As international students, we constantly face adversity. However, one characteristic that we all share is resilience. The capacity to get back up and keep going when things get tough.
What happened to Othmane probably ranks among the worst problems a student can experience abroad. However, his proactivity and drive helped shape a lesson that you will enjoy as you read this article. Let’s get started!
Othmane Outarahout became an international student in Canada in 2018. Originally from Morocco, he had previously experienced studying abroad in France, where he did a hospitality management program, and working in the United States.
Wanting to continue to grow personally and professionally, he set his sights on the West Coast of Canada. As a fluent French speaker, Othmane was never really attracted to the East Coast and opted instead for beautiful British Columbia where he had found a balance between urban life, the outdoors, livable temperatures year-round, and an attractive hospitality industry with competitive salaries. After finding a Co-op program that fit his needs, he packed his bags and came here!
First Impressions of Vancouver And Early Days
Like many of us, Othmane landed in the country without having visited before and had to take a second to fully appreciate what was in front of him.
“To be fully honest, Vancouver exceeded my expectations. You see the pictures and it's gorgeous already. And you're like, okay, this place looks amazing. And then you arrive here and you realize that it's more beautiful in reality than in pictures.”
In his early days, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that the pace at which people live in Vancouver is slower than the city would make you think and how easy it is to access nature.
Since his student visa allowed him to work, Othmane, motivated to start on the right foot, tried to get a job as soon as he could.
We know few people as proactive as Othmane. Prior to his arrival, he started doing research on the state of the industry in Vancouver. He researched hotels, the number of rooms each one had and which aligned with his expectations. Then, he prepared cover letters, printed resumes, and started visiting hotels in person as soon as he could.
"I introduced myself and I dropped my resume. I asked to speak with somebody who was on the hiring team and, it paid off. Luckily for me, after visit number three, I had an interview on the spot. They said we could just have a quick chat and they may call me in for a second interview.”
However, there would be no second interview.
“We sat in the hotel’s restaurant and had a quick 15-minute chat. Then, I got a call the day after and they told me they were very excited. That they were actually looking for someone and offered me the job! So, luckily it worked out for me that day.”
The Biggest Challenge
Othmane had managed to land in Vancouver, start studying, and land a job in under 10 days.
Until…
“I had already been working for a few months and one day, sometime in April, I received a phone call from a person who worked for the Ministry of Education letting me know, that she was very sorry, but, the school I was attending had lost its license to teach.”
Othmane was then given a list of schools that he could transfer to and the call ended. And, with it, all further communication. After receiving such an alarming phone call, he had to figure out what to do. Othmane had a valid work permit and a valid study permit. However, the school on his papers was no longer in business.
What could he do? He decided to find some answers for himself. Therefore, he went to the PTIB, the college regulator, to explain the situation and figure out what his options were.
After that, he requested a letter from PTIB explaining what had happened so that he could have physical evidence of what happened that he could use with immigration. Thankfully, the staff at the PTIB were able to help and even gave him a comprehensive list of schools he could transfer to and explained he would get a refund for his tuition.
The Resilience Of A Student
Turning to an immigration lawyer, Othmane was able to find a college, transfer his credits, and pursue the final two months of his hospitality program. He graduated afterwards and continued to work for the hotel until the pandemic drove him to unemployment.
“The borders were closed, tourism was completely shut down, and our hotel had to shut down for a few months. Then, management decided it was the right time to do major renovations in the hotel. So they let us go.”
Othmane had to look for another way to stay in the industry, even if hotels were closing down. He soon discovered that the school he had transferred to was looking for a person to help students in their hospitality program find jobs.
“That's how I started the second part of my journey in the education field but, still oriented very much towards hospitality.”
The Happy Ending
Othmane currently works at a college downtown and enjoys having the opportunity to coach students studying hospitality programs and help them achieve what he did. Join the industry.
He is excited about his job and particularly enjoys coordinating hospitality job fairs where he gets to see students he’s helped prepare, get hired for positions.
“It's rewarding. It feels nice. Through these events, we gain the employer’s trust, the students also trust us, and the school's reputation increases as well. So it's a kind of a virtuous circle that I'm not willing to let go anytime soon.”
Seeing his passion, we asked him what is the most common problem students face at these events.
“I try to help students with this anxiety ball they carry with them before heading to a hiring event. The same students won’t be shy to go on a blind date with a girl or a guy in a cafe, but they are shy to go to a hiring event. First of all, it's normal to feel this anxiety and it's all about how you treat that in your brain. I coach them on how to deal with that.”
Othmane will remain in Vancouver for the foreseeable future as he gains more experience and helps more people. However, Vancouver is not the end of the line and he teased us on what that might be.
“Ultimately, in my life, I want to return to my country and start a personal project in the south of Morocco that will merge two of my passions.”
After hearing Othmane’s story of passion and resilience, we knew we had found our next student of the month. Through his story, we can see that international students are more resourceful than many people may think. We have the power to do anything we want with our lives as long as we don’t give up.
And here’s Othmane’s two words of wisdom for you: Be proactively prepared.
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