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Viktor’s story

From ballroom dancing champion to HR consultant, Viktor shares his story of building a new life, in a new country.

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Viktor
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I was born in Sevastopol in the Crimea, but I consider myself Ukrainian.  

My parents decided that I should study English and ballroom dancing at the age of four. So, I had a very busy childhood. Ballroom dancing is important in Ukraine, it is a very popular sport. In fact, you see a lot of Russian and Eastern European coaches on Strictly Come Dancing.  

Viktor dancing

I started with ballet, because it helps to stretch your body and make it malleable. It gives you a better posture. I was particularly keen, and I learned all 10 ballroom dances – the standard ones and the Latin American dances like cha-cha-cha, samba, paso doble and jive. I love the music and the energy because it is quick and dynamic.  

It was kind of like a career since four, because I was really busy six days a week, with a lot of competitions, victories, some defeats. We ended up as champions of the Crimea in Latin American dancing. 

It developed a competitive spirit in me and helped my physique and mental health, which you get while you are actively involved in sports. It makes you feel better afterwards, the energy and everything you get from it. 

 

Coming to the UK 

I first came to the UK as a student in September 2013 after receiving a scholarship to study for a Master’s degree in Environmental Policy at the University of Cambridge. At that time, Crimea was still part of Ukraine.  

It was very difficult because many thousands of Ukranian people were protesting against the government. Sometime around February 2014 there was a peaceful demonstration and over 100 people died.  

I ended up here in the UK permanently because Crimea was annexed that same month. I couldn’t go back, so I applied for asylum status, and that’s how I became a refugee.

It was difficult to concentrate on my studies and try and write my dissertation. It was very unsettling to know that my friends were putting their lives at risk, that they were in danger and some of them unfortunately died during the unrest. I just had to make sure I took things one step at a time to finish my studies and university.  

I know I’m one of the lucky ones because I didn’t have to flee persecution or I didn’t have to leave in a hurry. I was very fortunate that I had a scholarship and a place at Cambridge. So, for me, it was probably slightly easier than some of the horrific stories that refugees are experiencing.

But there were challenges. I guess the first was integrating into the UK community and British way of living. The language wasn’t a problem because I started learning English when I was four. But I knew that integration was very important so after I finished at Cambridge, I started being very proactive. I made a lot of British friends, and I developed many interests, like theatre, classical music and opera.  

I tried to be inquisitive and ask a lot of questions, I made time to see colleagues and participated in various activities. This is how I grew and understood the ways of living in the UK. 

 

Gaining employment support 

The Herbert Smith Freehills position was the first big spring in my career. From there I got my British citizenship and other jobs followed because I had worked in the corporate sector. Thanks to Breaking Barriers it became easier to secure other jobs following that initial step. 

Viktor

I think I was on Google looking at information on improving my interview technique, when I came across Breaking Barriers, which was supporting refugees with employability. The team was running a CV clinic, and I went to one of their workshops. I found it very useful.  

Thanks to Breaking Barriers, I received help with my CV, interview technique, doing an elevator pitch. I attended many other workshops to strengthen my resilience and understand the ways of working in the UK.   

Breaking Barriers also helped me to apply and prepare for a corporate social responsibility position at a big law firm called Herbert Smith Freehills. I was successful in securing a six-month internship as a CSR Assistant.  

This support was very important, because in Ukraine the way you approach work and interviews is very different and depends on the connections you have. Breaking Barriers’ support helped to boost my confidence. The Herbert Smith Freehills position was the first big spring in my career. From there I got my British citizenship and other jobs followed because I had worked in the corporate sector. Thanks to Breaking Barriers it became easier to secure other jobs following that initial step. 

I’m now a Senior Associate at Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC), which is a professional services network and one of the ‘big four’ accounting firms. I work in Workforce Consulting, and I specialise in digital transformation.  

 

Rescuing my grandmother 

When the war in Ukraine started in February 2022, I had just secured the graduate scheme at PwC. I still had friends there and my grandmother was still there. She was due to travel to Poland on a refugee train.  

I was very lucky, and this is why I love working for PwC, because they are an amazing company. I hadn’t even started with them, but they called me and asked if I needed help. They have an office in Poland and offered support, such as accommodation for me and my grandmother.  

I had never been to Poland myself. But fortunately, at Luton Airport on the way to rescue my grandmother, I met some Polish people and started chatting to them. They gave me their number and said they would accommodate us. The hospitality of the Polish people was extraordinary, the visa was delayed by five days, but they gave us their flat for us to stay while we waited for a visa appointment. They even drove us to the visa appointment.  

When I finally brought my grandmother over to London, PwC organised Waitrose vouchers for her so that she would have groceries when she got here. What an incredible employer to be so supportive. My friends here in the UK helped as well. My friend Martin from Devon put her up for some time until I managed to organise accommodation for her in London. 

For my grandmother, it was very difficult. I guess she didn’t really want to leave Ukraine, at the age of 75 you are set in your own ways. She didn’t speak a word of English. It was really difficult to leave everything behind and become a refugee. 

My parents moved to America when I was 11 and I was raised by my grandmother. That’s why it was so important for me that she was all right, because she was really scared in Ukraine and she was petrified of the sound of sirens. I remember when I was rescuing her in Poland, and every sort of sound would make her jump and worry, and she couldn’t relax. She would cry and was very emotional.

Now I look after her. I deal with the hospital appointments, and the banks. I got her a mobility scooter so that she can drive around, which is great. I managed to get her a television with the Russian and Ukrainian channels, so she can watch the news because she’s so worried about what is happening. And now we can watch films together in her language.
 

Building my career 

I have been with PwC for two and a half years, and I joined on the graduate scheme, which is very competitive. For this role I went through five rounds of interviews, which required many different interview techniques that I had learned through Breaking Barriers.  

I have also been doing certifications through CIPD [Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development]. I plan to keep working in HR consulting, because I believe that for every company, the people are its greatest assets.  

For me, it’s exciting to work in consulting, particularly because what I’m doing is facing different challenges every day. I love it, so my aspiration is to keep working in the consulting industry, helping clients to overcome challenges, providing advice and developing myself as a professional.  

 

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