Poornima Choudhary from India finds it exciting to come to a country that has only one official language: Danish. So, she knew right away that she wanted to learn Danish because the language can be used everywhere in Danish society. And now she has passed module 3 of the official Danish Education at Studieskolen.
The first 'wow moment' happened at the bakery
She had her first 'wow moment' at the bakery. A customer in front of her asked for a lemon cake, and Poornima understood the entire sentence: "Jeg vil gerne have en citronkage." It corresponded exactly to what she had practised since the beginning of her Danish course in module 1, and she became very motivated to learn more.
Dreaming of a job in Denmark
Poornima has 15 years of professional experience from large international companies in India, where she worked in marketing. And she would really like to work in Denmark. But she was very unsure about how to approach the Danish job market.
In collaboration with the consulting firm Ballisager, Studieskolen offers workshops for Danish course participants focusing on job searching in Denmark. Poornima seized that opportunity.
"The workshop at Studieskolen helped me understand the Danish job market better. It is especially about understanding what is expected, for example, in terms of culture and networking. I was surprised that it is okay to contact companies you want to work for. It is something I will make use of," says Poornima.
The anticipated phone call
She has already started using many of the tips she received in the course. This includes how to structure a CV. She has also learned to write a motivated application letter, which she was not used to from India. And something seems to indicate that it works, because she has started receiving phone calls when she sends her application and CV.
"I believe I can land my first job in Denmark very soon," says Poornima.
Danish for personal life and Danish for work
Poornima expects that her first job will be one where English is spoken. But she expects that one day she will become proficient enough to speak Danish at work.
"I love reading advertisements, for example, in the metro because I learn something about the Danish language and Danish culture. And I have a professional interest in marketing. At the same time, we are a family that loves to read, so I always have at least two or three Danish children's books from the library at home. My son goes to nursery and understands Danish well. Our favourite activity every day is reading children's books in English – and in Danish!