Mervyn Maciel wrote: > Many other Goans quickly found jobs at the Crown Agents > in London, and they must have proved such dependable and > honest workers that the establishment soon became an > unofficial "Goan Recruiting Agency".
My generation and all those younger than me definitely have to thank all the Goans who worked in E. Africa before us. The work ethic and honesty of the previous generations of Goans in E. Africa impressed both the government and the private sector employers. I know several people who were recruited by businessmen in Tanzania before they finished high school. Their only qualification was that they were Goans. > The one thing I found very irritating when registering with an Agency > was the rather irrelevant question one was always asked, "Have you > any London experience?" I had to remind them that I had only just > arrived in the country and as such could not be expected to have any > London experience. Job seekers in Canada, till this very day face the same dilemma. The trick here is to market yourself. A lot of new migrants do not know how to or fail to market themselves properly. Some of these migrants take longer than others to get the better paying jobs. The other complaint I hear often is from new college graduates who just cannot secure that first job. Again, it is self marketing that is that all important edge. > Most Goans were quick to secure mortgages and move into their > own homes, settling in the London and outer London areas initially, > and later moving on to other areas of the country. In the 1970's, the Canadian Govt was actively recruiting Goans from Tanzania. Potential migrants were told that they would wind up with two or more pensions. One pension from the state and one from the employer. Employees in Canada today can manage a self directed retirement account which means that they can easily retire with three or more pensions. Bankers from E. Africa got the best of deals. Some went to open bank accounts the day after they arrived in Canada and were told at the branch to also pick up a job application form. I know of several people who started working the very first week they arrived here. The absolutely lucky ones were those who bought a house as soon as they could afford to. The houses bought in the 1960's and 70's have gone up at least ten times in value. > It was for the education of their children that most Goans > moved to the U.K., and it is heartening to record that on the > whole, the children of Goans who moved here from Kenya, > have excelled at British Universities and many are now > professionals in their own right. Without any doubt, academic qualifications are the new identity of today. Being a Goan does not give anyone an advantage in Canada today. Having the formal education in your chosen field is what opens doors. This is the great equalizer. The most disadvantaged child in Canada has almost the same educational opportunities as the most advantaged. > Socialising is very much part of our makeup, and even in > those early days, when most of us had never experienced an > English winter, we used to organise Christmas and New Year > eve dances at various London venues including Alexandra Palace. Socializing is what drew me to Toronto. There were much better economic opportunities available in different parts of the globe but apart from a good income, life also has to be lived. I have driven home thru 16 inches of snow from a fully packed GOA New Years Ball. As always, life is a trade off. What is available in one part of the globe is not always available in another. > All in all, the Goan Dream has turned out to be a success > story, and we continue to play our part as law-abiding > citizens in our adopted homeland. Salute! Mervyn Lobo
