Text: Svitlana Prokopchuk
From Civil Service to Hotel Cleaning
Tetiana Shepitko comes from the Odesa region. In Ukraine, she built a brilliant career in the civil service: from the lowest position to chief accountant of the Department of Ecology at the Odesa Regional Administration. Later, she also worked at the regional tax administration. The war destroyed her plans.
“People were surprised how I could leave such an office and such opportunities,” Tetiana recalls. “But I knew clearly: the pension system in Ukraine, especially during the war, gives no guarantees. You have to think about your children, your parents, and your own future.”
“I Did Not Wait for Help”
In Switzerland, she started almost from scratch. Without an S permit, only with a letter from the migration office confirming a positive decision, she got her first job in a five-star hotel. Later she moved to a family-run hotel in Grindelwald.
“People often ask me if I felt ashamed to work in cleaning after holding high positions. The answer is simple: it was my choice. Nobody ‘sends’ you to cleaning. If you know the language and communicate, you open job sites – and there are plenty of options. But expecting someone to bring you a job on a silver platter – that’s a childish attitude.”
Volunteering as a Way to Endure
Alongside her job, Tetiana dedicated much energy to volunteering. She supported Ukrainians in the first months of the war, when information and assistance were scarce.
“I knew what it was like to be left without advice and without answers. That’s why I shared my experience, searched for opportunities for others. But everyone goes their own way. And until a person understands that only they are responsible for their life, no ‘magical push’ will help.”
Work as an Investment in the Future
Today, Tetiana works full-time at Coop supermarket and speaks openly about the pragmatic side of integration:
“Here, even in the simplest job, you can earn enough for a holiday or a new phone – without loans or debts. And most importantly: you are working for your pension. It means that in ten years you can have a decent pension and decide whether to live in Switzerland or by the sea. For me, that’s cosmic.”
“Everyone Makes Their Own Choice”
Tetiana’s main message to Ukrainians is simple: don’t expect anything from the state or from charities, take responsibility for your own path, and see work not as a “loss of status” but as a chance to build a stable life. “Nobody owes us anything. This has to be understood,” says Tetiana. “And when you take responsibility for your own life, then the doors begin to open.”
