Anastasiia Yevstratenko: From HUB to the Austrian Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport

Moving to a new country often means rebuilding a professional path in a completely new environment. Previous experience, education, and expertise remain, but the professional context, networks, and rules of the labour market change.

For Anastasiia Yevstratenko, who came to Austria with degrees in Art History and Law and professional experience in cultural management, this meant numerous job applications, rejection, and uncertainty about where her experience could find its place.

Professional Integration HUB became an opportunity to enter the Austrian professional environment from within. Her internship at Creative Europe Desk Austria opened the door to new experience, professional connections, and a broader European perspective, and eventually led to the continuation of her work at the Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport.

In the first story of our From Point A to Point B series, Anastasiia shares what happened between those two points: the challenges, the opportunities, and the experience that, in her own words, «just changed everything».

POINT A: Starting over in Austria

I moved to Austria at the beginning of 2025, although I had already spent some time in Vienna in 2022–2023.

I have degrees in Art History and Law. Professionally, I worked as a cultural manager at the literary organisation PEN Ukraine, where I organised events with writers, poets, historians, journalists, etc., and managed a library project.

Starting a professional life in Austria came with uncertainty.

I was uncertain because I realised that my German skills were, in any case, not as strong as those of Austrians, and without experience in Austrian organisations, it would not be easy either. However, I still had hope and motivation to try and apply for the job.

Before HUB: applications, rejection and uncertainty

I had sent plenty of job applications, but received only one invitation to a job interview, where I was also rejected. Now I see that it was for the better, but back then I was devastated.

I tried to find a job in different museums, galleries, cultural agencies and universities. The only job interview I got was for a position at the university library in the Department of Slavic Studies. That was the only vacancy where my Ukrainian background could have been an advantage, but I was still rejected. The worst thing is that recruiters usually give no feedback on why they declined your application.

Then came Professional Integration HUB.

My mother sent me the link and encouraged me to apply. I was really at my lowest point back then and thought there was no chance, but she insisted that I was the perfect candidate. And, as it usually happens, she was right.

The experience that changed everything

Her host institution was Creative Europe Desk Austria at the Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport.

It just changed everything. I adapted my skills not only to the Austrian but also to the European working environment, and gained knowledge of European cultural policy and cultural funding. I attended plenty of events where I met many Austrian and international professionals. Now I feel much more confident and calm.

There was no single moment responsible for what happened next.

There was no single turning point. It was rather my proactiveness, and sense of responsibility, as well as the well-known Ukrainian diligence, that gave me the opportunity to continue working at the Ministry.

From feeling like a stranger to feeling part of the community

One moment, however, changed how Anastasiia saw her own place in the professional environment.

After attending the Creative Europe Desk Meeting in Brussels at the end of the first month of my internship. There, I met people from all over Europe, and I no longer felt like a stranger from another country, but rather like a part of a big, amazing international community.

Her professional perspective also became broader.

Now I think more broadly. I take the international political situation into account when thinking about culture and cultural policy. I see more perspectives. For example, it is impossible to talk about supporting Ukrainian culture without also considering that European cultural actors in general are facing precarity and a lack of funding. Everything is connected.

A professional community around the journey

I am always happy to attend community events and talk to talented and intelligent women. I am happy to see them starting new projects and succeeding in their professional paths. They inspire me, and I believe they also show their Austrian colleagues how professional Ukrainian women are.

And integration gradually extended far beyond work.

Working in a German-speaking environment for almost a year really improved my German skills in a way that no course could. Now I feel comfortable watching films in German, attending events such as comedy nights, understanding the jokes and laughing together with the audience, having spontaneous encounters in German, etc. That is why I can say that this internship helped me not only professionally but also personally.

POINT B: Creative Europe Desk Austria

I am still working as an administrative intern at Creative Europe Desk Austria at the Ministry. Together with Office Ukraine, in cooperation with Creative Europe Desk Ukraine and Kunsthaus Graz, we are organising the international conference “Networks of Cooperation: Sustainable Structures for Ukrainian Cultural Actors in Europe and Beyond,” scheduled for October 15–16, 2026, at Kunsthaus Graz. The conference aims to build lasting cultural cooperation between Ukrainian and European cultural actors.

Why programs like HUB matter

It is very important because this program helps overcome the uncertainty Austrian employers may have about hiring foreign Ukrainian specialists. They can see, without any financial risk for them, what it is like to work with us and then feel more confident about continuing the cooperation. This program helps not only women on a personal level to find jobs here, but also contributes to building a positive image of Ukrainian professionals and creating a foundation for future cooperation between Austria and Ukraine.

Anastasiia’s story reflects how professional experience, new connections, and the right opportunities can support integration into a new working environment.

Today, she continues her work at Creative Europe Desk Austria, further developing her professional path in Austria.

This is one of the stories behind Professional Integration HUB. Discover all From Point A to Point B stories.

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