A refugee woman's struggle for survival in Spain: From accountant in Colombia to house cleaning

In many countries around the world, entrepreneurship has become an increasingly valued career choice. Especially the young population shows great interest in this model, which offers independent working opportunities and allows them to realize their own projects. In Spain, such ventures are mostly reflected through self-employed individuals (autónomos). However, in some cases, migrating to another country in search of better job opportunities can also be considered an example of entrepreneurship in itself. Regardless of the circumstances, the common denominator for everyone who embarks on this path is their determination and resolve to build a new life.

It is possible to see exactly this situation in the story of Paula Álvarez, who migrated to Spain three years ago in search of new opportunities. While working as an accounting assistant as a 24-year-old young woman in Colombia, she had to start everything from scratch when she set foot in Spain. Paula, who started cleaning houses and apartments to make a living, summarized this situation in a video she shared on her TikTok account with the words: "Transitioning from being an accountant in Colombia to house cleaning to survive." Her post quickly received great attention on social media and went viral. This dramatic change in her life stands out as a striking example of the difficult adaptation process many immigrants face.

This great professional transformation Paula experienced does not remain just a story of an occupational downfall. In the same video, the young woman makes a highly unexpected and positive confession, stating that this challenging process opened unexpected doors for her. Stating that she was forced to learn cleaning and cooking in order to exist in a new country, Paula expresses that she discovered her passion for cooking within this necessity. The migration process pushed her to stand on her own two feet like never before and to develop new skills with survival instincts. This situation reveals that even seemingly negative conditions can open doors to personal development and new horizons.

Compared to her new reality in Spain, the young woman's past lifestyle had a very comfortable and sheltered structure. For Paula, who stated that before migrating she was essentially pampered by her grandmother in Colombia and didn't have to "lift a finger" at home, this change was extremely shocking. However, she has managed to turn this harsh transition process not into a story of victimization, but into a path of maturation and development. In her own words, she emphasizes that when a person migrates, they are forced to become someone they have never been, and that this is a process of endeavor. Today, Paula takes great pride in fulfilling her responsibilities and the independence she has achieved.

On the other hand, rather than being an exceptional situation, Paula's experiences reflect a general picture of the immigrant population in Spain. Data from the National Statistics Institute (INE) of Spain reveals that approximately 45 percent of those working in the domestic and household services sector in the country are foreign nationals. Furthermore, it is observed that women make up more than 95 percent of this rate, and the sector provides employment to over half a million people across Spain. For many immigrant women, doing domestic work is not a comfortable choice, but the first and fastest field of work they encounter as a result of their diplomas and professional experiences brought from their home countries not being automatically recognized. In this context, Paula's personal journey can be read as a universal reflection of global migration movements and structural integration problems in labor markets.