I decided to study abroad to secure a foreign degree so that I can have some extraordinary memories in my bag to look back upon, just like Cinderella wanted to attend the ball once in her life just for the experience.

The only fine line between me and Cinderella is that Cinderella didn’t see reality coming, but I was prepared for the tsunami that is the reality of leaving one’s home turf. But I must now ask myself, did anticipation help? No! Just because I was ready for it, doesn’t mean it made things easier.

So, my step mum was “getting a job”, and the step sisters?

My first stepsister is the experience of landing onshore. Now for someone who has just landed, this sounds like an average company looking for a fresher with 7 years of experience.

My second stepsister(s) are apps like Seek, Indeed, or LinkedIn. Surprised? Well don’t be! Be shocked! This step sister of mine lured me to various job opportunities as if the job positions were eagerly awaiting me to apply. However, trying for 3 months and emailing thousands of times to 500 companies still couldn’t turn my luck. Blindly gambling might give you at least something, but these apps won’t.

Here comes the plot twist, “The Fairy Godmother”, aka reference. Normally, an international student cannot have a full-time job because of restrictions, so working in kitchen hands or retail or housekeeping is the fastest, actually the only option left. So if you have seniors (boro bhai) or relatives (dur shomporker mama/chacha) who are interested in acting as your Fairy Godmother, then voila!! You’re in luck. If not, then become your own Fairy Godmother just like I did.

I literally printed out 20 copies of my resume and went door to door from Town Hall to Marrickville and referred to myself, sacrificing my shyness and homesickness.

Did it work? Absolutely! It is just that you cannot expect you will get the job right after you apply, and I will not make it sound easy because it is not.

Getting a job this way was literally nerve-wracking and frustrating at this point where you want to pack your bag and book a flight home to get back right under your comfortable blanket.

On a positive note, you may hear from them after 2 or 3 weeks, just so you have to apply online for the same position (only if you pass the interview), and then for an eternity you have to wait for them to confirm your onboarding. Well, congratulations! Here comes the trial and training and so on. In my case, one of my friends acted as a Fairy Godmother too; he referred me to his acquaintance who was hiring experienced educational consultants for his company, and my resume qualified.

Now let’s talk about whether the step sisters can be converted or not.

For a safety net, most students are now doing a short barista course before going abroad. It can work as experience as the training is already familiar. So it’s a smart decision to prepare yourself beforehand, and you can actually tell the recruiter that you have practical experience. Having a certificate is a plus.

For the second obstacle, job-seeking apps, it’s not a complete waste of time. It can be useful, but it takes time and millions of emails to start with.

Unfortunately, XYZ may move on to the next step in their hiring process, and your application may very well not be selected at this time. Before getting the “Congratulations” email, prepare yourself to receive the formerly mentioned one many times over.

During this time period, you have to keep trying, praying or even spying, but not giving up. Being patient is the key to success, which I mostly lacked.

When I was at the edge of deleting these apps, I got my first “congratulations” email two months later from a tuition agency on Indeed. Like I said, being patient is the key, but sometimes it is overwhelming to deal with too many things at the same time, including leaving behind your friends and family, an unpredictable future, different cultures, in fact a whole different world that you have not only been introduced to but dragged deep within.

Now, whoever is waiting for the Prince Charming part, that’s the degree I’m currently pursuing, and “he” has ruined me. With the workload and daily hustle and bustle, Prince Charming seems more demanding, asking for more time and effort. It seems that no matter how much I try, the degree isn’t ready to be mine.

I was this close to failing a course, just because of the unfamiliar study module that most Bangladeshi students haven’t gone through. The study module and submission platform are another variant of jigsaw puzzles that you have to solve, coupled with all the pressure. That’s why I can’t figure out what’s in Prince Charming’s head.

Demanding Prince Charming or having 3 jobs with restless weeks can be worthy of everything only if I knew it would bring me my happily ever after story. But for an international student, is happily ever after actually a realistic goal?