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EU IMMIGRATION
Name: Maria Semple
Nationality: Bulgarian
Age: 38
Lives: Ashtead
Works: English teacher
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I came to the UK from Bulgaria in the nineties. I work as an English language teacher. I graduated in English language and literature from Sofia University.
That was a time when a lot of young people started to leave Bulgaria in search for better opportunities abroad.
I had some teaching experience during my studies, so I decided that teaching English was something that I would enjoy.
I did a teaching course and, despite all the odds naturally stacked against me, I was offered a job immediately after finishing it.
I have been teaching English ever since, first at summer and language schools and later on at the City of London Freemen's School. Right now I teach international GCSE and A Level students at Cambridge Tutors College.
I know that it is unusual for a foreigner to teach English, even "preposterous", as I heard someone saying. On the other hand, not everyone has prejudices. Otherwise I wouldn't be employed by one of the best private colleges in the country.
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Should Britain impose restrictions on workers from Bulgaria and Romania? Well, it makes sense if you are a politician.
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I am proud of my students , many of whom continue their studies at universities like Oxford, Cambridge or the London School of Economics.
Some of them surprise me with their hard work. Last year a South Korean student who started with a rather basic knowledge of English achieved A stars in GSCE English Language and Literature.
I have the confidence of a very well educated person. I think the Bulgarian education system is excellent. I am not suggesting that it is better compared to the UK.
I am certain of one big difference though - discipline. In this country you can't criticise a student for being lazy. That can damage their confidence. Instead you can suggest that they are "relaxed". It is very different from where I come from.
Now the big question is: should Britain impose restrictions on workers from Bulgaria and Romania? Well, it makes sense if you are a politician.
Rather than focus on the fact that British companies are outsourcing their operations to countries like India, which costs Britain hundreds and thousands of jobs, let us divert public attention to the threat from Bulgaria - a country with a population roughly the size of London!
There is another question to be asked. What is the effect of immigration on the countries that are losing their people? Bulgaria, sometimes viewed here as backward, is investing a lot of money in free education.
I graduated one of the best schools in Bulgaria - 99% of the students in my year continued their education at university, 30% emigrated after graduating university - the majority to the US but two of us to Britain.
The other dreaded immigrant is a reader of applied mathematics and theoretical physics at the University of Belfast.
Wouldn't it be wise for the government to keep the high-calibre graduates at home where they could contribute to the economy?
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