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Firmly established as a physiotherapist

Milan at work at his physiotherapy practice in Serbia.

Firmly established as a physiotherapist

My name is Milan and I’m a physiotherapist. I used to think that the only way to enjoy a better life was to leave Serbia, so I went to work in Germany and be happy there. But things didn’t work out the way I planned, so I came back here and decided to start my own business. It wasn’t easy, but I managed it thanks to some hard work and support.

The first thing I did after arriving back in Serbia was produce a proper business plan. I searched the internet for advice and came across the German NGO Help. It gave me some advice and also helped me to buy massage tables, mats and equipment. I soon had everything I needed to start my physiotherapy practice.

Several employees recruited

I opened the Yumeiho Centar in September 2019 and worked by myself at first. Things were slow at first, but I was soon getting more and more enquiries. People were especially interested in the traditional therapy, but they were also curious about the Chinese and Japanese methods that I offer as well. I was in a position to make a profit after three months.

Soon after that, I also hired my first employee. Now there are eight of us. The pandemic hit us hard, but we’ve managed to survive economically. DIMAK Serbia helped us through this difficult time by assisting us with air filters and disinfectants so that we could carry on working in compliance with the hygiene rules. The centre also advised me on how to develop my business in the future. I’m now taking part in a professional development and training programme organised by DIMAK. This includes three months of theory and three months of practical training. My team and I are taking every opportunity to learn new skills.

Developing additional services

I’d like to expand the range of services we offer at my practice. We already provide physiotherapy for patients with cerebral palsy in the city of Požega. These people suffer from movement disorders due to malformations in the brain. We’re working on additional services.

It's been two years since I opened my practice. I’m really happy now. Much happier than I was in Germany, far away from home. A lot of young people in Serbia still want to emigrate to Germany or Switzerland to earn money. Very few of them have any idea how hard life can be there though. I'd like to say to them: “You never really get settled if you’re worried every day. You can also realise your ambitions in your own country.”

As of: 11/2021

The opportunities for advice and assistance described here are offered as part of “Returning to New Opportunities”.

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A lot of young people in Serbia still want to emigrate to Germany or Switzerland to earn money. Very few of them have any idea how hard life can be there though. You can also realise your ambitions in your own country.
Milan

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