Manshuk Bekbolat: “When I get into comfort zone, I start moving forward again”.

Manshuk Bekbolat:

"When I get into comfort zone,

I start moving forward again" 

Manshuq is looking for heroines whose success stories can inspire, teach and spur on something new. Today we publish a story about Manshuk Bekbolat, which demonstrates that sometimes to get an invitation to work abroad, it's enough to perform very well in your job. 

 You can also read this article in Russian (на русском языке).

I started working while studying at a University - I have a financial education background. My first job was an assistant at a business center at the Intercontinental Almaty hotel. I used to take night shifts from 12 am to 8 am so I could study during the day. Immediately after work I used to go to the university and afterwards home to sleep off my busy day. That was a pretty dense schedule during my studies at the university: work – study – work – study. It was hard, but I really wanted to work to help my parents pay for my studies. It was important for me at the time to know that I was making a contribution to my family.

Once I graduated from KIMEP University (Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research) I joined the Interexchange Work & Travel USA program to experience life in the States and spent a 5-months break between my bachelor's and master's degrees discovering what it's like to live, work, and travel in America. Initially, like everyone else, I had to work for a sponsor, but eventually I found myself working for Aspect International Language Academies in La Jolla, San Diego. If a student is actively involved in orientation week activities, then he or she is offered a job at the Academy, where besides the Work & Travel program there was a second program of teaching English to foreign students. I was the lucky one and the Academy principal noticed me and offered me an assistant position. During this trip I've met and made many wonderful friends, with whom I still keep in touch. Eventually I had to return to Kazakhstan since I was automatically enrolled in MBA program at KIMEP. At the same time I was offered a position of HR Manager in a real estate development company within Ahsel Group that owns Intercontinental Almaty Hotel where I used to work while studying for my bachelor's degree in Public Administration and International Relations.