No healthcare professional from abroad should have to go into debt in their home country in order to find a job in Germany. Conversely, hospitals and care facilities should be sure that the new colleagues they recruit from abroad are carefully supported and treated fairly during their preparation and on their way to Germany. These are the core elements of the ‘Fair Recruitment Nursing Germany’ quality mark, which was launched by the Federal Ministry of Health. In 2022, the quality mark was awarded for the first time to around 50 personnel service companies - including TalentOrange from Frankfurt. Every two years, a review is carried out by the ‘Quality Association for the Recruitment and Placement of Nursing Professionals from Abroad’. TalentOrange has now received the recertification certificate. Thanks to everyone who worked on this!
Fairness and transparency towards carers and employers have been the top priority for TalentOrange since the company was founded in 2012. The service provider places around 400 care staff and apprentices for healthcare professions from abroad in Germany every year. They receive a scholarship to learn German up to the B2 exam. The German course is free of charge for the talented individuals. TalentOrange ensures that their degree or school-leaving certificate is recognised, finds a suitable employer, takes care of the visa and work permit, finds accommodation and organises their entry and arrival at their new place of residence. The nursing professionals and future nursing trainees come from 19 countries around the world in Latin America, Asia and Africa. TalentOrange has set up its own language schools at three locations abroad. TalentOrange has also founded a nursing school in Neu-Isenburg, where young people from abroad are trained for three years to become nursing professionals. Candidates who have already obtained their vocational qualification in their home country are prepared for the knowledge test at the nursing school and take it there.
The criteria that characterise a fair personnel service provider are, for example, that the carer does not bear any costs themselves - neither for the language course nor for translations of certificates or the flight to Germany. The employer pays principle applies, which prevents carers from having to pay off debts for years after their arrival in Germany. For the seal of approval, it is also checked that the personnel service provider only recruits in countries that train nursing staff in excess of their requirements. This prevents medical staff from being poached from developing countries, where they are urgently needed. The World Health Organisation (WHO) regularly updates its list of countries from which recruitment is not permitted. The high standards also include ensuring that the foreign specialists are well trained and supported in their integration into their new environment.
There is a nationwide shortage of around 35,000 skilled workers in the care sector. This is according to calculations carried out by the Competence Centre for Securing Skilled Workers (KOFA) at the Institute of the German Economy (IW), which is close to employers, on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics. Healthcare facilities will be increasingly reliant on nursing staff from abroad. The ‘Fair Recruitment Healthcare Germany’ seal of approval is therefore important to ensure fairness, transparency and reliability in recruitment.