Helene Chanu

Name: Helene Chanu
Age: 25
Born: Brittany, France
Lived in Scotland: Seven years

Having moved to Edinburgh in 1998 Helene Chanu had initially planned on staying in Scotland for only eight months. Seven years later she is happily settled in Edinburgh and working for Quality Scotland, helping to promote business excellence.

Helene was born in Brittany, France, and decided to move to the UK in order to improve her English. She registered with an au pair agency and placed Edinburgh at the top of her "places to work" wish-list, having visited the city years earlier as part of a school trip.

After two years as an au pair, Helene went on to work as a French teacher at the French Institute before embarking on a Masters degree course, studying business management at Napier University.

Helene said:

"I had visited Edinburgh with my school in 1995 and I thought that it was an amazing place. When I signed up with the au pair agency I stressed that my preference was to return and work in the city and I was lucky enough to find a job with a great family, who I'm still in touch with to this day.

"Although I had studied English at school, I was quite limited in what I could say and it was for this reason that I wanted to move to the UK. I had only planned on staying for eight months, but the months quickly turned into years and I still have no plans to return to France.

"After working as an au pair I enrolled in a long distance learning course and started working towards gaining my teacher training certificate. It was during this time that I worked as a foreign language assistant in Broughton High School before going on to the French Institute, again as a foreign language teacher.

"I then decided to undertake a Masters degree course at Napier University and was surprised to learn that I was eligible to receive funding from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS). Not only did this prove to be a great help financially, but it was one of the main reasons why I decided to stay on in Scotland.

"I graduated in November 2004 and started working with Quality Scotland in January 2005. We are a not-for-profit organisation that promotes business excellence in other organisations across Scotland, in the public, private and voluntary sectors.

"I did struggle a bit when I first came here with the Scottish accent but I've found it extremely easy to be French in Scotland, especially as the way of life is not hugely different to that in France."

Information correct at June 2007