A journey we walk together

Tasmiah & Teacher Lorinda
meet face to face
Navitas City College

My name is Tasmiah and I come from Bangladesh.  After graduating with a Bachelor of Business degree, I had several administrative positions. Life was simple but comfortable then.

In 2014 I got married to a Bengali man who had been living in Australia. I left my beloved family and country for Australia, a totally unknown land to me. I came with hopes and dreams for a better life and a brighter career.

The first three months in Australia were like a honeymoon. My husband took me touring the city every weekend. I came to know the neighbourhood and I started to adapt to life in Sydney. I started my first English classes at Navitas in Sydney city.  After two months I changed to Distance Learning when I decided to look for a job.

Things however did not go as smoothly as I'd expected.  Firstly I couldn't adjust to the unpredictable weather. I often felt cold and miserable and missed the sunshine in my home country. Then there was the challenge of finding a job. I hardly received any replies for my applications. My chances were limited as sometimes there were over a 100 applicants for the same job. I began to feel discouraged and even depressed. With all the golden dreams I had before, I felt I achieved nothing and was disappointed.

But thanks to the two DL teachers I've had. Despite my frustration, they remained patient and sympathetic and they helped me remain optimistic and hopeful. My first DL teacher Cristina suggested I look for volunteer jobs to start off. I took her advice and started looking for volunteer jobs but Cristina left and Lorinda became my new DL teacher.

The transition from one teacher to another wasn't easy. It was another few weeks before Lorinda and I came to understand each other well. Since then, Lorinda has been a great source of encouragement to me. Because of her positive support and inspiration, I have learnt to remain hopeful about the future.

In the past year, I have taken up different volunteer and part-time jobs, but the prospect of getting a stable full-time job remained dismal. I often felt like giving up but Lorinda was always there, boosting my confidence and making sure that I believed in my strengths and abilities.

My wishes came true last month. After working as a volunteer for a business college for just over a month I was offered a full-time job. The job is demanding and there is a lot I need to learn but I feel confident that with determination and hard work I will be able to settle in my job and make a career in this area.

DL has helped me move forward in my life and find a place in society where I actually belong. It is a journey that I will always treasure.

Congratulations Tasmiah on your achievement and our best wishes for a successful career.

• In what ways can you identify with Tasmiah's journey?
• What helps you remain positive and optimistic about the future?
• What are the stages of adjusting to a new culture?

Your comments will help build our DL community.

STUDENT RUBS SHOULDERS WITH POLITICIANS

Parliament House, Canberra

My name is Raquel and I'm from Brazil. I arrived in Australia at the end of 2010 to do a Masters degree in Engineering.

After I arrived I realised that in order to do my studies and get a good job I still had a lot of work to do to improve my English.  I was uncertain about my priorities; should I study and work at the same time? Also there were cultural differences that I needed to adjust to before I felt confident for a job interview.

In August 2014 I started to study English with the AMEP by Distance Learning and I have had the opportunity to improve my writing, speaking and grammar with the help of my DL teacher, Ross.  One good thing about the course was that my communication skills improved and I was confident to go for a job interview.

In December last year I saw a position available on the Parliament House website for work with the Senate and I felt confident to apply.  I was invited for an interview.  Luckily a few weeks later I got a phone call informing me that I have been successful.

Wooww...My husband and I were very excited and I told my family back in Brazil straightaway.  They were very proud and happy and gave me their congratulations. I am very thankful that God has given me this opportunity.  Now I am working at Parliament and I have found the work very interesting. I get the chance to meet a lot of famous people.

Although I am considering going back to Uni and finishing my Masters, this is a decision that just the future can tell.

Congratulations Raquel on your wonderful achievement.  We wish you continued success in Australia.

Has the DL program helped you with your life or career goals? 

Have you got a story to share? Why not send it to us through your DL teacher and inspire others!