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Vitos goes India
For several years now, we have been recruiting and integrating nursing professionals from India to work at Vitos.
Rose, Merin and Shaharas are from Kerala. They learned German in India and decided to work in Germany. In the video, they talk about what makes their life in Germany and their work at Vitos special.
Here you will find answers to frequently asked questions about our program, our local partners, the language school and integration into everyday working life.
Vitos cooperates with agencies in Germany and India as well as a language school in Kerala including the agency RE-ALIS. The project includes language training up to B2 level in India and an adaptation course in Germany. Vitos and its partners support the international nursing staff with all administrative processes such as recognition of qualifications, visa formalities, registration and opening a bank account.
The language course for professionals in India lasts around 13 months and comprises 1,400 units of German lessons up to B2 level. During the course, the visa is applied for in order to enable a swift departure to Germany. The ÖSD B2 exam takes place in India, including a resit option. Exam modules that are not passed can be retaken in Germany. Participants live on site, are provided with meals and receive pocket money so they can fully concentrate on the course.
For the duration of the adaptation programme, the voluntary social year (FSJ) or the training, Vitos provides furnished accommodation. FSJ volunteers live rent-free, trainees and nurses in the recognition process pay rent. The apartments are equipped with bed linen, crockery and cooking utensils and are located either directly on the clinic premises or nearby. After this period, Vitos supports the search for housing. Local contact persons are available for questions and support.
Vitos offers Indian high-school graduates who already have German language skills at B2 level the opportunity to train in nursing. Before the start of the training, the candidates complete a six-month voluntary social year (FSJ) to make it easier for them to settle in Germany, to consolidate their language skills and to become familiar with working in a clinic.
The recognition programme lasts six months and includes practical placements in Vitos clinics as well as theoretical instruction at the Vitos schools in Marburg or Eltville (a total of 200 teaching units, delivered in blocks). During the theory phases, participants are accommodated on site. The programme concludes with a case presentation. Afterwards, participants are generally offered an employment contract at the clinic where they completed their placement.
Nursing professionals: Bachelor of Science in Nursing or Diploma in Nursing and Midwifery.Trainees: Interest in nursing training in Germany and German language skills at B1/B2 level.
We travel to Kerala twice a year to get to know and select our new colleagues in person. The projects are advertised locally and you can register with our partners for an interview.
Nursing professionals complete an anatomy test, a test that assesses their ability to learn languages, as well as a job interview in English on site. We get to know trainees in a German-language interview.
If you have not yet reached language level B1, you must complete a language course in India before entering Germany. Only after successfully finishing the course and providing proof of B1 level is it possible to enter Germany for the purpose of taking up employment.
After your arrival at the airport, we will pick you up. To help you get started in Germany, we provide you with furnished accommodation. We also accompany you to important appointments with the authorities for example, when opening a bank account or taking out a mobile phone contract.
Indian Nurses Diary
Welcome to Vitos! Three dedicated young women from India were welcomed at the airport by a colleague from Riedstadt. They are starting their voluntary social year (FSJ).
Nurse Merin comes from Kerala, India. She has been living and working in Germany since April 2024. As an employee working shifts, Merin’s day starts early.
Together with our Indian colleagues, we celebrate the traditional Flower Festival at various sites a sign of diversity, respect and togetherness.
Shaharas works as a nurse at Vitos Herborn. She still remembers very clearly the day she arrived in Germany, full of excitement and nervousness.
A get-together with all Indian professionals from the first two Vitos courses in the health city of Bad Nauheim gave the roughly 50 participants the opportunity for extensive exchange.
Our clinic sites are often very spacious, so many staff members use bicycles. Thanks to a donation campaign, we have now been able to provide bikes for our Indian colleagues as well.
In her blog post, Shaharas writes about faith, family life and the differences between her home country India and her new home in Germany.
To better understand their cultural roots and to support our Indian colleagues even more effectively on their professional journey in Germany, clinical instructor Lorena travelled to their home country together with two trainees.