The Worst Work Experience
I left my previous job to join Wise, and due to delays with my work permit I went without income for 4 months. On top of that, I had to pay a €1500 fine to my former company in order to be released to join the new role. After finally starting, I was terminated during my probation period and had to leave the country within 7 days, which also meant losing my residence permit and work visa.
The experience caused severe financial and emotional distress. Despite consistently positive reviews and successfully passing QA accreditation, I never received any formal performance feedback or warnings from my Team Leader prior to termination. There was also a €1,000 deduction from my second and final salary for visa-related services.
Everything was handled within the contractual framework, but the overall experience felt extremely harsh and inhumane.
I also want to add context that for the last two months I was sick. As a newcomer, I avoided taking sick leave because I didn’t want to miss what felt like the most important period of my early career in the role. I acknowledge that being unwell may have affected my performance, and I may have been operating below my usual level compared to others.
It also felt like my Team Leader may have been documenting concerns internally about my overall performance without ever giving me direct, clear feedback on how to improve. I genuinely value honesty and straightforward communication over vague or silent evaluation, because without clear feedback there is no real opportunity to adjust, improve or understand expectations. What I experienced felt closer to avoidance than transparency.
I’m sharing this mainly as a warning and reality check for other newcomers, especially international workers, about how fragile the situation can be when you’re tied to visas and probation periods, even when you are trying your best.
This is not a personal criticism of the Team Leader, but rather a reflection on the style of feedback and communication I experienced.