Career Information and Guidance
Refugee Action Kingston careers advice service offers the advice needed to make the right decisions about your future career in the UK. Funded by the Henry Smith Charity
The service provides
Career Information Advice and Guidance
Advice to assist you in regaining your original career or a career change.
Define a set of attainable goals and career management.
Employability skills, including identifying where’s best to look and how to apply for employment, CV and cover letter writing, application form completion, presentation and interview skills.
Practical support in identifying and applying for education, training, and volunteering to increase employability skills.
How can I get involved in the Career Advice service?
If you are seeking asylum or have refugee status you can contact us via phone 020 8547 0115.
If you are already registered, you can contact us and we will make a referral to the Careers Advisor.
If you haven’t attended any RAK services before contact us or call on 020 8547 0115 to register.
If you are working or volunteering with someone who is seeking asylum or has refugee status, you can support the client to contact us or with their permission contact us directly to make a referral.
Meet Anna - Refugee Action Kingston stories
Anna first visited RAK (Refugee Action Kingston) to enquire about support to regain her original career in Customs Exercises having been granted refugee status under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, giving the right to live, work and claim benefits in the UK for up to three years. Anna arrived in the UK with her son, having left her husband fighting the war in Ukraine. She wanted to improve her English language skills immediately and registered to attend a 10-week Kingston Language Scheme, a new scheme for Ukraine refugees launched by Kingston University in partnership with Kingston Council. Anna is a PhD graduate with 12 years of employment experience gained as a Government Custom Agent in Ukraine.
Anna’s first guidance session equipped her with the necessary information for regaining her career in the UK, although this would not be with HM Revenue and Customs, she was able to identify, pathways into employment in the Private import/export sector and had a realistic career management plan in place. Anna attended Job Hub which supports people in building employability skills to be able to secure employment. With her Job Coach, she learned to tailor her CV and cover letters to meet employers’ requirements and created several specialist online job search accounts and a professional LinkedIn profile. With the confidence that Anna was gaining from her English Language and the employability programmes, she started to independently apply for positions and secured a customer service role with The National Physical Laboratory on a Zero-hour contract.
Anna remained committed to regaining her career, enrolled in the C2 English Language proficiency programme to further her language skills, having been awarded a free place with a private college, arranged by her Job Coach, researched and applied for employment positions, with an open mind, to relocate if required. Whilst Anna job searched, the Career Management Project processed the translation and recognition of her qualifications, continued to provide career advice and guidance, relating to the terms of her contract, universal credit and income, and made an internal referral to the Welfare team, who supported with securing alternative permanent accommodation.
The New Year brought interviews in her field, the job coach prepared Anna for each interview, one was held in person in East Bourne, another in Heathrow, and was successful. The appointment letter was not as expected, it was for a Courier Clerk role, not Accounts Manager which Anna had applied for and was of the impression interviewed for. After coaching Anna to negotiate the terms of the employment offer it was amended to include in-house UK import/export and project management software training, with a progress review after six months, with possible promotion. Additional support was given to Anna, the first month’s travel to work also funds to purchase suitable work clothing.