From €7 per hour on a construction site in Hamburg to €14 at the Paris Olympics: a Belarusian's experience with earnings in Europe
Pavel, a resident of Mogilev, has been working abroad for four years. During this time, he has changed several countries and professions - from a general laborer in Hamburg to a chef at the Paris Olympics. MYFIN learned about the flip side of the European labor market: where Belarusians are paid less than Turks, and how "universal hands" help to negotiate an extra few euros on top of the rate.
Photo provided by the hero
Found his first job via Instagram
By profession, 36-year-old Pavel is a chef. Tired of daily pots and pans, he decided to change his environment and ventured into the unknown, seeking not only earnings but also new experiences.
He went to his first job abroad with a friend. They found the vacancy on Instagram through a Polish agency – for warehouses near Cologne. First, they traveled by bus to Warsaw, then with a private carrier to the destination.
The reality turned out to be harsh: they had to live in a hostel littered with beer bottles, in the company of guys who constantly drank.
There was also little fairness at the warehouse: for some reason, Turks in the same positions received more, while Belarusians were kept on piece-rate wages. As a result, the salary ceiling was 1100–1300 €.
«We worked for a week and decided to look further. We found work in Hamburg as general laborers on a construction site. For the first month, they paid €7 per hour, then it went up to €8. For us, that was huge money at the time. We converted it into Belarusian rubles and reveled in it. We worked there for half a year, and then both the construction project and our visa ended.»
A year later, Pavel returned to Germany to assemble tent structures. Installers were paid €10 per hour, drivers €11–12. Just two months later, he moved to France to work in his specialty at the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Similar experience at the Sochi Games in 2014 helped him get the job. He had to work 10–14 hours without days off.
The conditions were excellent: the employer paid for travel and arranged good accommodation. Pavel did not pay for it. Over the summer, he changed three locations: a designer house in an old train station building with a swimming pool, a mansion with separate rooms, and a real old château. It was also possible to take food from work to cook at home.
At the Olympics, Pavel prepared the kitchen base; at the Paralympics, he was responsible for logistics and ordering products. Due to a language barrier with the German chef, communication didn't click at first, but he quickly learned the names of products in French and German.
«During the break between the Games, he even managed to live for a week at his leisure, traveling around France in a work car. Despite the demanding schedule, the work was pleasant. The team included people from Argentina and Brazil, Germany and France, England and Italy, Slovakia and Spain — about 20 people.»
The menu was simple, but the volumes were impressive – up to 2,000 people were served daily. A nuance arose with payment: initially, they agreed on €19, but in fact, the rate was cut to €13. After negotiations, they managed to get another euro – settling on €14 per hour.
Then Pavel went to Munich with the same company. There he was a "universal soldier" in the kitchen: something in between a chef, an assistant, and a dishwasher. The rate was the same – €14 per hour, but €400 immediately went from his earnings for accommodation. In addition, a limit was introduced – strictly 160 hours of work per month.
«And it all ended suddenly and stupidly. My Belarusian friend lost his phone and went to the police. They started checking documents and found out that we were, to put it mildly, improperly registered. As a result, he and another guy were deported. We were never paid for the last job.»
«If you're a jack-of-all-trades, you can negotiate an additional 1–2 euros on top of the rate»
Work in Europe almost always brought the Mogilev native together with people from the CIS, which is why he considers his experience with Germans at the Olympics unique due to the pure positivity and order. However, he wasn't as lucky afterward. Pavel returned home, obtained a driver's license, got a visa, and left for Germany again.
«I ended up delivering and assembling furniture for Armenians in Hamburg. The manager boasted about how he skipped service on an expensive car repair and now avoids that area by a long shot. Payment was not by the hour but by the day — 80–100 € per day plus tips. Monthly, it would come out to 2,000–2,400 €. But almost none of my colleagues spoke Russian. The guys were reserved, and it was maximally uncomfortable.»
The work itself also proceeded strangely. In two weeks, Pavel only went out to sites four times. The schedule was unpredictable: you sit at home for two days, and then a couple of hours before departure, you get a call: «We're going to Stuttgart!» And that's 650 km of driving. There were almost no tips, and €80 a day for Germany is very little if you pay for accommodation and food yourself.
According to Pavel, working in his homeland, in Europe with people from the CIS, and directly with Germans are three different worlds. The Mogilev native liked working directly with Germans the most: everything was clear, organized, and transparent. The only sticking point was the language.
— In Belarus, I mostly worked for private employers. They pay little, but they load you with everything. With CIS employers in Europe, you never know. It seems they pay better and value you. And if you're a jack-of-all-trades, you can even negotiate an extra 1-2 euros on top of the rate. But there are communication problems.
«You pay €400, and 2–3 people live in a room»
Accommodation for work abroad is always a roulette. In Germany, at one site, workers lived in the hotel they were renovating, and they weren't charged for it. In other cases, rent cost €400 and was deducted from the salary.
«The German city of Kiel is what I remember most. We were settled in a country house: everything green around, chickens roaming in the yard, a small garden. Such a cozy little hotel where you just want to come and relax.»
Currently, the standard in Europe is this: you pay the same €400, and 2–3 people live in a room. Previously, they at least compensated something for travel, but now you pay for everything yourself. Pavel considers the increase in the minimum wage not a raise, but simply compensation for inflation.
«Financially, it's most profitable to earn there and spend at home»
For Pavel, a huge plus of working in Europe is the reset, travel, and meeting people from different cultures. The main downsides are living with strangers, lack of comfort, and instability.
Pavel is now heading to the Netherlands. The vacancy is unusual: farm work with flowers and vegetables, promising €14 per hour and official registration with a tax number.
Pavel admits: financially, it's most profitable to earn there and spend at home. Living in Europe on the same salary is difficult — rent eats up almost everything. His ideal plan is to achieve the same income at home and stop migrating.
Comments
Але я і ў Беларусі 2500 меў, плюс сваё жытло. Але за 300 гадзін. Дый увогуле дома. Ясна, што было лепей.
Тут жа ж не ў лічбах справа.
Несправедливость!