Over the course of nearly two decades of work, I have also worked for international global companies such as Petronas, Baker Huges, OilServ, Weatherford, ENI, and Gazprom. In addition to local workers, these companies continue to employ European, other Middle Eastern, and Asian guest labourers. Whenever I have worked abroad, employers have always provided accommodation and meals.

This gave me an insight into the culture, religion, and customs of several nations/peoples. The clash of different cultures has, in many cases, led to conflict, whether between European and Middle Eastern cultures or British and Asian cultures. I could give you many examples of how misunderstandings stemming from cultural and social differences can create problems, such as different ways of using toilets or differences in eating etiquette at work, in our private lives, and in our leisure time.

In the course of my work, I have spoken to many Iraqis and Afghans who had previously travelled to Europe and wanted to work, but who had returned to their home country after a few months because of integration problems. In the course of my work and after living together with people from the Middle East and Asia, I have seen and experienced what the main problem generators can be between people of different cultures.

The 6 modules of the “Integration training programme for third-country workers” have been developed precisely to help prevent these problems.