Ukrainians displaced by the war are seeking work for a small sense of normalcy: 'I started to feel a little bit like I'm continuing my normal life'
AP Photo/Michael Sohn
- Over 6 million people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion began, according to the UNHCR.
- Ukrainians who escaped the war hope to rebuild their lives and find work to support their family and country.
- Insider spoke with four Ukrainians looking for work in their new host country.
On February 24, medical school student Veronika Pochapska woke up to a call from her mother. War had started.
Soon, Pochapska and her family left the inner parts of Kyiv for the capital's outskirts, staying at a friend's home. But as the situation worsened, Pochapska's mother urged her to leave Ukraine.
Pochapska and her friends were ushered onto a packed evacuation train, only to jump off at the last minute before it departed.
"I was afraid to leave my parents," Pochapska told Insider in a message. "I honestly thought I might never see them again."
"Our mothers were so upset, they cried and scolded us for not leaving," she added. "They were sure we had to save ourselves. We are Ukrainians and we must not let our nation be killed completely. We must leave so that we can come back and rebuild the state."
Pochapska and her friend boarded the next train, and now live in Rome, Italy. What they want most, outside peace for Ukraine, is to find work to support their friends and family, she told Insider.
Pochapska is one of over 6.2 million people who have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded. Now, millions of refugees, including the four Insider spoke with, are trying to re-start their lives in countries like Poland, Romania, Italy, Germany, Denmark, and the US, seeking a way to support themselves, their families, and their home country.
The much-desired normalcy of work
Julia Velichko
Ukrainian refugees across the world are being granted special statuses and authorization allowing them to work, an opportunity to establish a routine, even if just temporarily.
Julia Velichko, a friend of Pochapska's mother, has been sharing stories on LinkedIn of Ukrainian women looking for work. "You naturally are looking for the ways to get back to normal," she said. "This looking for jobs, it's giving you a little bit of the sense of control."
Vitaliy Georgiev told Insider that while work wasn't at the forefront of his mind when he left Kyiv and was in line at the Mexico-US border with his family, it was a constant pressure. "I have a wife, former wife, and three kids so all the time I think about job."
Daria Dotsenko, a Ukrainian who moved to Denmark with her young child, recently started an accounting job.
"When I started my job I started to feel a little bit like I'm continuing my normal life," she said. "When you are at home, you are reading the horrible news, but when you are doing your routine — you are going to work, you communicate with people, you take care of your child, you understand that you are some part of a social network, you are useful — for me, it really helps me a lot."
This sentiment was shared by Angelina Spilnyk, a law student who left Ukraine due to the war. Spilnyk found employment at a communications firm through EmployUkraine, a careers website intended specifically for displaced Ukrainians looking for work.
"I can earn money and I can pay for my food and for other things," she said. "So I think that's quite important for me to come into new life as fast as I can."
Some job-seekers are also looking to help those who haven't left the war zone.
Pochapska told Insider that her friend's sister and brother-in-law were killed when their car was shot while trying to evacuate. The couple's baby survived and now Pochapska's friend wants to be the child's guardian, Pochapska said.
"There are a lot of stories like this ... I want to find a job because I need to help my friends," she said.
Social media helps break down cultural and language barriers
Georgiev, who now lives in Portland, Oregon, made a LinkedIn post describing his 20 years of work experience and the type of job opportunities he's looking for in the US. It quickly went viral.
"I was in shock, I was totally overwhelmed with the reaction," he told Insider. "During one day, 24 hours, I received maybe 100 calls… I received more than 1,000 direct messages on LinkedIn, maybe three or 400 are unread now."
Since the outpouring of online support, Georgiev said he has a couple interviews set up. He hopes other Ukrainians will find similar success by moving their posts from Facebook to LinkedIn, and tailoring the language in their post to the market they are hoping to enter.
"I don't ask for money," he said, referencing calls for donations, "I just want job."
Vitaliy Georgiev
He also credits the post's success to being honest about his situation. "When people are trying to help someone they feel good, they see themselves as a good person and that's why in this terrible time, this ability to show yourself to others is important," he said.
Dotsenko also made a LinkedIn post, but rather than asking for work for herself, she was asking people to lend support, opportunities, and resources to her fellow Ukrainians. Dotsenko said she was lucky to be hosted by a Danish family that taught her certain parts of the Danish job market, and she wants to share that knowledge with others. Dotsenko compiled the resources her host family and people on LinkedIn provided into a guide for Ukrainians in Denmark.
While the Ukrainians who spoke to Insider shared their uncertainty about when they may be able to return home, they all hope that the day will come where Ukraine sees peace again.
"This world is very unpredictable, it is fragile," Pochapska said. "Please appreciate what you have, appreciate your families, history and culture. Most of all, we do not want the war to continue and God forbid it touches other countries."
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