After spending three years in Austria, where finding local employment was challenging due to the language barrier, Andrey Toropov has not wasted any time since relocating to San Francisco.
Determined to integrate
“Vienna is a beautiful city and I enjoyed living there. But obviously there is a language barrier if you don’t speak German,” says Andrey. With a background as a senior manager in the metals manufacturing industry, Andrey continued to work online for a Russian company but he hoped to integrate more fully and find work in Austria. That meant learning the language. “I was slowly improving my level of German when my wife Gabriela got an offer in San Francisco. As my English is better than my German, I was on board!”
Seizing new opportunities
“Even before arriving in the US, I could see there were opportunities for me,” says Andrey, now a resident of Emeryville in the Bay Area, where he has launched his own handyman business as a self-employed professional. “My first priority was converting my driver’s licence. After that, with the support of my wife’s employer, I signed up for the Handyman Academy – a short, intensive course that tells you everything you need to know about working in the States as a handyman. Americans are frequently moving and refurbing their new homes, so it’s a vibrant market for this line of work.”
Building his business
Once he had all the tools he needed, Andrey made a post on Yelp. “You have to spend some money in the beginning to push your ad up, but it is worth it. I’m receiving a new lead every day and I just got a super nice review on Yelp, which felt great. Recently I have been so busy that I have been too tired to put up the shelves in our new apartment, which my wife isn’t so happy about!” says Andrey with a sheepish grin.
Looking to the future
Recently Andrey has also built his own website and is confidently planning his next steps. He hopes to obtain a general contractor’s licence so he can take on larger projects – for example, building or renovating houses to resell on the market. “After a few years of uncertainty, it feels great to be fully engaged and busy again. My thanks to Ines at Global Connection for always encouraging me – it’s not easy to move to a new country and find your feet. I really appreciate the support I received to get set up in the Bay Area. I feel lucky to be here.”
Photos: Andrey Toropov
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