Lionel Gougelot 7:33 a.m., March 29, 2022

An international recruitment agency based in Lille offers permanent contracts to Ukrainian refugees.

Its regional leader is particularly sensitive to the problem because his wife is of Russian origin but in solidarity with the Ukrainian people, at war.

The man accompanies the recently arrived refugees and helps them with the formalities at the prefecture.

Finding a job was Anna's goal as soon as she arrived in France.

On Friday, she signed her CDI as a computer developer in an international recruitment agency, Cooptalis, in Lille.

"In Ukraine, I worked in an IT company," said the young woman.

"I created web pages for online sales."

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The young woman explains that this is the field in which she practiced in her country.

The head of the agency, Olivier Desurmont, is very involved in welcoming refugees.

His wife is of Russian origin but in solidarity with the Ukrainian people, at war.

The leader plans other hirings: "There is another young girl who must start a mission in the IT sector with us and we also have recruitments that we are doing on behalf of some of our clients, or other companies that tell us that they are ready to recruit a refugee and suddenly we will find solutions for these people in the hotel industry, restaurants, etc."

The language barrier

There remains of course the problem of language.

Anna says: "French is difficult, but this week I'm going to get started, learn with a French teacher. I already know how to say 'hello', 'how are you?'

(laughs)."

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Reception in the company will allow Anna to better withstand the ordeal she is going through.

"She will not be alone, there will be people who will understand her, there will be empathy and he will recreate a kind of cocoon. I would not go so far as to say a family but people who will take care of her, future friends and it is important to fit in," explained Olivier Desurmont, who accompanies recently arrived refugees and helps them with the formalities in the prefecture.

Despite everything, the young woman remains constantly connected with Ukraine and her relatives who fled the war and took refuge in Poland.