Chemnitz_zieht_an_Magazin_2024_englisch

Jelena Blagojevic’s story can basically
be summed up in one word: ambition.
After all, anyone who sets out on a
1,300-kilometre drive to get to a job
interview in 17 hours must have a clear
goal in mind. In April 2015, that goal
was Chemnitz, where Jelena, who
comes from Serbia, introduced herself
at the occupational medicine consultancy
Arbeitsmedizinischer Dienst
Chemnitz ADC Dr. Grube GmbH, or
ADC for short. Today, she is not only a
permanent member of the team; she is
also part of the management and the
owner, having taken over the company
from its founder, Dr Grube, at the end
of 2022. A success story, that much is
certain. But the road there involved a
lot of work and a lot of persistence.
Jelena Blagojevic had already decided
on Germany as her destination in 2014: “I
studied medicine in Serbia, but I couldn’t get
a job through the normal channels. To gain
experience and stay in touch with the subject
matter, I sometimes worked without a salary.
In between, I even worked as a teacher for
two years.” So had it been a lot of effort for
nothing? She didn’t want to resign herself to
that. Together with her husband, she made
the decision to turn her back on Serbia in
order to gain a foothold in Germany. “Many
of my fellow students also dared to make
the move and emigrated to Norway, Austria
or the Czech Republic.” Jelena Blagojevic
speaks fluent German today, with no sign of
difficulties with the grammar. Just nine years
ago she didn’t know a single word of German.
“I attended a language school for a year and
finally passed the B2 level exam.” With this
certificate, German learners document that
they can communicate confidently in the
language in almost all situations in everyday
life and the world of work. Now she says she
is much more confident in German and the
proud holder of a C1 language certificate,
which attests to her language skills at a
far more advanced level. So the language
barrier had been overcome, but another big
hurdle awaits skilled workers from abroad:
German bureaucracy. This is where ADC
Dr. Grube stepped in because, for Jelena
Blagojevic, this hurdle was almost impossible
to overcome on her own: getting a work
permit, dealing with the authorities, renting
a flat, opening a bank account, finding a daycare
place and school for her two sons, who
were 5 and 16 years old at the time. “Most
of the support came from my employer – it
was a real culture of welcome,” she says.
Would she dare to take this step again? “Yes,
even though the first time was very stressful.
Everything was different, the culture, the
language. My sons didn’t know a word of
German. It was an extraordinary situation
for all of us.” Today, Jelena Blagojevic feels
she has arrived and still works for one of the
largest German private service providers in
the fields of occupational medicine, occupational
safety, traffic medicine, and travel and
tropical medicine.
then head of a polyclinic in Otto-Schmerbach-
Straße recognised the importance of a healthy
workforce for performance, well-being,
motivation and productivity. Today, people
are still the focus for ADC. Its mission is to
help protect them from negative influences
that may arise from their working conditions
through occupational health screening,
aptitude tests and recruitment examinations.
Incidentally, this duty of care is a mandatory
obligation for employers. Comprehensive
examinations under the German Driving
Licence Ordinance for lorries, buses, taxis
and passenger transport, travel medicine
consultations and vaccinations for professional
and private stays abroad, as well as
occupational integration management and
health management or safety-related advice
– all with the latest digital technology – are
part of the daily routine for the occupational
medicine consultants and specialists at ADC.
“Our team has many years of experience
and offers individual solutions tailored to
the specific company’s requirements. We
provide advice and support with all questions
relating to occupational health and safety
and health protection. Employers also like
to take advantage of our additional benefits
and services such as flu vaccinations or
examinations at their premises. This means
that employees don’t have to travel and can
return to their work after the examination,”
explains Managing Director Felix Ritter. Eight
years after her arrival in Chemnitz, Jelena
Blagojevic is also part of the management
team, which wants to expand and strengthen
the company to meet future challenges. They
are looking for specialists in occupational
safety and occupational health, medical
assistants and resident physicians who are
completing their specialist training – and
international specialists are also welcome.
“After all, we have had very good experiences
with motivated people from abroad.”
WEITERE INFOS:
Arbeitsmedizinischer Dienst
Chemnitz
chemnitz.jobs/amdgrube
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ADC, which operates regionally and nationwide,
was founded as an occupational medicine
consultancy by Dr Grube after the fall of the
Wall. Even back in the days of the GDR, the
Our employees come from:
Germany, Serbia, Slovakia, Poland
Applications in German and English to:
karriere@adc-web.de
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