Time to say my views on a few things I think. Personally I dont care whether you agree with my views or not. I am putting this up on my blog as a blog is intended to be a collection of posts about a person or a theme which is exactly what my page is.
Having travelled away from the UK over the last couple of years its made me realise how the DnB scene in the uk is so riddled with politics its unreal.
On one end theres the so called larger names that appear on the top of flyers up and down the country every week. Yes a lot of them have done a huge amount for the scene in the last 20 years, but surely there is an end to someones 'shelflife'. The DnB scene seems to extend that far more than any other genre of music ive ever listened to !!
Then there is the lower end of the scene.. the 'up and comings' as they like to be known as. A million and one DJs and MCs scrabbling around for any small event they can get their names on the flyer for. I would like to think that im selective in the events I play at these days as some just simply are not worth the hassle even turning up to. 2010 was probably the first year I broke out of the 'up and coming' section and started doing what I wanted to do instead of whatever came my way. Yes there will always be events that I play at that I did not for my own benefit, but to help promote the event or a friend running it and that will always be the case.
Now I am living in Minsk Belarus it gives me a good chance to watch what happens in the UK from a distance, and in same way as I watched for the early part of 2010 it still makes me laugh how DJs and MCs I had in my studio in Southampton are exactly the same as they were 2 or 3 years ago. No vision to progress !!! I see people saying 'ooo im on flyer with XXXX (insert any well known DJ name) on XXX event'. I just think 'WOW, well done on getting yourself in 3rd, 4th, or 8th place on a flyer !!!'. Now im not one to rate any dj on their position on a flyer, and iv never been one to try and get flyer 'position' over anyone else. Where I am different to a lot of others in the UK nowadays is that Im not happy to be an 'extra' on a lineup. Thats one of the very reasons why coming here is more than just a holiday, is partly a means of my ambition to progress as a quality DJ in my own right.
Yes it may be a bit easier to come here and to get headline sets every month than it is in England, but it has got my name known to an audience from a different country and raised my profile loads. Personally I see that as a big achievement and something I am proud to be able to say I have done. There is still a long way to reach all of my goals but at this time Im happy with how things are going.
More soon !!!
Blog for international DJ MX. MX has been a regular on the DnB circuit for 5 years now since starting on internet radio. Owner of DRUMANDBASSLINES.COM, BASHWORKZ.COM, and Co-Owner of our old radio channel KRISISDnB.COM has seen him perform at multiple events in the UK, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia and Finland as well. You can keep up with everything going on with him here !!
Wednesday, 2 March 2011
Monday, 28 February 2011
MX 2011 Tour of Ukraine, Georgia and Belarus
Its started again ! 2011 and another few months out of the UK. After being hugely disappointed in May 2010 after not being able to sort the work visa I needed to stay in Belarus, ive had a few months back in the UK to sort my head out. Firstly starting work at Amelco which was a big opportunity for me to help build their helpdesk and automation strategy, test and implement their latest releases of software and to migrate to an offshore solution was an ideal situation for me to return to.
October 2010 and I met Viktor Ramonas ramdomly in London. I recognised the russian accent to his English and we instantly became friends. Nearer the end of the year I decided that with my forthcoming event in Kyiv, Ukraine coming up in Feb 2011, it was the perfect opportunity for me to make a second attempt to move to Belarus. It was not an easy decision to make as I was enjoying my work in the UK and had made a new friend who I had barely got to know properly yet. I wanted to stay at Amelco if I possibly could, and came up with a solution that I hope will work out for everyone.
Damian (Owner of Amelco) has been superb and given me the opportunity to do what I wanted, and I have promised him that I will always be part of Amelco. A sudden brainwave happened that it would be the perfect time for Viktor to take over my shift work at Amelco. Damian had always spoke about getting me off from working nights and into more of a central role, and Viktor has IT skills from his time at the University of Siberia to convince me he had the ability to learn the ropes in the same way as I did in June 2010. The only problem was going to be his English, but a mere 2 weeks after me starting my travels I have seen emails from him to various people that may not be perfect english, but are good enough for him to make a positive contribution to a small company like Amelco. I really would like to thank Damian and Leon for putting their faith in me and bringing Viktor in to assist.
Anyway the event in Kyiv was amazing. A busy club with plenty of happy faces was enough for me to say that my first event organised in the Ukranian capital was a success. Bringing Mr Gash (aka Unknown Error) couldnt have worked out any better. One of the most down to earth guys I have ever met. With a huge crew of KrisisDnB DJs from the station coming as well it was a perfect weekend full of laughs and plenty of vodka !
Monday 14th was a hard day to see Richy, Repul, Bartus, Projekt and Breakneck go for their flight back to the UK. Did I want to go with them?? Hmm maybe... but maybe not !!! I think on the balance of things they were the ones who were jealous of me staying here.
