INTERVIEW

How long has your company been in existence?
Since December 2015 I have been here with my studio.

How did the foundation come about?
We came to Germany from Poland for family reasons. At the beginning it was a difficult time, because I didn’t speak German and therefore had no possibility to find a job. Then I attended a 6-month German course and decided to open a foot care and cosmetic studio. In Poland I worked in an office and attended a beauty school on the side. Beautician is my dream job. I love what I do.

So you’ve turned your hobby into a profession? Have the qualifications been recognised?
In the most part. I am also a podiatrist and can work with my certificate everywhere in Europe, just not in Germany. At the moment, I am waiting for the health office to recognize the qualification so that I can offer medical foot care in addition to cosmetic foot care.

In addition to the recognition of qualifications, what were the challenges in setting up the company?
The first two years were very difficult. Initially, there was help from the Jobcenter mainly in the form of training courses and seminars. It is not only the technical knowledge that is important, there are many regulations that must be followed.
A big concern after the opening was the uncertainty of how the citizens of Forst would react and accept me. The beginning was hard, often I was alone waiting for customers. But I always believed it would work. Slowly it has developed and in the meantime I have many dear regular customers.

What is the most beautiful thing about your job?
Help my clients. talk to my clients. In the field of cosmetics, I find the different skin types exciting. In addition, skin types have changed due to stress, allergies and environmental pressures. There are so many products or devices that ameliorate the skin. A lot of people don’t know what else they could do to ameliorate their complexion. This is my topic, I could talk about it for hours. I have a lot of clients who have gone to the doctor for years and nothing has helped. Now with the right products many skin problems are gone. It’s nice to help.
Twice a year there are also training courses of the company Clarena, whose products I use. I go there regularly, that’s very important to me. The cosmetics world is fast-paced.

Do you have any plans for the future?
Besides podiatry I would like to develop myself. Another training course for microblading is planned.

We’ll keep our fingers crossed that this works out soon. Do you feel comfortable in Forst?
Yes. At first it was a very big change. I’m from Poznan, it’s a big city. It was unusually quiet in the small Forst. In the meantime, I like the silence. When I need excitement, I go to Cottbus, Berlin or Dresden. Afterwards I enjoy the peace and silence of the small town again.