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Passage A
Marcela's Work Experience
I decided early in my college years that I wanted to experience living abroad before entering in the "real world." During my senior year, while most of my friends were interviewing for "real world" jobs, I was investigating how I could go work in a different country. At that early stage of my inquiry I was pretty open about where to go and what kind of work to undertake. My desire to live abroad was so strong that I was willing to do anything anywhere.
BUNAC (British Universities North American Club)
This is a program from the USA. BUNAC currently offers US students and young people work/travel programs to Britain, Australia, New Zealand, etc. Each participating country offers a unique insight into life in a completely new culture and a
chance to spend extended time working and traveling overseas. US students can work anywhere in Britain for up to six month at any time during the year and explore the whole of the UK while they are there.
Bank Holiday
A holiday of national importance such as Christmas or New Year's Day when banks and some other businesses are closed (altogether there are 8-10 of these per year in the UK)
Merrill Lynch International Bank
A very large international company which specializes in a variety of financial services such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, credit cards, and checking accounts. It has offices in 38 countries.
Soon I learned about BUNAC, a program that seemed to be designed precisely for students with such interests. BUNAC offers work visas for students or recent graduates to work overseas. Of the six countries available, I chose England because of the language and opportunities for employment.
Two months after I graduated from college I crossed the Atlantic. I traveled throughout Europe for six weeks before arriving in London. I got to London on August 24, 1997 with a work visa, but no job or place to live. I have to admit it was pretty scary! The day after I arrived, I experienced my first British holiday-Bank Holiday, a national holiday where everything is closed for the day. It wasn't until my third day that I visited the BUNAC office and went through orientation. At the orientation I learned all about living and working in Britain; I learned about getting around in the city, making a CV (Curriculum Vitae-British resume), paying taxes, getting health insurance, traveling around Britain, finding accommodations and most importantly, finding a job. I was most scared about finding a job since my financial resources were running low and I needed to get a paycheck soon.
It turns out that finding a job was just as easy as making a CV! The BUNAC program is very well known in London and many employers participate in the program. As a result there are many employers in many different fields to choose from. My job search began when I chose three different business employers and faxed them my cover letter1 and CV. That first week I had three interviews. I accepted my first offer working for Merrill Lynch International Bank. The Merrill Lynch office I worked at was in a beautiful, old building located two blocks from Buckingham Palace. The people were nice and the work interesting.
It was easy to adjust to life in London. And there is so much to see that after six months exploring I probably covered only half of what I intended.
Working in London has many advantages. For one, I truly get to learn the culture by being immersed in its workforce. Most of my coworkers were British so I feel like I really got to know and learn the British culture through such a huge aspect of a British person's daily life. Secondly, it is an economical way to live and travel in another country since most jobs pay enough to cover rent, living expenses and some travel expenses. And thirdly, I have the chance to gain valuable work experience and internationalize my resume.
Working in London has been the best decision I have made so far. I would not hesitate for a second to recommend it to anyone!
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