Status: 03/14/2023 1:37 p.m
20 years ago, Nisrine Fiaad came to Germany from Syria. Today she is doing an apprenticeship in a typical German job: as an administrative clerk. With her husband she also organizes her everyday life with four children.
Nisrine Fiaad’s working day begins long before her actual job. At just before seven, at breakfast with her husband and four daughters, her organizational work begins. The children have to go to school, her husband to work, she to an apprenticeship. That often means stress, she says.
“But thank God I have a husband who always supports me. My children also do everything – I have support from all sides,” says Fiaad. Her husband’s boss enables him to work flexibly. The 14- and 15-year-old daughters could also look after the smaller children. In addition, her parents would support her wherever possible.
Organizational skills in work and private life
Almost 20 years ago, the 35-year-old immigrated from Syria. She is now naturalized. First she worked as a volunteer interpreter for the city, for six months she has been doing her training as an administrative clerk – currently in the municipal construction and gardening business. Dozens had applied, but the mother of four prevailed in the selection process. “It’s a big challenge for me to see if I can do it all,” says Fiaad.
Writing orders and applications, filling out forms – the job requires a high degree of organizational talent. But that’s the attraction of the work – even if she had great respect for it at the beginning, as she says. “There are a lot of technical terms, you have to learn them by heart. But then I thought: ‘Come on, now I can do it!'”
Outdoor use on a playground construction site
Fiaad has to get out of the office again and again. The trainee has to measure a path. The result: 71.60 meters – now she can determine the amount of grit needed. The German training with the dual system of vocational school and practice was completely new territory for her, says Fiaad. In complete contrast to her daughters, who are growing up in Germany. “They ask me every day: ‘What did you learn today?’ And then I tell them.”
She is not alone in this: the number of people with a migration background in training occupations has been increasing for years. Without family support, it would be difficult to juggle everything, says Fiaad.
Data situation in Germany very limited
It is still difficult to quantify how many people in Germany accept this multiple burden of education and family. Neither the Federal Statistical Office nor the Chambers of Industry and Commerce or Chambers of Crafts collect figures on this. And this despite the fact that the responsible Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth had already announced in 2012 that it would collect more data in this area.
In the opinion of all those involved, the number of part-time apprenticeships is also not meaningful – because many mothers and fathers complete their apprenticeship full-time despite having children, like Fiaad. Christiane Möller from the Südlicher Oberrhein Chamber of Industry and Commerce has accompanied the mother of four from Lahr on her way to training for several years and has always encouraged her to catch up on the necessary secondary school qualifications – even full-time alongside the family.
It is remarkable that the native Syrian then also decided to choose an apprenticeship in an administration and office occupation. “There are relatively few immigrants there, and that’s so special that she dared to enter a typically ‘German’ profession,” says Möller.
Role model function for big and small
But this job is exactly the right one for her, says Fiaad. “I think this is the right job for me. I’m in the right place now.” Late afternoon, back home: the children are doing their homework – and the mother’s working day isn’t quite over yet either. Fiaad is now also writing – her report booklet for admission to the final examination.
As in the office, you also need great organizational talent at home. In the beginning, that was the biggest challenge. “But now, after six months, everything is going very well,” says Fiaad. That is why she is optimistic that she will successfully complete her training. Because she also wants to be a role model: for her four daughters, but also for all other mothers.