In Marseille, I find agency bosses desperate to fill shifts, families desperate to secure care for loved ones and a system that places no value on the work

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I have been in Marseille for three weeks, working undocumented in the social care sector. There’s a heatwave and it is hard to breathe. I chose caring for older people because it is badly paid across the EU. Nevertheless, women from poorer eastern European countries often move for such jobs because there is a shortage of staff and wages are still higher in the west.

When I finally get all the paperwork together to get a legally recognised job, I approach two agencies in the city. Both call me immediately to arrange a date for a job interview.

Saša Uhlová is a staff writer at the Czech online daily Deník Alarm. Reporting for this series was supported by the The Endowment Fund for Independent Journalism. Names have been changed. The project’s accompanying documentary, directed by Apolena Rychlíková, is Limits of Europe

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