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Marion Stein prepares a lesson for her English class.

Finding A Job

Boris and Natalia Drigant wake
up each day and face the job of find-
ing a job. The living room of their
Southfield apartment is filled with
piles of papers and stacks of re-
sumes. It is the centralissue of their
lives.
"Looking for a job is hard work
for us:' said Natalia. "We look over
many newspapers, not only in this
state but in other states, too. We go
to the library to read the adver-
tisements in newspapers. Preparing
resumes, preparing cover letters fill
up our time."
Boris is a mechanical engineer
with a master's degree and 20
years' experience. He has designed
heavy construction equipment.
Natalia is a librarian with a
bachelor's degree. They must over-
come language barriers and dif-
ferent technology to locate positions
in the American workforce. They
may have to change their expecta-
tions or retrain before they will suc-
ceed, according to officials at Jewish
Vocational Service.
"Since 1977, we have worked
with 1,012 Russians, and all have
been placed;' said Roger Good-
enough, general placement super-
visor at JVS. "Some Russians have
skills that are not always trans-
ferable. Many refugees get employ-
ment not in their own field,
but in a related field. For example,
an electrical engineer may find a
technician's job, or do electrical wir-
ing. We sometimes have to place

experienced people in entry level
positions:'
The training many of the Rus-
sians received in the Soviet Union
is not comparable to that in the
United States. Most physicians are
not able to practice medicine here.
"Medical training in Russia is
light years behind us in most cases;'
explained JVS Executive Director
Al Ascher. "We have had a couple
of physicians reeducate, but most
realistic would be a job in a medical
related field. There are other dif-
ferences in the two countries. In
some cases, someone with the title
of engineer in the Soviet Union may
not be an engineer here. A techni-
cian may be the same job."
Finding a job takes a great deal
of time and patience. Help is avail-
able through both JVS and the Eng-
lish language program a the JCC.
"They help us very much in the
English classes;' Boris Drigant
said. "They teach us to read
newspaper ads about jobs, prepare
resumes and to fill out applications.
They also help us to have telephone
conversations. It is very difficult for
us to call about a job on the tele-
phone and understand the
answers."
The Drigants have enrolled in
the Pontiac Business to further
their training while continuing to
search for employment.
"Boris learned some computer
languages in Russian, and he wants
to do the same here;" Natalia ex-

plained. "Many libraries now have
computers, so it is necessary for me
to know this, too. It may be
necessary for us- to change our
specialties or it may not. We are
willing to go anywhere in the coun
try to find a job for Boris?'
Since January, 1987, JVS plac-
ed 29 Russians in the workforce.
Currently, they are looking for posi-
tions for people with backgrounds
in the hard sciences, such as
engineering or medicine, and new
immigrants with experience in
music, the arts or. languages.
"Unlike the group of Russians
who came in the 1970s, there is a
little more reluctance with this
group to accept immediate•employ-
ment;' said Goodenough. "Under
the Public Assistance Act of 1982,
they can draw benefits for up to 18
months. There is also support in the
local community now, so they are
taking a look at further training.
Probably one-third of the new
refugees are going into short-term
training programs for six to eight
months."
In addition to the Drigants, JVS
counselors are distributing resumes
for 11 other Russians who arrived
in the area in 1987. They include
Yefim P., who has a PhD in
mechanical engineering and ex-
perience in stress analysis and
designing car equipment; Moisey
K., a quality control technician in a
machine shop; Yefim M., a carpen-
ter who can do basic maintenance

work; Mikhail 0., an electrical
engineer with experience in the
design and construction of power
plants; Emma F., who has a mas-
ter's degree in chemical -engineer-
ing, conducted research in weather
and corrosion-resistant metal sur-
face coverings and taught college-
level classes in ecology; and Yanina
K., a fashion designer and teacher
who could work designing window
displays or as a sewing instructor.
In spite of the difficulty of find-
ing jobs, the refugees seem happy to
be in the United States. They are
surprised by the outpouring of help
and good-will that they have re-
ceived here, both from agency staff
and the Jewish community. Ivan, a
recent immigrant who did not want
his real name used because he left
family behind in the Soviet Union,
is one such person.
"I thought that I would wash
dishes in the United States;' he
said. "Any job will be okay for me.
It's wonderful here. It's rich, and all
the people I meet here are very
friendly and very polite. They al-
ways say 'please' and 'thank you: In
Russia, it's not so.
"Jewish people here who don't
know me want to help me," he
added. "I am grateful and thankful
to all the organizations and all the
Jewish people who gave the money
and help to me. I hope that when I
will find a job and I will have
money, I will help, too."

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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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