15th Feb and time to go to Georgia to finally meet with my good friend Alex Rayden. We have known each other for 3 or 4 years now and became good friends during the Russia / Georgia conflict a few years ago. I was so worried for his and his families safety. I decided then that one day I would visit and see Georgia first hand. What an amazing place with so much history ! I thought Russian was a hard language to learn (and it is!!!), but even reading the Georgian alphabet is so much harder. Fortunately a lot of signs in shops and streets are written in English which shows how international a country Georgia is. President Saakashvili has clearly spent a lot of time and money helping to make Georgia a place for not only tourists, but international businesses to find an attractive proposition. The only issue with Georgia is its disputes over South Ossetia and Abkazia. Hopefully those issues are sorted soon and Georgians can enjoy a peaceful life in their wonderful country.
6 days in the Georgian capital Tbilisi was so good. I had guided tour of the whole city by the staff in the hotel I was staying at, showing me the many castles, churches and monuments the city has, as well as the TV Transmitter and theme park that make the city stand out so much. And then meeting Alex was a mission accomplished for me after worrying about whether I would ever see him during the conflicts a few years ago. What can I say about Georgian food... WOW !!! ITS NICE !!! Dont ask me the names of anything as they al sound very similar, but what a variety of different styles of homegrown food they have!
Then it was the trip back to Kiev to then get my visa for Belarus. It was good to meet up with Alex Mnial before catching the train up to Minsk. Him and Fade have helped me and the Ukraine party at Cinema Club so much in the last few months and mean we will definately do another event at the end of the summer season.
I arrived in Minsk to meet Sergey. I had never met him before but we had spoke on Skype many times about the KrisisDnB Radio player. He had kindly offered to let me stay at his place near Minsk Arena with his brother Alex. I needed all the sleep I could get before my first headline event for this year in Bobruisk at Magnet Club where I played last year. Another wickid night with loads of girls all wanting their picture with me. Thanks to Oleg and Kieran (thats close to his name) for looking after me while I was there and for showing me around Bobruisk as well.
I have just got a text from Streamline asking me to run a few English classes for them today but I dont want to let them down and rush into things. They know my skills from a year ago, but a lot of that has been forgotten in the last few months so maybe start slowly and see how things progress. I cant wait to get back into the flow of things here but this year I want to do things differently and not be focussed just on getting the work visa like I did last year. I want to enjoy my time here and if I end up staying then all good, but if I have to leave I dont want the bad feelings I had in May 2010 when it was clear I couldnt stay.
So Andrew has now left to go to Germany for 6 weeks its all up to me to work things out here. I have always got Alex to help me and it will be good to meet Zeb again as well as everyone I met in Minsk last year. My next headline event is on 12.02 in a town called Novopolotsk which is somewhere I should have played last year if I was still here, so finaly I will get there !!!
More to come soon !!!
Pics from Georgia : http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/album.php?id=100001001114472&aid=37393
Pics from Drum and Basslines Kiev : http://www.basslineskiev.com/event.html
Pics from 25.02 in Bobruisk, Belarus : http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=100001001114472&aid=38448
Sunday, 19 December 2010
MX Review of 2010
Time for my personal review of the year just for my supporters and followers on Blogspot !
2010 has been such an eye opener. The 4 months I spent outside the UK at the start of the year gave me such an appreciation of life in a different country thats so hard to explain. Both Belarus and Ukraine are amazing places and Im so glad to have fitted in there and met some good friends in both countries.
Some people may say I was mad to not only sell my house, but to make such a risky move with no guaranteed job or visa to even keep me in the country. However my view was that it gave me an opportunity to do a bit of exploring of a different part of the world. Yes I had to come back to the UK in May, but it really hasnt put me off, and who knows I may try it again!!
The 4 months also gave me an ideal time to watch from a distance the DnB scene in the UK and look at it with an open mind. It was such a good feeling to be away from the bitchiness in the UK scene that holds it back so much. Artists, supporters, producers, and promoters think they are the be all and end all of the scene, when they really arent. The scene around the world is so much more varied, relaxed, and above all, NOT held in the past by artists that are way past their sell-by dates. Personally I dont think its the artists to blame for this, but the general public stuck in their ways and the same old names appearing on flyers time and time again, instead of embracing the newer talent that has just as much skill and diversity. Whatever the reasons however it has made the DnB scene stale in my view, promoters sticking with the easy solution for events and booking those same old names.
