Omar A.’s father studied in Germany and enjoyed this experience greatly. Now, Omar is following in the footsteps of his “idol” and chose to advance his career in Germany as well. As of now, 10 out of 10 he would do it all again.
Zitat:Team: First of all, what was your motivation to come to Germany?
Omar A.: The reason why I chose to come to Germany is twofold. First of all, my father studied in Germany, where he did his post-graduate studies. He is a civil engineer and specialized in Project Management. He taught me to always strive for the best. As he is my idol, his positive experiences reflected directly on me. He advised me to choose Germany as the best educational experience one can have.
The second fold is that during my medical studies, I had to do a two-month elective internship. I chose to do it in Germany as I wanted to get to know the medical environment here. During this internship, I had great mentors in the hospital. They taught me a lot about medicine and motivated me to continue my training here. I saw firsthand that it’s a country of technology and development where one can achieve one’s goals and advance one’s career to the best possible point. That was basically my motivation.
Team: Once you have decided to come to Germany, how did this journey work out for you? The recognition process alone can be very tricky. Did you experience a lot of difficulties?
Omar A.: There were actually two major challenges for me. The first one was the recognition process and what it entails. To fully practice medicine in Germany, one needs to get the “Approbation”. To obtain it, I needed to go through the recognition process as well as learn the German language, not only on a conversational level but also on an occupational level that is used in medicine. Since my university studies were completely in English, I had to learn German from scratch. I started learning it with my father before coming to Germany. I then traveled to Germany and continued through the recognition process as well as the language courses: The B2 level, the B2/C1 medical language, the general C1 level as well as passing the “Fachsprachprüfung”.
The second hurdle was to find a job. My original field was Vascular Surgery, and it is extremely competitive here in Germany to find a suitable position in this field. One needs to have strong qualifications in order to prove oneself to get the job. That is why I had to work extra hard before I came here. For example, I did a lot of research and published papers in addition to doing volunteer work as well. I had to prepare myself in advance, so to speak.
The recognition process took some time, naturally, as there is a lot of paperwork that needs to be submitted as well as processed. However, that is the process, everyone needs to go through it in order to reach the goal that they have set their eyes upon. So, it’s understandable.
Team: Regarding the recognition process, did you find it easy to find out what you needed to do or did you have trouble to find the right information?
Omar A.: Of course, there were a lot of questions, and I had a lot of things to ask about whether it was my friends or colleagues who previously traveled to Germany or simply when the ZAV was involved, it made the whole process easier. The questions that I had were fully answered, and this clarified the pathway for me. At the beginning it was difficult because I didn’t know who to talk to, but once I talked to ZAV, the pathway just got a whole lot clearer. This just helped me pave the way and navigate through the hurdles.
Team: How did you find out about the services the ZAV offers? What role did they play in your journey?
Omar A.: At first, I didn’t know that the initiative “Make it in Germany” existed but when I contacted the authority to get my credentials recognized, they told me to contact ZAV as well.
Phase one was before I came to Germany. My advisor told me about the initiative, how the process works, what documents I need to submit, what the steps are, and the overall timeline. They told me about the job market and a lot of details that helped me decide better what I needed to do before I come to Germany.
Phase two was when I came to Germany. They continued supporting me in terms of providing tips and assistance in searching for a suitable job offer, providing timely support whenever necessary to help overcome any obstacles, giving advice, timely answering all my questions in that regard. I also got a support letter explaining the process to possible employers.
In retrospect, I can firmly say that it was vital for me to have an advisor at ZAV. The support was critical in navigating through the pathway.
Team: Even with the support from ZAV, the whole process of learning German, coming here for your language courses and doing extra work to succeed in your field and get the Approbation, would you say it was worth it, now that you have lived here for some time?
Omar A.: I would say that I would do it again, 10 times out of 10.
I am genuinely happy with my job here. I used to work in a university hospital back home, and now I work in an academic environment as well. It is an academic environment where I learn and apply my knowledge in a structured, multidisciplinary academic way. My colleagues also help me a lot. They were very welcoming and helped me to get integrated into the system here. We work together, exchange medical opinions, and discuss vital details to reach the best treatment plans for our patients. This is for me very important in my field of work.
Team: And outside of work, how do you like life in Germany? Germans are often said to be a little too direct, would you agree?
Omar A.: For me, being direct is actually an advantage. From my point of view, the people here are appreciative of a person who is honest, direct, particularly competent, and is doing the work needed to get properly integrated into the community.
The second thing that I enjoy most here is the punctuality. I know it’s a cliché, but experiencing it first hand is different. It really is an advantage. Dealing with appointments, whether with individuals or with public entities, was remarkably easy because of it. I myself am a very punctual person and I appreciate punctuality in any way I find it.
Especially as I don’t have a car, I rely completely on public transportation. In this regard, the German transportation system is extremely practical for me. It allowed my timely transport to anywhere in the country, whether it was to interviews or just simply to travel around Germany. For me, it’s simply instrumental.
Apart from those things, I also love going outdoors into nature. Here, nature is extremely protected. There is really mesmerizing nature right on our doorstep where we can take walks or sit to relax, have a cup of coffee with a friend, or simply enjoy the place. It is very relaxing after a day of work or during the weekend to take your mind off the pressure at work. I really enjoy the nature here.
Team: Coming to an end with our interview, we saved the most important question for last: Do you have any tips for people interested in coming to Germany?
Omar A.: Honestly, the mindset is the key to succeeding in reaching every goal. You need to have a plan, you need to manage your time properly to achieve this plan, and you need to remain in contact with your advisor at the ZAV as they can notably help you facilitate this pathway.
In addition to all of this, you need motivation to integrate yourself into a new country, respect its laws and its customs, and have the willingness to receive constructive criticism. This is especially important when moving to a new environment.
Furthermore, just invest your time and effort in learning the German language. It is truly the cornerstone of succeeding in Germany.
Finally, and this goes without saying anywhere you go, you need to have patience because procedures might take time. Some find it difficult to wait, but patience is necessary.
Team: Thank you very much for your insights and for taking the time to talk to us. We wish you all the best for your future in Germany!