Dentist Julia (38) from Lviv: "It is very difficult to get a permanent contract as a Ukrainian in the Netherlands"
On her own, Julia (38) left her hometown of Lviv in March 2022. Just across the border with Poland, she found shelter in a reception location. But she was sure she did not want to stay there for long: "I did not want to be a refugee, so I immediately started looking for work."
From the reception centre in Poland to a dentist in Friesland
When Julia (38) left Ukraine in March 2022, she was given shelter at a reception location just across the Polish border. She quickly wanted to look for work, to regain her freedom. Then she met a Dutch dentist. Julia: "At the reception centre, a dentist came by who was looking for dentists to work for him. He had a practice in the Netherlands."
With her 12 years of work experience as a dentist, Julia was able to come straight to the Netherlands, to work. "I went by bus to a small village in Friesland. The dentist had his business there," she says. "Together with another Ukrainian dentist, I worked for him for a month."
Julia was happy with the shelter and food she received from her employer, but she wanted to earn her own money and find her own home. The dentist could not help her with that. Julia: "Then I sought advice from the Red Cross. They gave me two months of shelter in one of their reception locations in Friesland."
"The sun always shines in Zeeland."
Soon after, Julia moved to the other side of the country, to a reception location in Zeeland. Julia: "Slowly but surely, everything got better. My dental degrees from Ukraine were approved and I found a new employer. I also bought my first car." After a long search, she also found a home of her own. "A few months ago I found my own apartment in a village in Zeeland. The sun always shines here!"
Julia feels at home in Zeeland, but she also sometimes feels guilty towards her fellow Ukrainians. "I come from western Ukraine, but the people from east ... They are really having a hard time. My parents took in Eastern Ukrainians at the beginning of the war in my hometown of Novovolynsk, near Lviv. Because of that, I know how hard they have it. My family doctor sometimes says to me, 'you've been through a lot of bad things and worked hard, sometimes it's okay to rest.' But resting is difficult."
She is often asked by colleagues and neighbours if she ever wants to return to Ukraine. "I don't want to return. If I can work and eat here, I will stay here," Julia says without hesitation.
"It's hard to get a permanent contract."
She is happy with her home and job, but for Julia, the future feels uncertain. "I would love to continue living here, but first I have to get a permanent work contract. My boss should give me a permanent contract next summer, but I don't know if he will. It is very difficult to get a permanent contract as a Ukrainian in the Netherlands."
She hopes to be registered in the