She left to "see the country" and stayed forever.

Of course, it didn't happen all at once, but I'll start at the beginning.

"Translator or programmer"

In Year 7, I started thinking about my career choice. It was a conscious decision because I wanted a profession that would help me earn money. At university, I met many people who went to study because "their parents insisted" or "just because." But that wasn't an option for me.

There were many options, but in the end I settled on two: translation and programming. Programming won out — I've had a computer at home since I was three, and my dad worked as a system administrator. At some point, I realised that it was more interesting and cooler.

"Without a relevant degree, it is very difficult to move to Europe."

I didn't move on a Blue Card, so in my case the process was a little different than for highly paid employees. And, to be honest, it took longer.

It was so long ago... I remember clearly that I provided all my diplomas. Because it's a mandatory requirement. I often tell my students that it's quite easy to get into front-end development. But moving to Europe without the relevant education is quite difficult. Some companies ask for it when you move. I recently had an interview, and they asked me to send at least a photo of my diploma.

They also definitely asked for a birth certificate and a certificate of no criminal record — you can't get anywhere without it, they ask for it for everything. Plus, you had to prepare a CV and a cover letter.

I prepared all this back in the summer. Then I waited until November, because Luxembourg has its own rules. First, they have to publish the vacancy locally. If, after a certain period of time, none of the local specialists respond, the company receives permission to hire an employee from abroad.

I have already shared details about the move and my first impressions here. I also post my observations on my Twitter account.

A D visa permits entry into the country only once.

Once the bureaucratic issues had been resolved, I went to the consulate to get a visa. I was issued with a D visa. However, the peculiarity of this visa is that it does not allow you to re-enter the country. It is issued so that you can enter the country, and only then do you need to apply for a residence permit here.

I had an unpleasant experience when I was in Russia and my residence permit expired. I had to reapply for a visa at the consulate and pay a fee (which was €50 at the time). Unfortunately, Russian citizens cannot enter the European Union without a visa. I should mention that I submitted my documents in advance, but they took a very long time to process, and I left without waiting for my new residence permit. That's why I ended up in this situation.

Otherwise, the process is the same for visitors: registration with the local authority — medical examination — residence permit.

For example, my husband came in February, I registered him at my place, and then he still had to go for a medical examination. It's just easier for him because he's Ukrainian and doesn't need a visa.

Medical examinations have become much more complicated now. After COVID, the queues for tuberculosis screening have become longer. And this system is still in place. In other words, almost all restrictions have been lifted, but the limit on the number of one-time visitors remains. Therefore, it is not possible to complete everything in a couple of days, and the nearest available dates are often several months away. The same applies to the submission of biometric data, which we will return to later.

"We used to do a lot of things just by walking in off the street, but now it's by appointment only."

Another important detail. The CNS, or insurance number, is not automatically entered into the database. I registered my husband, he was given a code, but then he couldn't see a doctor for free because he wasn't in the database. I contacted the CNS, and they sent me a one-page application form. I filled it out, sent it off, and only then was my husband added to the database.

No one talks about this and no one will tell you. Because when companies transport employees, they usually just give them a stack of documents to sign. And the guys often don't even know what they're signing!

In general, all processes have become longer, partly due to the large flow of people. Even to obtain a residence permit, there are now long queues.

But there is a life hack! I found out about it by accident. In November of that year, I returned, applied for a new residence permit to replace my expired one, and in December I had to fly to Ukraine to get married.

And dear Luxembourg came to my aid! They gave me the number of the people who handle appointments, and they booked me in for the next morning.

I realised something important — you need to be able to negotiate politely. Very often, people are willing to meet you halfway.

"Banks are like the market — you have to bargain with them."

This is quite an obscure concept. Let me explain using the example of buying a house.

I bought a house here with a mortgage. That, by the way, is another reason why I don't feel comfortable living in Russia. In your own house, there are no children stomping around upstairs, no neighbours shouting obscenities, and you get used to the peace and quiet. We hardly hear our neighbours at all. Well, of course, you can hear children crying or renovation work when the windows are open. But in the evenings, they don't make much noise, and domestic quarrels don't reach outsiders either.

So, to buy a home here, you obviously need an income. I don't know if foreigners can go to a bank and try to get a mortgage, so I'll talk about those who live and work here. So, the second important point is mandatory employment.

Then you go to the bank, confirm your income, and say that you want a home for a certain amount. After that, the bank will start making offers.

