‘But the job in Austria offered me the chance to travel and improve my German.’
She went to Ljubljana for an interview where Žarko helped her with questions she had, and guided her through the interview process. ‘I told her the kind of paperwork she would need, helped her prepare for the interview. It is always a pleasure to see a successful match made between one of our jobseekers and a good job abroad.”
His help paid off and she got the job. ‘I’ve now been employed by the hotel for two winter seasons,’ Ana-Marija says happily. She’s worked hard at her German and is now a competent speaker. ‘I feel sure that my experience has helped me to become more employable back home’.
Ana-Marija is keen to encourage others to have a go at taking a job in another EU country.
‘I would say try it. It is always a chance to learn about yourself and a new culture.’ What is her advice for those who are going to take up a job in another EU country?
‘You need to be friendly and open to the fact that things maybe done differently when you move. It is also a question of respect, you need to respect the way others live and think. It is all a chance to learn and to develop your own character,’ she says.
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Details
- Publication date
- 12 January 2017
- Authors
- European Labour Authority | Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion
- Topics
- EURES best practice
- Success stories
- Related section(s)
- Sector
- Accomodation and food service activities
- Activities of extraterritorial organisations and bodies
- Activities of households as employers, undifferentiated goods- and services
- Administrative and support service activities
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing
- Arts, entertainment and recreation
- Construction
- Education
- Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply
- Financial and insurance activities
- Human health and social work activities
- Information and communication
- Manufacturing
- Mining and quarrying
- Other service activities
- Professional, scientific and technical activities
- Public administration and defence; compulsory social security
- Real estate activities
- Transportation and storage
- Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities
- Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles