Izabela Trzeszczkowska, Midwife

My story

“With recognition, I am able to develop professionally.”

“Living abroad had always been my dream,” explains Izabela Trzeszczkowska, a trained midwife. In 2020 she decided to go to Germany. This was because Izabela Trzeszczkowska knew that she could develop professionally in Germany: “I wanted to know how I could improve my work as a midwife.”

Izabela Trzeszczkowska’s aunt had been in Germany some years before working as an au pair. She recommended that Isabella Trzeszczkowska also work as an au pair to start with, as this was the best way to get to know the country, the culture, the people and to learn the language. Izabela Trzeszczkowska took the advice and searched for a host family in Berlin. When she arrived in Germany, she didn’t understand much German. However, on an intensive course, Izabela Trzeszczkowska learned German up to language level C1 within one year. This helped her with the recognition because permission to work as a midwife requires knowledge of German at level B2.

At the start of 2021, Izabela Trzeszczkowska searched the internet for information about recognition of her professional qualification. She was provided with information in her native language of Polish on the “Anerkennung in Deutschland” portal. This helped Izabela Trzeszczkowska a great deal and she found the recognition guidance service of Club Dialog e.V. An adviser was able to explain everything to her in Polish. She assisted Izabela Trzeszczkowska in gathering the documents needed for recognition. And she helped her to apply for the recognition grant. The recognition grant provides financial support for applicants. The maximum grant can be €600. The maximum recognition grant enabled Izabela Trzeszczkowska to pay the fees for the recognition procedure.

In June 2021 Izabela Trzeszczkowska submitted her documents for recognition. However, one document was still missing, the “apostille”. An apostille is used to recognise foreign documents in Germany. Izabela Trzeszczkowska then submitted the apostille in July. This meant that by the end of August she'd received her recognition.

Izabela Trzeszczkowska also spent a day observing (“Hospitationstag”) at the Charité in Berlin in June 2021. She applied to the Charité by email. Izabela Trzeszczkowska ideally wanted to work in a large hospital because there you get to see lots of different medical cases. During the observation day, Izabela Trzeszczkowska was able to show what she could do and how well she was able to speak German. Izabela Trzeszczkowska was offered a permanent position right away by the Charité in Berlin. She worked as a care assistant to begin with. When she received her recognition, Izabela Trzeszczkowska was given a position as a midwife at the end of August.

Izabela Trzeszczkowska is happy. “I'm pleased that I have the opportunity to live and work in Berlin. I'm able to gain valuable experience at the Charité in Berlin. That is important for my future.”

The interview with Izabela Trzeszczkowska took place in May 2022. Club Dialog e.V. in Berlin supported her during the recognition procedure. The recognition grant was used to cover the costs of the recognition procedure.

My procedure in brief