Before she relocated to France, expat partner Anna Boyko had a demanding career that she loved. As a result, having no job was a shock to the system. What could she do to keep busy?
Challenging start
“I’m a doctor of economics and I used to teach at a university until I moved into the finance sector, where I had a demanding but successful career. It was tough to quit my job but I had no choice,” says Anna, a mother of two from St Petersburg, who relocated to Caen in late 2022. “After we had arrived, I was quite down. There were a lot of bureaucratic tasks for me to do. I thought that I spoke good French but I quickly realised my level wasn’t good enough to enter the workforce.”
Online solution
“Studying French and helping my kids to adjust were my immediate priorities. I also hope to start an MBA (in French!) in the near future. But I still felt like I needed an occupation. Then one day, quite by chance, I heard about a course to become a registered online seller for Amazon. It seemed like a good way for me to keep busy and earn an income. So I signed up and now I’m an official Amazon seller.”
Learning the trade
“Doing the course and receiving my licence were straightforward but I still had to learn how to manage my time. The first day I received products, I stayed up until 5am packing boxes. Then after I had set up my account, I found myself going to bed with my phone, checking how many sales I had made. So, I quickly realised you have to set some limits. There’s no need to check on orders and profits every few minutes!”
Encouraging support
“Now that I have ‘learned the ropes’, I’m enjoying the flexibility I have with this occupation. I can spend more time with my kids, who are still going through a major adjustment, and drink coffee in my own kitchen!” says Anna. “I just hope I have enough time and energy to also study for the MBA course. I really appreciate the support from my partner’s employer and Global Connection in helping me to develop this digital job. I wouldn’t have done the course if there hadn’t been someone there to encourage me.”
Photo: iStock
