Despite the changes caused by Brexit, some former ELC Bristol students are working in the UK. Yasuko and Kanta are two of our recently graduated students from Japan. They came to study at ELC Bristol on a Tier 5 Youth Mobility Scheme Visa. It is the UK equivalent of a working holiday visa. Both of them attended the ELC Bristol Job Club while they were here. They were both able to successfully find jobs in the UK after completing their English courses. This was all the more amazing because they were searching for work during the coronavirus pandemic! Below, Yasuko and Kanta answer some questions about their experience of finding work in the UK.

YASUKO

1. Where are you working now?
   Takazi Foods Ltd, in London. It is a trading company.
2. What is your role in the company?
   I work in sales support (administration)
3. How do you use English in your job?
   As I work in the Chinese sales team, we sometimes use Chinese for internal communication but most of the time we use English to communicate with colleagues and customers by phone and email.
4. Do you enjoy your job? Why/Why not?
   Yes, I’m happy with working at this company because I’ve met new people who come from all over the world.  I’ve not only gained job experience but also learned more about different cultures, and especially about food! Besides that, I believe it is a great opportunity to put into practice what I learned in the classroom at ELC Bristol!
5. Did ELC Job Club help you to find work?
   Definitely, yes. I very much appreciated Neil’s support because he provided useful information about job hunting in the UK and because he checked my CV and cover letter. There were some other students at ELC Bristol who had the same Tier 5 visa and looking for a job. That also made me relax because I felt I was not the only one doing it.
6. What did you find most useful about ELC Job Club?
   Neil helps all students who are looking for a job in the UK and gave us useful information. In particular,  CVs and cover letters are completely different from those in my country. It’s better to ask Neil how to make your CV more catchy to attract people to read it!
7. Did you improve your English at ELC before starting your new job?
   Yes, I did indeed. All the teachers in ELC are very competent, friendly, and always try to make the lessons interesting and fun. I’m not really sure how much I improved my English in 3 months at ELC but I definitely feel I became confident than before. I appreciate ELC Bristol making my life in the UK incredible!
8. Was it difficult to find work in the UK?
   I would say yes, it was not easy to find a job, especially during the lockdown because everything had been gone on online. Even in Japanese, I always get nervous before an interview. In my case, I was lucky because  I was able to find a job quickly. However, it’s better to finish your CV/cover letter and start looking for a  job as soon as possible. The good thing is there is not an end and start of the working year, like in Japan. People switch jobs whenever they want. So, once there are vacancies, you may be able to get a chance to go for an interview.
9. What are the positives for ELC students working in the UK?
   I think the best way to improve my English is by working in an English-speaking country. It is an opportunity to immerse myself in a situation where I have to use English every day. Apart from that, people do not really do much overtime (compared to Japan), so I can clearly separate work from my personal life.
10. What are the negatives?
    You might have to work from home due to current circumstances with COVID. I haven’t had many opportunities to speak or use English outside of work yet. It could be hard to find your ideal job if you have limited time remaining on your visa. People who have got more than 1 and a half years remaining are prioritized. I’m still working from home so sometimes feel a bit lonely but hope I will be back in the office soon. Fingers crossed!

KANTA

1. Where are you working now?
   For a Japanese food supplier in London.
2. What is your role in the company?
   Sales Administrator
3. How do you use English in your job?
   I talk with customers on the phone and chat with my colleagues.
4. Do you enjoy your job? Why/Why not?
    I enjoy speaking with customers because I have lots of opportunities to speak English!
5. Did ELC Job Club help you to find work?
   Yes, it did. We shared a lot of information about job hunting.
6. What did you find most useful about ELC Job Club?
   Correcting my CV and Cover letter. The teacher helped me a lot.
7. Did you improve your English at ELC before starting your new job?
   Of course. In particular, I gained a lot more confidence in speaking English, which is especially important for Japanese people.
8. Was it difficult to find work in the UK?
   In my case, it was so difficult to find work because of the lockdown for COVID. I think the situation is improving, though.
9. What are the positives for ELC students working in the UK?
   I’m learning basic Business English on the job, which is the best way of learning!
10. What are the negatives?
    Honestly, my tasks are very easy so I got used to doing them in only 2 weeks!