What comes after fleeing?

Impact Story from Germany: Work & Income

Thanks to a help alliance project, Morteza has the chance to find a job and start a new in Frankfurt am Main.

“I don’t have to hide in Germany. There are prospects there.” Morteza often repeated these sentences to himself. In his home country, Iran, he could have faced the death penalty because of his personal attitude toward religion. He saw escape as the only way out.

The now 33-year-old had to make a dan-gerous journey: crossing the mountains to Turkey in winter and then across the Mediterranean by boat two years later. The destination: Germany. Morteza took it all upon himself to start a new life. Now he is in Frankfurt, but Morteza has truly yet to arrive. Despite the many integration offers in the economically strong city, there is still a great need for exchange projects between people with and without refugee experience. “All I wanted was to find a job. But how? I struggled with odd jobs and was desperate. Then a friend told me about the association ‘Über den Tellerrand Frankfurt’.” That’s when Morteza saw his chance.

A long-term connection

‘Über den Tellerrand Frankfurt’ is part of a network of associations of the same name 2829in cities throughout Germany that facilitates refugees’ participation in social life and coming into contact with people from Germany. help alliance’s project “Intercultural Tandems for Career Perspectives and Leisure Ideas” supports the organization’s two exchange programs “Volunteer Rockets” and “Career Buddy”. In the Volunteer Rockets program, people with and without refugee experience work together in small teams to develop their own exchange projects, which they then implement. “Career Buddy is based on 1:1 mentorships between experienced employees and job seekers with refugee experience. The mentors help familiarize their mentees with the job market as well as drafting applications and preparing ahead of job interviews,” says help alli-ance project coordinator Sonja Steinheuser, a purser at Lufthansa. Morteza met Tilman at Career Buddy, and a long-term connection developed. They met a few times and spoke frequently on the phone, reports Tilman, who works for Lufthansa as Head of Ground Operations in Frankfurt: “Everything was a bit more difficult because of Corona, but we still managed to exchange information regularly. We wrote to each other and talked on the phone a lot.”

A lucky coincidence

Morteza completed a five-year degree in aerospace engineering in his home country, and is now doing everything he can to apply his knowledge in practice in Germany. However, it is not always easy to find the right moment and approach the right people in a foreign country. As a mentor, Tilman was able to provide Morteza perfect support in the application process. “I learned a lot from Tilman. How to apply, write cover letters and contact companies,” Morteza tells us. Tilman is also happy about the new connection. Although he is a long-time donor to help alliance, he only recently started volunteering and actively participating in Career Buddy. “I realized that there is more and help alliance also supports projects in Germany where I can help. If you’re not from Germany, it’s sometimes difficult to get through to the right people and present the information correctly.” The fact that he was partnered with Morteza, of all people, is a happy coincidence for Tilman: “Morteza is a big fan of aviation and I can offer him great support with my network in this industry.” Sonja Steinheuser is also proud of the inter-cultural tandem: “It makes me happy to see how the program brings two, at first glance, different people together to learn from each other and create a future perspective together.” Morteza has already applied for jobs at several companies, especially in the aviation industry. Morteza knows he wouldn’t have been able to do it without Tilman: “Tilman helped me a lot. I could always call him and ask questions. Tilman is the best.” Even though the job search is particularly challenging now, he remains optimistic that it is only a matter of time before he finds a job and can start a new life. Then he will have truly arrived in Germany.

Update July 2021

Morteza has now found a job with Lufthansa Cargo. With his entry, he can now gain further professional experience and find out his preferred position. We are curious to see where Morteza’s path will lead him!