Help Jesus to raise founds to go to Scotland to work.

SEE UPDATE

Hi there.

My name is Jesus Manuel Rodriguez Soto and I have recently been offered a life changing opportunity to work as a cello teacher with Sistema Scotland in their Torry, Aberdeen centre. Within this role, I will be delivering inspiring and transformative music education with children and young people who come from areas of deprivation. This opportunity would not only enhance the lives of those living in the Torry area, but it would also completely transform and shape the future of me and my young family’s life. I am asking for your help in raising the money for my UK Visa and Travel expenses, which for me right now is totally unattainable without your generous help. Below I will explain a little bit about myself and my personal story to how I got to this moment, along with a list of detailed expenses I have to obtain before I can accept the job in Aberdeen, Scotland.

I come from a small town in Venezuela called Tucupita, but I currently live in Peru with my partner and 4 month old son. Since the age of 14, I have studied both Cello and Orchestral conducting at the Latinamerican Cello Academy and the Academic Management Program for Young Directors and I am now a professional Cellist, Cello teacher and conductor. All my adult life, I have made music my passion and my life working in several institutions, acquiring various knowledge and experiences that have served me to form musicians and Children/Youth Orchestras.

Three years ago, the political, social and economic crisis in my country forced me to come to Peru in search of a better future, leaving my parents and sisters Venezuela. Since I arrived in Peru I have been in search of better living conditions and better opportunities, but unfortunately that has been a very difficult task for me as I have constantly suffered repeated rejection from many institutions, making me feel insufficient. If you want to find out more about the context of my struggles with obtaining employment, I invite you to take a look at South American news and how the Venezuelan exodus has prompted a wave of Xenophobia through South America, making it extremely difficult for Venezuelans to access equal and fair opportunities.

Since I've been in Peru, I have tried (like many other Venezuelans) to obtain employment of any kind, including working as a waiter, security agent, cleaning staff, and when I have been fortunate enough, working in a couple of musical institutions. I have also organized many music based projects that unfortunately have not materialized. Currently I am giving private cello lessons and playing in the streets, which unfortunately is barely enough to feed myself and my family. After so much struggle and praying for a chance to do what I am most passionate about while earning an honest income, “Sistema Scotland” was in search for a Lower Strings teacher for the “Big Noise Torry” centre in Aberdeen, Scotland, to which I applied. After a lengthy application process, a pre-recorded video lesson and a thorough interview, I managed, with the blessing of God and so much effort, to be the successful applicant. This is truly a once a lifetime opportunity that I really, desperately do not want to miss. But achieving the role is only 50% of the way, I still need to obtain perhaps the most complicated part: THE VISA.

Fortunately, Sistema Scotland have offered me a certificate of sponsorship to process the skilled worker visa. The problem is that the visa procedures for the United Kingdom are very expensive and are out with my financial capacity. These expenses include:

1. Medical care surcharge: £ 624 per year (my specific work visa will be for 3 years which means that I must pay £ 1872 up front). This is a mandatory requirement from the Government before I can obtain the visa.

2. Airfare Lima, Peru - Aberdeen, Scotland: £ 970.

3. Payment for a month for a room in Aberdeen: £ 600

4. Travel and moving expenses (including food during the trip, food expenses for the first month in Aberdeen): £ 470.

This comes to a grand total of: £ 3912 (which would be $ 5035 at the exchange rate in dollars). For a person who is in a country like Peru, where the minimum salary is £ 172 per month at exchange and the local currency has an extremely low value, this amount is a huge and unthinkable amount of money.

These expenses do not including the immigration procedures of my partner and 4-month-old son which are just as expensive, but I will take care of this when in I have been in Scotland for around 6 months, making the sacrifice of being without them.

In addition, there are other expenses that I must do but I will cover them with my current jobs and activities.

I have the opportunity to carry out all these procedures before Christmas and it is important for me to be able to collect this.

The situation in which I am in makes me have to turn to your goodness and good will to help me raise that money to get to live my dream by working in a job I am so passionate about, while being able to raise my family in a safe, secure and welcoming country.

I know that the total amount I need may seem excessive to some people, but little by little I know I can reach my goal and any amount, no matter how small, will help me and my family on our way to a new life. ANY HELP AT ALL WILL ADD UP!

If you can share to reach more people I would appreciate it.

Attached I leave all the proof and links of the information that I have detailed above.

I am deeply grateful for any help you can give me and wishing that God and the universe will triple

any help you can give me.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Gql2hIaTx1...

https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa

https://www.makeabignoise.org.uk/sistema-scotland/