What our job seekers say ...
"You have given me valuable training. My email and interview skills have improved significantly… and you have encouraged me a lot and improved my confidence.” - GO job seeker from Tanzania
"Thank you so much for your amazing course. Not only has it helped build my confidence but also highlighted my best skills and qualities. I now feel ready and prepared for job interviews." - GO job seeker from Romania
Igor's story
Moldovan charity director Igor Meriacre finds managerial role in the UK disability sector
Igor Meriacre moved to the UK from Moldova in 2018 with his wife, Ecaterina. They came to Norwich at the suggestion of Moldovan friends who were already settled in the city.
Igor completed his military service in 1989 and was seriously disabled in a work accident in 1991. He is now a permanent wheelchair user. In Moldova, he initially built a business offering repair services for domestic electrical appliances such as radios and TVs. In 2000, he joined a community project for young people as a wheelchair technician. The project evolved into what became the Association “MOTIVATIE” of Moldova (AMM), where Igor was initially a disability rehabilitation instructor and then the project and the executive director.
As director, he had responsibility for all areas of administration, including the strategic plans, governance and all areas of finance - tenders, budgets, grants and donations. Igor also represented AMM at events and liaised with government ministries, participating on working groups for the Ministry of Social Affairs, for example, which was considering new legislation to help disabled people.
Starting again in Norwich
The work was satisfying but stressful. Following health problems, Igor and Ecaterina decided to move and start a new life. Igor helped AMM with planning for the change and trained a female colleague to be his successor. He still volunteers for AMM and recently helped the charity to buy a minibus in Germany for carrying disabled people and to adapt it with special belts. Now, the minibus is being used to carry disabled Ukrainian refugees from the Ukrainian border to Chisinau Airport in Moldova or to Romania for treatment.
Before moving to Norwich, Igor investigated non-profit organisations in the area. He understood that he would not be able to start at his previous director-level status and, when he arrived, made contact to find help looking for repair roles. The Job Centre also referred him to the Shaw Trust, which aims to support people with complex needs into good work.
The Trust provided Igor with a case manager for over a year, helping him with applications, for example to a factory that repairs and recycles mobile phones. Unfortunately, these applications created initial interest but no offers of employment. As happens with many migrants with professional skills who arrive in Norfolk, the only open door appeared to be to work in a poultry factory.
Instead he registered as self-employed and started to repair domestic appliances. Realising that language fluency is the greatest barrier to achieving work at an appropriate professional level, Igor also started attending lessons at English+ and an ESOL course offered at Wensum Lodge. To increase his opportunities to practise speaking English, he volunteers at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals, where he works on a reception desk.
Joining the Globally Onward mentoring programme
At English+ Igor heard about Globally Onward and enrolled for the six-week mentor programme in late July 2022. He says his mentor, Iulia Arhire, helped him to improve his email writing, CV and cover letter. “I saw a job come up at Equal Lives that looked perfect for me - a managerial and technical role at ShopMobility in Chantry Place. Working with Iulia at Globally Onward helped me a lot when I applied for this job. We practised for the interview, so I was more prepared and confident. I had appropriate answers ready and had thought about the right questions to ask. I was more relaxed, less stressed, more confident in my abilities and able to perform better in an interview situation.”
Igor was concerned that, being over 50 now, it was going to be hard to find a new role. “In Moldova I was in the army and then self-employed. I had never had to apply for a job! In Moldova I was in my comfort zone - here in the UK, very much out of my comfort zone. But I was very confident this time. Iulia encouraged me to emphasise my abilities and gave me the confidence to explain about my experience.”
At Equal Lives, a disability rights organisation based in Norfolk and Suffolk, Igor will manage ShopMobility Norwich at Chantry Place shopping centre, where people can borrow a mobility scooter, wheelchair or power chair free. Part of his role will be coordinating the volunteers who work there. He is hoping to bring his experience and ideas to Equal Lives and to help extend its offer.
Igor notes that disabled people in the UK have a lot of rights but employers are still reluctant to employ them. “You want to work, but no one wants to give you a job you can do. It has been a long, difficult journey since I arrived in the UK. But I am doing something relevant to my experience now. I met Globally Onward at the right time. It was as if there was a chain of events that led me to the right place.”
Karen's story
Hong Kong teacher gets Teaching Assistant position just 6 weeks after arriving in UK
Teacher Karen To moved to the UK from Hong Kong at the end of July 2022. She has settled in Norwich with her husband and 11-year old son and already has her first job - just six weeks after touching down in her new home.
Karen taught English and art and design in primary schools in Hong Kong. Primary teaching is subject-based in Hong Kong, unlike in the UK where a class has a single teacher all day across all subjects.
She likes teaching younger students because of their fresh attitude to learning, and was keen to continue with that age group in the UK. However, despite her experience and seniority in Hong Kong, she decided to apply for Teaching Assistant (TA) positions. “In Hong Kong I was a senior teacher with more than 20 years’ experience”, she says. “But I did not expect to transfer across into the UK system at the same level. Being a teacher requires excellent language skills and a deep understanding of local culture issues. I knew that it would take several years of living in the UK to achieve that.”
Joining the Globally Onward mentoring programme
Shortly after arriving in Norwich, Karen met Globally Onward (GO) at an event organised by her church. She signed up straight away for the GO mentoring programme and was allocated a mentor - Mel, herself a former teacher - within a week. “Mel is great and the course is good because it's intensive”, she notes. “There is homework to do, like preparing a covering email for job applications.”
The course also includes CV preparation. “After 20 years in my last school, I hadn’t written a CV in a long time and needed some help”, she admits. After working on hers with Mel, Karen posted it on CV-Library, an online jobs board, and was quickly contacted by an employment agency. Karen practised for the agency interview with her mentor Mel, which was just as well as she says the questioning was tough. “I was well prepared and the interview went well. They asked me a lot about work culture and my personality - how I deal with challenges and frustration at work, things like team conflict and students who are not fully engaged.”
Karen’s DBS check came through quickly and the agency introduced her to a Norwich Specials Needs school with about 50 students that was seeking a TA. There was an initial online meeting with the head teacher, which went well, and then she went into the school for a second interview. She started work on 12 September, just six weeks after arriving in the UK!
“It’s going really well”, she says. “There are two other TAs who are really helpful and we get on well. Our students have particular needs and I’m getting training to help me understand that and know what to do. The atmosphere at the school is friendly and welcoming and the children seem really happy. This is a great new start for me.”
Karen’s advice for professionally qualified migrants or refugees
When it comes to advice for other professionally qualified migrants or refugees, Karen says it's really important to set your expectations correctly to avoid disappointment. “Newcomers need to find work and step into it as soon as possible. But don’t expect to switch to the same position immediately. It’s unrealistic.”
Looking to the future, Karen says she is happy to keep being a TA. She wants to spend more time with her family and has decided that quick promotion is not her priority. “Right now, I’m looking for a more relaxing life, without so much pressure.”