More experienced people taught me that you have to haggle with banks like you would at the market. They offer you one thing, and you say, "No, let's do it this way. I don't like your terms."

That's what I did. I went to all the popular banks to ask how much money they could give me and at what interest rate. At the same time, I also contacted brokers, who offered a rate of 0.8%. The bank had previously quoted 1.7%.

After that, I spent another month visiting banks, but managed to lower the rate from 1.7% to 1.4%. It turned out to be a fixed-rate loan for 30 years. I could have gone for 20, but I stuck with my option. The decision turned out to be very correct, because now, even despite the war, the bank simply cannot raise my rate!

When you take out a mortgage, banks make you sign up for life insurance. In fact, they have no right to do so, and you can refuse. The main thing is to stand your ground. Some banks, such as Raiffeisen, will then refuse to give you a mortgage.

I only found out about this myself when the manager changed. The new manager told me that, given my age and state of health, I should never have been offered insurance in the first place. But it turned out the way it did. I wasn't very experienced at the time, so I took it out. Now I tell everyone — refuse if you don't want it.

"The services of a financial advisor certainly won't hurt."

Another thing you definitely shouldn't neglect in Luxembourg is tax or financial advisors. Essentially, these are people who are very knowledgeable about the law and can take some of the headache off your shoulders.

When it comes to personal finances, you really need to be careful. In my case, the tax office miscalculated something and added more than €10,000 to my additional income. Needless to say, this was also subject to tax. Fortunately, it is possible to appeal against this.

A consultant will also be useful if you are starting your own business. In Luxembourg, there are many subtleties regarding company types, so it is sometimes better to ask for help. This was the case for me with the school, for example.

"You need to submit your documents, start your own business, and not be afraid."

I opened a programming school here in Luxembourg in 2019. It is called Skillup School. Before that, I worked as a teacher and mentor at various educational institutions.

The whole process took about two months, and the licence was sent by post. A colleague who is a lawyer helped me throughout. It is always better to consult with those who have already gone through certain stages. If you do not know any specialists, that is not a problem either. You can ask in Facebook groups, where there are many people who are willing to help.

The main thing is not to be afraid to ask questions and submit documents. They will always let you know if something is missing.

To start your own business, you will need a business licence. In my case, since it is a school, I need an additional licence — for educational activities. For this, I will have to confirm my diploma and work experience.

First of all, I signed up for a consultation for aspiring entrepreneurs. They describe the necessary documents and steps in detail. Then I received a special brochure on how to obtain a business licence.

Documents can be submitted online via Guichet, but you will need access to the business section.

You do not need to change your residence permit type or register as a sole trader until your additional income exceeds 20% of your main employment income. Luxembourg law allows you to conduct commercial activities and work for a company. You just need to comply with the conditions.

At the end of the year, we organised a sleepover.

Both adults and children can study with me. The first group was adults. There were three people, and we spoke English with them. The last group consisted of seven teenagers aged 10 to 15. We spoke Russian with them.

When I was planning the lessons, I thought about how to get the children interested and involved in the process. I wanted the lessons to be really interesting for them. In the end, I settled on the idea of board games after the lesson itself. As a result, we spend an hour and a half on the lesson and the same amount of time playing games. I myself love games, both board games and video games.

Once, one of the kids asked if they could stay longer to continue playing. Then I thought, "Hmm, we could have a sleepover." I talked to their parents, and after one of the classes, the kids stayed at my house overnight. We played different board games and a quiz game on PlayStation, and it was really cool. At the end of the course, we got together again and did it all over again.

"Citizenship is just around the corner."

I will receive citizenship next month. At least, that is what they promised. I have already waited longer than expected, more than five years. This happened because I only passed the exam in June, although I could have done it earlier. Everything really depends on the local authority and how busy they are. But there is a life hack for this too.

It is called an "integration contract". Essentially, it is an agreement that you sign with the state. You undertake to fulfil a list of requirements, and in return, as the name suggests, they offer you assistance with integration.

If all conditions are met, you have fulfilled the contract. In my case, it helped to cut the waiting time for citizenship in half: instead of 8 months, they promised to do it in 4!

I am very close to obtaining citizenship. At the moment, I am not sure if I want to spend my entire life in Luxembourg. Perhaps I will move to another country someday. One thing I know for sure is that it will be in Europe.