My daughters are young but I can tell they are very proud of me. They say “Mummy, can I come with you to school? Are you becoming a maths teacher!?” I want to be a role model for my children and show them no matter what happens, you should still work hard and study. Education is very important to me.
I moved to the UK in 2013. We started off living in a studio flat. We were looking to rent a 2-bedroom property, but it was unaffordable. We lived in the studio for six years. As it was so unsuitable, we were categorised as homeless. The Council supported us to move into a new home in March - we feel very lucky. It’s very exciting for my daughters as it's the first time they have had their own room! And it’s much less stressful for all of us, now we have more space. That said, the rent is still a lot of money, so I need a good job to be able to afford everything.
Before I moved to the UK, I completed my degree in finance and worked as as an accounting officer for four years. At the time I chose it as it was trendy to study that subject! But as I learnt more accountancy knowledge, I really liked all the analysis involved! To work as an accountant here I require new qualifications. I have completed my Level 1 and 2 and have taken out a student loan to complete the Level 3.
I am so happy to be working with Beam because without the extra childcare I can’t carry on attending college or have enough time to study and do my homework. After the Level 3, I want to start work. I see myself working for one of the big accountancy companies and becoming a fully-qualified accountant.
Imen is working with Beam as she has been homeless within the last 12 months.