A former barman who arrived in the country with just a few possessions and no English has scooped a post-graduate job – a year early.

Andor Farkas who is studying for a business management and leadership degree at CU London in Rainham Road North, Dagenham, has landed himself a job at the CEME Conference Centre in Marsh Way, Rainham.

It comes four years after the 25-year old left his native Hungary in search of a business career after completing higher education at home.

"I felt like I had to leave Hungary to find a job that would help me to have a better life so I took the plunge and moved to the UK - it was a scary prospect but one I felt I had to do," Andor said.

After reaching London, he found somewhere to stay in Canning Town, working in hospitality in backroom roles due to his limited English.

He got to grips with the language after moving on to bar work and after 18 months was confident enough to apply for a course at CU London, part of the Coventry University Group.

Andor has now called time as a barman, swapping pint pulling for selling event space at the conference centre part time while completing his studies.

"While the first year was all about building a foundation of knowledge, I was also able to visit different companies to gain industry knowledge.

"I knew if I was going to be successful I needed to go looking for opportunities, so I left my CV at CEME in case any vacancies became available, and it wasn't long after that I had a call inviting me for an interview."

He added he is now in the perfect position, getting paid, industry experience while being able to continue with his degree. His long-term ambition is to own and run his own business.

Andor said: "If all goes to plan then I will be the only one in my family to have a university degree, which fills me with great pride.

"If I had one piece of advice to other students, it would be to put yourself out there - ask for work experience, hand out your CV, be persistent and be prepared for change."