Making a mark abroad

Working abroad can be a daunting task, but as GulfWeekly found out, Bahraini girls are doing it with ease.

Ohood Abdulghaffar, 23, has been studying and working in London for eight years.
“I live in a flat in west London — it is cheaper, greener and less congested than central London,” she said.
“I have been on my own in the UK throughout my stay. When I first arrived at the age of 16, I had the privilege of being financially supported by the Crown Prince’s Scholarship Programme, which funded my studies throughout high school and university.
“I don’t think of myself as alone here because I feel like I did a lot of my growing up in the UK and my friendship and social support network here is large.
“At the moment I am a freelance content co-ordinator for a New York-based museum design company. I have been working here for two months now and I am really enjoying it. I am doing research for their Middle East projects.”
Before taking on this role, Ms Abdulghaffar worked in business development for six months in an IT recruitment/consulting firm.
“I decided to work abroad because I wanted to be challenged with a different kind of work ethic,” she explained.
“London is a very fast-paced city and gaining work experience here opens many doors for me. Due to the sheer size of the job market I know that there is scope for me to be more flexible and move horizontally across different industries rather than choose just one and remain in it.
“My day is organised the way I want it and I can spend as much time as I choose on a piece of research before I pass it on to my colleagues.”
Ms Abdulghaffar says she enjoys being abroad and doesn’t feel there are any disadvantages
“The only problem I have encountered is difficulty obtaining a work permit due to the competition.
“My father is 100 per cent supportive of my career goals and every time I called him to tell him of an interview or job offer he would tell me to go for it.”
Ms Abdulghaffar said the main thing she misses about Bahrain is not having to pay taxes.
“I miss not having to pay rent or taxes!  Living in London is a financial struggle; although the pay is very good most of it goes on rent and general living costs. 
“The main thing I noticed with other Bahrainis is that they interact with a lot of Arabs when they arrive in the UK, probably because they miss home,” said Ms Abdulghaffar.
“I found that building a social network with my English and other multi-national friends meant that even when we left university we were still living and working around London or South England so we could always meet,” she said.
“I would encourage Bahrainis to work abroad. It gives you a strong sense of your abilities and tests your skills in a completely different environment. I feel that people who have studied and worked in a challenging atmosphere will be better able to serve Bahrain’s economy and most able to compete in the job market when they return home.”
Layla Abbas, 34, moved to Doha, Qatar, four months ago to start her new job as a senior client relationship officer in a financial institution.
“I am living currently in a flat with a friend but will be moving soon to a new apartment to live by myself,” she said.
“I chose to work abroad and particularly in Qatar for many reasons, mainly because it is very close to home and, secondly, it is undergoing one of the world’s fastest growing periods in many sectors such as the economy, finance and energy.
“So being here at this time it is like starting from scratch and playing a very important role in the development of this beautiful country,” added Ms Abbas.
Ms Abbas got the job when her friend informed her of an opening at the centre.
“I have been working here for four months only but it feels like home already,” she said.
“Life in Qatar is amazing.  I have never experienced living abroad by myself, but so far I think this was the best step I have ever taken in my life.
“I also managed to make new friends and continuously develop myself both educationally and professionally.”
Ms Abbas has also learned how to control her money expenditure.
“It is important to know how to spend your money and when.  I am more careful in this area now,” she said.
Her family, said Ms Abbas, were not very happy with her decision to work abroad.
“My family were totally against the concept. At first they didn’t take me seriously, thinking it is one of my crazy ideas but when I went home one day and told them that I had resigned from my job in Bahrain. It was as shock.
“It took me three months to just try to convince them.  Unfortunately they are still not 100 per cent convinced but thank God I managed to leave Bahrain with their blessings and prayers, and now every time I visit them they keep asking me the same questions over and over; ‘are you happy there?  Is there anyway you could come back?’
“My mother tries to make me feel guilty by telling me how she cries every time she goes into my room but I laugh and take it as a joke because I know it’s just a nice trick she is playing on me so I come back home regularly.
“I do my best to try and make her understand how this was the best step I have ever taken and how my life is changing in a better way and how I can see a more successful future for myself.
“But at the end of the day they are parents, they have the most wonderful and beautiful hearts, God bless them, all they care about is for children to be around them.”

Special Report
By Farishta Saeed
farishtasaeed@gmail.com