Alumni Stories: International Students on Studying in Lithuania

Javed Iqbal, Pakistan

Javed currently works for Retal Lithuania, an international PET-packaging producer.

What brought you to study in Lithuania?

I was keen on studying in an institution focused on Sciences and came across the VMU faculty profiles. Then I started with more research and finally selected it as a study destination.

Were you expecting to find a job in Lithuania after your studies?

Frankly, I didn’t have any expectations back then, as economy size and the language barrier was a key factor. Soemhow I was sourced by a recruiter during my study days so didn’t go through the hassles of a job search.

How would you describe working in Lithuania?

In general, it is good to work here. People are friendly and willing to help if you ask them. There are, of course, some cultural hurdles which I believe are common everywhere if you work outside your own environment.

Aytan Namazli, Azerbaijan

Aytan currently works for Booking.com.

What brought you to study in Lithuania?

I was looking for opportunities in European Union countries to get my master's degree somewhere where good education meets career opportunities.

I came across a scholarship program which was granted by The Ministry of Education, Science and Sports of the Republic of Lithuania for students coming from Azerbaijan and the quota was quite competitive. I made a search on this program and I must say the results positively surprised me.

Good quality of education, English programs, high ratings, good student environment, rich studying resources and modern libraries were among the reasons why I chose to study in Lithuania in 2017.

I also had many references from international students who were studying already in Lithuania and advised me to choose this scholarship program to study in Vilnius University Business School. After my arrival, everyone was very welcoming and supportive regardless of nationality and background. Although, I finalized my educational journey already and successfully got my MA degree, I would always recommend and direct interested students to come to study in Lithuania.

How would you describe working in Lithuania?

After graduation, I actively looked for career opportunities and applied to many jobs. I knew that working and professional culture is different in Lithuania than Azerbaijan and from time to time, I found it challenging to integrate to a new working culture.

The main challenge was learning how to interact effectively with shareholders and to fit into the local work culture. This process became easier with time. I felt appreciated as an individual coming from a different background and was asked for my perspective in many situations. Such attitudes greatly helped me to adapt and succeed in the Lithuanian workplace.

Ananyo Chakravorty, India

Ananyo currently works for Danske Bank.

What brought you to study in Lithuania?

After finishing my bachelor studies back home, I really wanted to challenge myself and get international experience. That’s why I decided to look for opportunities in Europe for affordable international studies at high-ranking universities. I went on QS websites and found many universities to choose from and VGTU University in Lithuania has fulfilled my requirements. I found great study quality for a reasonable price. Moreover, I really enjoyed living in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania where my studies where held.

Were you expecting to find a job in Lithuania after your studies?

I had great success in finding an internship and full-time job after my studies in Lithuania. I was looking to find a place to work and also get international work experience. I got an internship before my studies finished in Western Union and then was offered a full-time job.

How would you describe working in Lithuania?

I really appreciate the working culture in Danske Bank Lithuania. People are very professional and take responsibilities seriously. I am amazed how curious, smart and effective people are here.

It was easy to integrate as Danske Bank’s internal language is English, we are working in a global setup and there are colleagues from different countries that are all working together. People are less expressive here which differs to the culture I was raised in, so I had to learn and adapt to it.

Ekaterina Klebanovich, Belarus

Ekaterina currently works for Booking.com

What brought you to study in Lithuania?

I realized I wanted to study abroad a long time ago. I moved to live in Hungary with my parents when I was a kid because of their work, so I had a chance to see a different culture and their attitude to a lot of things including studies. I moved back to Belarus but still had a strong vision of entering a foreign university as I always thought that the education abroad is better.

I wanted to go to a Hungarian university, but it would be quite pricey to attend the specific uni I was considering. So I started searching for other options and one day my mom advised me to check Vilnius University, one of the oldest universities in Europe. I liked the program (Business Administration), checked the requirements for the application, passed all necessary exams like IELTS and got accepted.

Were you expecting to find a job in Lithuania?

I didn't know in advance whether I would like to move or to stay in Lithuania after I finished my studies. After my internship in Portugal I understood I did not want to go somewhere far away as Lithuanian culture was quite close to my national one and I felt more comfortable here.

I decided to stay and try to find some work as I could stay for half a year in Lithuania to search for a job. I should say that it's not the easiest thing to find a job as a non-EU foreigner. I wanted to continue my career in marketing as I already had some experience and really enjoyed it. However, when the companies got to know about the bureaucratic procedure that needed to be followed for me to be able to work, they would always kindly say ‘no’ as it was quicker and faster to hire a local person.

When I saw the position at Booking.com, I was curious to become a part of the company about which I knew a lot as a customer. And this was the company who agreed to help me with my permits. I've now been working here for one-and-a-half years and don't plan to change my workplace in the near future.

How would you describe working in Lithuania?

I can say confidently that I feel comfortable working in Lithuania. I have a lot of support from my colleagues or friends if I have legal questions (for instance, about taxes, declarations, etc.). Overall Lithuanian culture is similar to Belarusian, so it was easy for me to integrate. Of course, there are different people, some are open and easy to approach, others are more closed and introverted, but it is like this in any country.

Overall, I would say that for a lot of people Lithuania would be a good country to work and live in.