Ora Lazic lives in London and works for international company SP Global Commodity Insights. She shared with us her experience of moving and working abroad.
Ora Lazic, 45 years, London, Energy Markets Analyst, Leading Specialist at SP Global Commodity Insights, @oj_lazic
About moving
I started thinking seriously about emigration in the 2000s for a number of personal reasons. Mostly I wanted a wider scope for career growth and unlimited personal freedom and development.
The main criteria for choosing a country were: open admission of emigrants for work, English-speaking, a high level of development and culture, the availability of economic opportunities, as well as the multinational composition of society, tolerance for different people.
As a result chose Canada, where I applied for emigration under a work program in 2006. I received a positive response to permanent residence in Calgary, Alberta. And at the same time I entered the university in London.
So I arrived in London with one suitcase and stayed here, almost getting into the last carriage. At the end of 2010, the UK stopped issuing independent work visas.
About adaptation and difficulties
The main difficulty of an emigrant almost everywhere is social assimilation and creativity in finding a job. Especially when moving to highly developed countries in Europe, America. In almost all cases, occurs downshifting — a decrease in the social level.
There is huge competition everywhere in the UK, especially among prestigious professions with high wages. And it is almost impossible to survive in London with low earnings. Everything is too expensive here. This, in my opinion, is the biggest challenge — a real test of life, which not every emigrant can withstand.
Employers are so spoiled for choice of specialists that the task of a candidate — to be selected from hundreds or thousands of very capable competitors for the desired vacancy — is kind of a quest.
At the time of my move, social networks were not yet developed. I called home only from work because international telephone rates are still expensive. It also left a moral imprint.
What struck me most about London was how polite and helpful the people here are. English politeness is not an empty phrase. Here on one «thank you» and «sorry», you can achieve a lot of things. Another great impression was how people are ready to give you a chance, the opportunity to try yourself, a priori accepting you.
I would advise a few things for new emigrants: believe in yourself and in people around you, be open with no afraid of trying different directions, looking for like-minded people.
The wider networking you have, the easier it will be to endure the hardships of adaptation.
About development and career
From the very beginning I came to work in an international company and started my adaptation. In parallel, I received a master's degree, and the university was on the other side of the city. I went to work at six in the morning, went to school in the afternoon, and did my homework in the evening.
In 2010, a well blew up in the Gulf of Mexico and our project, which also involved expanding drilling in the Caspian Sea, was successfully closed. I was told to return home, but of course I refused and stayed in London.
After about five months and more than a thousand resumes sent, I got a job in a consulting company. There, out of all my rich experience, the most, in my opinion, unsightly came in handy — successful logistics in an office relocation project.
Thanks to this work, I received permanent residence in 2014, and in 2015, British citizenship.
My main advice for someone who looking for a job abroad is to study your profession in depth and be a highly competent specialist in the field.
Effective communication skills in a group are also required. Even if you are an excellent specialist, but you are not open to group communication, cannot speak clearly about your goals, tasks, share critical thinking on professional topics, it will be difficult to succeed in an international environment.
Today I am a financial journalist. I write and speak on the topics of the European and international oil and gas, petrochemical industry, trends and prospects in this sector of the economy.
I get invites to international conferences. This week I'm going to the US, Texas, and in April to Belgium, for a sustainable fuels event. In May I was invited to speak in the capital of Saudi Arabia.
The interesting thing about our company culture is that we are a truly global team. We encourage respect for different cultures and an interest in what makes us different from each other. Another noteworthy thing is the high level of competition. to be noticed you must show yourself at the right time, in the right place. To do this, you need to constantly keep yourself in good shape, be ready to move forward, protect your position in the team.
About the impact of relocation
The thinking and style of communication, the attitude towards different people around me has changed a lot. I became more patient, more tolerant, calmer to stable changes. I have no fear for the future, I have faith in the present and the hope that life is flowing in the right direction.
I have made many friends and acquaintances around the world, started a family in London and always return to my native Kazakhstan with joy.
