Name: Natalia
Job Title: Shop Assistant
Age: 21  
From: Monzon (Aragon, Spain)
In London: Since November 2005

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Why did you come to London?

I came to London to be able to improve my English and to have a new experience in my life in a foreign country.

What did you hope to achieve?
 
I would like to think that when I have finished my experience here I will have a good level of English and will have enjoyed myself here.

What were you doing before this?

I studied in Barcelona before and I realised that English is very important in the world of today.

What does your job involve on a day-to-day basis?

I have to make sure that the shop is in a good situation, clean, tidy… and help the costumers that came to the shop.

What responsibilities do you have?

Making sure that the customers are happy.

What are the best bits?

I can meet new people in my job and improve my English speaking with the customers.

And the worst?

There aren’t any!

Do you have to have prior experience?  If so, what helped get you the job?

Yes, definitely! I have experience working in shops in Spain, and I think that this is helpful for people looking for a similar job to mine in London.

How did you go about getting it?

I left my CV in the shop and they called me for one interview.  And I got the job!

Any tips you could give our readers?

Don’t worry if you don’t find work in the first days you have to keep on trying.  Also learn from each time you drop off a CV or have an interview so that eventually you will find something!

Anything you know now that you wish you’d known before coming here?

London is very big and in the first time here you can feel a little bit lost in all things (yourself, looking for a job…) but don’t worry sometimes the first days are hard but after you going to feel better in this new experience.

How much do you think your English has improved?

I think quite a lot, but I need stay here more to improve more and more my English.

With this experience, what do you plan to do next?

Go back to Spain to continue studying, but I don’t know when…. Maybe it is because I feel so good here!