[This blog was written by one of the men that attends our weekly men’s well-being group for refugee men who have been resettled in Edinburgh. As part of our Safe Haven project, many members of the group have been attending weekly driving theory classes in Arabic, run by MCFB project worker, Saad Ibrahim]

I had a car and a Syrian Licence before I came to the UK.  So, I had no problem driving a car!

When I first arrived here, I spoke very little English and it looked like it was going to be a daunting challenge for me to be able to legally drive a car in Scotland.  I needed to get a UK driving licence but I learned that before I sit the practical test, I have to do a theory test, in English!  I started looking at the theory notes.  I did not have a clue what most of the notes were about.

The reason I am desperate to eventually get a UK driving licence is that I wanted to get some work.  Improving my English language skills and then getting a job was going to take many years.  I decided to make use of my driving skills.

If I get the UK driving licence I could hopefully drive for Uber, as most of the what the driver needs to do is taken care of by the Uber app.  My research told me that, as an Uber driver, I could be looking at a couple of thousand pounds a month.  I could come off Universal credit and earn a living for myself and my family.  My family will be very proud of me.

I thought if I couldn’t make it to become an Uber driver, I could at least get a job as a delivery driver, making at least £8.00 an hour.  This will also be great as I can save to get a holiday for myself and family, to explore Scotland and maybe even go to Europe for a holiday.  The benefits we are on are just enough for our daily living expenses.

“I joined this course…the teacher made it sound so easy”

Then I heard about a course covering the driving theory test and is taught by an Arabic speaking teacher.  I joined this course with no hesitation.  The teacher asked members of the class to wait until he thought we were ready to sit the test.  I really enjoyed the course.  The teacher made it sound so easy.  He would give us some vocabulary – words / phrases that we needed to know before the start of each lesson.  We had to translate these.  That worked.  As we joined each lesson online, we knew the meaning of most of the words which made the lesson much easier.  He would then give us notes, written in Arabic with keywords inserted in English.  I manage to relate to this so well.

After a few months, I called the teacher and told him that I sat the driving test.  He said to me that he advised us to wait until we covered all the 14 sections that we had to study, then look at more than 700 questions.  I told him that I had actually PASSED the test.  He was so happy for me.

Now I need to get some driving lessons before I take the practical driving test.  I hope that my driving skills, plus the theory that I have passed, would help to pass the practical test.

I have promised my mother to take her shopping every week.  She lives by herself and she has difficulty moving, as she is quite old. That feeling would be worth so much more that any money I ever make!

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