Richard Schaub, who is of German-Argentinean descent, is leaving South America with his family of seven and is seizing the opportunity to make a career change at SYNERGIE \u2013 a fresh start for him and his family.<\/p>\r\n
Richard Schaub, you applied to SYNERGIE in the summer of 2021. At the time, you were still living with your family in C\u00f3rdoba, Argentina. What made you apply for a job that was more than 11,000 kilometres away?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\r\n Argentina\u2019s economy has suffered greatly as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. My family and I have felt the effects first-hand. The pizzeria where I worked, like all other catering businesses, remained closed for months. There was no government support for staff, unlike here in Germany. We had to live off our savings.<\/p>\r\n Have the difficult years of the pandemic strengthened your resolve to make a fresh start?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\r\n Yes, that\u2019s right. Things simply couldn\u2019t go on like that any longer.<\/p>\r\n High unemployment and rising inflation in South America<\/strong><\/p>\r\n According to the latest UN figures, almost half of Argentina\u2019s population lives below the poverty line. Unemployment and inflation are rising, with young people particularly hard hit; a quarter of young people are searching in vain for a job.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\r\n Argentina is not only a poor country, but also a dangerous, crime-ridden one \u2013 and currently offers my children few prospects. I didn\u2019t want to subject them to that. I was looking for safety for myself and my family.<\/p>\r\n Why Germany?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\r\n I was born in Germany; I have German and Argentine roots. But I grew up in C\u00f3rdoba. In the early 1990s, I lived and worked near Stuttgart for a few years with my first wife and our three eldest children. My father lived here in this area.<\/p>\r\n How does the application process work when applying from Argentina to a job in Germany?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\r\n It was quite straightforward; I regularly checked German job portals for a suitable role. That\u2019s when I came across SYNERGIE\u2019s advert, in which they were looking for a production worker. They welcomed candidates from other sectors. I saw this as my chance and applied: after the telephone interview, I received the job offer I\u2019d been hoping for. I was able to start in October 2021 as a production line worker in a medium-sized company. I\u2019m really enjoying it.<\/p>\r\n