“Coaching has helped me greatly. I’m more clear about my objectives, more structured in my planning, and I feel more connected to the city,” says expat partner Elena Sidorova.
Professional clarity
When Elena relocated to Malmö in late 2022, she was unsure what would happen next in terms of her career. “When you are new to a city, you can feel lost some days. With regard to my career, I had a lot of uncertainty. I wondered if I would have to change industries, and do something completely different,” says Elena, an interior designer who previously worked in Russia. “Talking with my coach was an important step for me. I established that I still have a great passion for interior design. It is what I love and what I want to continue doing.”
Self-paced studies
From that point it was a matter of figuring out how Elena would restart her career in Malmö. “I identified a suitable course that will give me new skills. It’s self-paced, which is ideal for me as a mother of a three-year-old girl (she is in kindergarten from 9am to 3pm). It is in Swedish, which will hopefully push me to learn the language faster!” says Elena. “The course will open up more opportunities for me, whether I decide to reenter the workforce, or become self-employed as a consultant.”
Comprehensive support
“My coach helped me in many other ways, too. She gave me an overview of Malmö and insights to the culture that have helped me to better understand the city and Swedish society. I found out about networking events and learned how to use LinkedIn more effectively. My coach also sent me various resources as well as a summary of what we have discussed that I can go back to and consult. It’s a really comprehensive and structured form of support. Of course, it’s up to me to use it! I am still not sure what is next for my career but I am feeling very positive.”
Discovering the city
“Otherwise, as a family, we have been slowly getting to know our new home. We didn’t feel homesick at all thanks to my husband’s colleagues and their partners, who made us feel welcome and gave us great tips for living in Malmö. It’s a small city and easy to get around. In Moscow, we were a two-car family. Here we just have one cargo bicycle. It feels good to be using only green energy!”
Photo: Elena and her family
All Global Connection’s corporate clients are leading multinationals. Due to some of their policies, we no longer use their name in public articles. However, expat partners signed in to our private Media & Network can see the multinational’s name.
