A Ukrainian woman is looking for work in London. I remember that when I was in the USA I was afraid to look for work because I did not have a work permit and was afraid that taking work without one would jeopardize my husband's job. I was under the impression that you needed a work permit before you could apply for a job. It did not occur to me that a prospective employer might help you apply, or be able to show that they were unable to employ a local person because you had unique skills - which might include speaking another language, or being willing to do a job for which there were no other applicants.
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A decade later I found work as a teacher in Singapore - only after several years thinking I could not do so.
Through your job you will meet other people who are employed. You can tell them what you are looking for.
Instant Promotion
You might find that your boss resigns and you can take over their job.
New Skills
You might learn enough from observing your boss or colleagues to apply for another job.
Reliability And Track Record
The fact that you are in employment tells an agency or employer that you are willing to work. You can turn up on time.
Confidence
You get the confidence of having a job. That might be the spur to apply for something better.
Employment Practicalities
You learn the practicalities of filling in your government work forms, an employment number. A tax number. An insurance number.
Travel
You learn simply getting the public transport or car route to your nearby place of work. You are ready to arrive on time for an interview, first day at a new job. You are no longer daunted by the distance. No longer stressed by the journey.
You have new interests. Shops. Transport. Places to eat. Places of entertainment. A new location to discuss and compare with your new home area.
Conversations About Work Opportunities
When somebody asks you where you are working, you have a conversation opener. Instead of starting by saying you need a job, you can talk about your current job, then say you would like a better paid job.
Friends
You make friends not just with other refugees and job seekers, but with people who are employed. You meet people who are in the country permanently. Your new friends are people with whom you spend time. You have something in common, the workplace, even the place to buy lunch.
Singapore
In Singapore I discovered that I needed three things before I could start work.
1 Evidence of my university degree.
2 A health check. This included an x-ray to show I did not have TB.
3 A work permit.
At first this all seemed daunting.
Degree Certificate
First, where was my university certificate? I was in Singapore. The document was in England.
My son looked, but could not find it. The obvious place was in a frame on the wall. No luck.
We checked the procedure for getting a replacement. You had to apply during term time of the university. Another delay. (Plus more cost.)
Meanwhile. I suggested that another picture could have been placed on top of the certificate to re-use the frame.
My son checked. Success. I was right. My certificate was behind something else.
Now, simply the cost of delivery and wait for delivery.
Health Check
I had the health check. When I passed the health check I was quite pleased. I was healthy!
Work Permit
The employer had asked me if I had a work permit. I reluctantly admitted that I had no work permit. To my surprise, this was no problem. My prospective employer simply dictated to her secretary a one line request for a work permit, addressed to the correct department down the road.
She handed me the letter and told me to take my letter and my Singapore identity card to the employment office in a taxi which she paid for. Off I went. Ten minutes later I reached the office.
On a wet Monday morning the place was deserted. The official seemed happy to have something to do and somebody to talk to. He glanced at the request, checked my Identify card. He reached for his stamp on a form. I signed a request document and a receipt document. Ten minutes later I was in the taxi back to the school.
An hour later I was in the classroom teaching. That is another story. On to a new set of problems. But my problems in getting a job were over.
The moral is, don't delay. Each task is just a rung in the ladder of job hunting and life. As my husband says: It is not a problem. It is just a task.
