Humaira’s Journey From the GRoW Programme to Employment

Humaira came to the UK in September 2023. Having never worked here before and lacking any formal work experience or certifications, she felt apprehensive about her prospects. With the support of GRoW she has now started a part-time job as a Lunch Cover at a Nursery.

Humaira said “I moved to the UK from the United Arab Emirates where my husband had a job. Unfortunately due to regulations there I was not able to work but I did have experience as a Primary School Teacher back in my home country of Pakistan.  When I came here my first focus was to settle my children into school but I had a desire to contribute to my new community and wanted to take the first steps towards employment.

I turned to the Hillingdon Women Centre, where I was introduced to the GRoW Programme and met Sheeja. Sheeja really helped me by providing lots of practical advice on how to job search and also helped me with my CV. She also instilled in me a sense of hope and determination as she understood the challenges I was facing in a new country and encouraged me to explore various avenues for employment.

Despite some uncertainty at first I applied to nurseries and libraries in my local area. It was a phone call to a nearby nursery that changed everything. Although the position hadn’t been advertised online, I took the initiative to inquire about potential vacancies, and I was so happy when they welcomed me on board as a lunchtime supervisor.

I started the job recently and it is really good. I’m working with preschool children, ranging from three months to four years old. My past experience as a primary teacher in Pakistan has given me a foundation to build upon and the nursery staff are providing me with training and support too so I am feeling really confident.

Being part of GRoW has been a great experience, they’ve given me lots of practical support, such as CV guidance and interview preparation and more importantly they’ve given me the encouragement to believe in myself.

Not having any work experience in this country was a barrier for me but having the courage to call on local nurseries and libraries to enquire if they had any vacancies is something that really paid off and I’m really happy to be starting this new chapter in my life.”