English success stories

Sergey, 35, United Kingdom (Oxford)

Sergey successfully transitioned from working as an engineer in Moscow to a position in one of the top construction companies in Oxford.

Before the Course

I was working as an engineer in Moscow, handling complex equipment used at the beginning of construction projects. I had been in this role for over 10 years and wanted a change. I longed to travel and experience life in different countries, not just for a week or two on vacation, but to truly immerse myself in other cultures. However, I treated this more as a fantasy than a real plan.

During the Course

Just over a year ago, I took Anna Znamenskaya’s course, “Career REstart”, and it helped me find exactly that. The lessons on writing resumes and searching for job vacancies were particularly helpful.

I thought my resume was already pretty good. But to my surprise, after watching the lessons, I realized it contained a lot of unnecessary information—details my grandmother would enjoy reading to feel proud of me, but irrelevant to job applications. The most important information was missing. I rewrote my resume and started sending it out. It took a few months before I got a response.

The Results

Two to three months later, I was invited to a video interview. I passed the interview and received an offer. I then applied for a Skilled Worker visa, which required me to pass an English exam at a B1 level. The visa application process took longer than usual, but it was eventually approved. And now, here I am, in the UK, working.

In the UK, there is a Shortage Occupation List, which includes professions that are in high demand. If your profession is on this list, obtaining a work visa is much easier. Fortunately, my engineering profession was on this list.

Just a year ago, I couldn’t have imagined that I would be living and working in Oxford. Now, I’m here, enjoying my new life and career.