This time we had the chance to interview Vlada and Ira, both of whom came to Finland from Ukraine in March 2022. Shortly after arriving in Finland, they started working at Carestep, and now they have been working as permanent employees for about 1.5 years.
Hi Vlada and Ira! Could you briefly tell us about yourselves?
"I'm Vlada, 37 years old. I came to Finland in March 2022 from Ukraine with my child when the war began in our country."
"I'm Ira, 45 years old, and I also came to Finland from Ukraine with my children in March 2022."
How have you found working at Carestep?
"I like my job, and especially the attitude of the management. At Carestep, employees' opinions and ideas are always listened to," says Vlada.
Ira says that working in office cleaning is a rewarding job. He also thanks the management at Carestep. "Our bosses are really good," says Ira.
What are your expectations for the future?
"I'm looking forward to learning new things and developing my career," says Vlada.
Ira says: "Of course, what I'm looking forward to in the future is for the war to end and for my relatives to come here. And I also want to learn more Finnish and progress towards my chosen career path and profession!"
During their time at Carestep, Ira and Vlada have been involved in Finnish language teaching. They both participated in our 2022-2023 workplace Finnish course, where they progressed from Finnish language basics up to A1 level.
Now that a longer-term residence permit has been confirmed, they will be able to think more about the career paths that interest them. As with every Caresteper, we work together to develop personalised training plans, including the training and coaching needed for each career path. (You can read more about our mission here).
So, what do you do in your spare time?
In her free time, Vlada spends time with her family. She says that her young daughter is waiting for her at home after work, and she's a nice person to spend time with.
Ira also spends her free time with her children. "We go for walks, play games, read comics and relax."