In our KrisisDnB events weve always made the effort to promote the names of the future and not of the past. As a forward thinking station thats made us THE STATION OF THE FUTURE, therefore its only right that our events promote that as well. People like Majistrate, Pleasure, Tantrum Desire, Dub Zero, MC Rhymes have all headlined at our events as they deserve more of the limelight compared to those same old names playing the same sets week in week out and getting paid a fortune to do so as well.
Anyway I returned to the UK on May 10th not wanting to come back really, but made the best of it and organised the first ever KrisisDnB event in London. A completely different way of promoting an event with so many other events always going to be in the area on the same night. So I decided to make it a multi-genre event instead of just DnB. After doing my research I came up with what I think was one of my most ambitious lineups ever. Heist was my first choice of DnB artists to lead one room, and Ctrl-Z have been making huge moves in the Breaks scene during 2010. And to top it off Jeppa was not only the 2009 UK DMC champion but was also crowned te 2010 champion as well! Alongside a batch of KrisisDnB residents of the highest quality including Septik, Docile, Fly and Spooka, as well as NeO, myself and KrisisDnB newboy Vinyl Richy it was a mouthwatering lineup! We had a decent crowd after the shock that we were in competition with Andy C at Fabric down the road.
It gave NeO and Richy the urge to organise their own event in Portsmouth. They planned it thoroughly and I advised where I could along the way, but they had things in hand anyway, with NeO having a fair amount of knowledge from our previous events in Bournemouth, Southampton and Portsmouth. 2 big events headlined by Majistrate and Pleasure got things off to a good start. A promoters nightmare was about to kick in however as another promoter had seen how well they were doing, and made an offer to Drift in the City that they simply couldnt refuse. Upfrontuk DnB had simply more cash than we did at the time, and steamrollered their way into Drift. It didnt work out too well for them though with small attendances, and even by linking up with Double Dipped to attract more people didnt help them. A costly night in early December looks like it will end their attempt to lure people to Portsmouth. Im sure they will try and prove me wrong but thats up to them and im really not worried either way.
NeO and Richy are planning their next event for the first part of 2011 which im looking forward to seeing more details of. In the last 2 months ive been organising the next KrisisDnB international event, this time in Ukraine. Its taken a lot of work so far but once again we are doing this with the ethos of involving the stars from the station alongside a big lineup from Ukraine, and headlining the bill is one of the biggest international DnB names in the scene. Unknown Error has played around the world, having performed at various Therapy Sessions events which have taken him to Kiev before. It has attracted quite a bit of interest from the locals so far, and so has the fact that this event will have the most UK artists they have ever seen in the former russian republics capital city.
So thats it for 2010, a couple more weeks left, my christmas show on KrisisDnB.Com on christmas day, and time for a few beers (or vodkas) on New Year.
Thanks to everyone who has supported me throughout the year, and be prepared for more during 2011 !!!
MX (KrisisDnB, UK)
KRISISDnB.COM MANAGEMENT AND PROMOTIONS
http://www.djmx.krisisdnb.com
http://www.krisisdnb.com
http://www.basslineskiev.com
http://www.drumandbassmovement.com
http://www.krisisdnb-djmx.blogspot.com
2010 has been such an eye opener. The 4 months I spent outside the UK at the start of the year gave me such an appreciation of life in a different country thats so hard to explain. Both Belarus and Ukraine are amazing places and Im so glad to have fitted in there and met some good friends in both countries.
Some people may say I was mad to not only sell my house, but to make such a risky move with no guaranteed job or visa to even keep me in the country. However my view was that it gave me an opportunity to do a bit of exploring of a different part of the world. Yes I had to come back to the UK in May, but it really hasnt put me off, and who knows I may try it again!!
The 4 months also gave me an ideal time to watch from a distance the DnB scene in the UK and look at it with an open mind. It was such a good feeling to be away from the bitchiness in the UK scene that holds it back so much. Artists, supporters, producers, and promoters think they are the be all and end all of the scene, when they really arent. The scene around the world is so much more varied, relaxed, and above all, NOT held in the past by artists that are way past their sell-by dates. Personally I dont think its the artists to blame for this, but the general public stuck in their ways and the same old names appearing on flyers time and time again, instead of embracing the newer talent that has just as much skill and diversity. Whatever the reasons however it has made the DnB scene stale in my view, promoters sticking with the easy solution for events and booking those same old names.
In our KrisisDnB events weve always made the effort to promote the names of the future and not of the past. As a forward thinking station thats made us THE STATION OF THE FUTURE, therefore its only right that our events promote that as well. People like Majistrate, Pleasure, Tantrum Desire, Dub Zero, MC Rhymes have all headlined at our events as they deserve more of the limelight compared to those same old names playing the same sets week in week out and getting paid a fortune to do so as well.
Anyway I returned to the UK on May 10th not wanting to come back really, but made the best of it and organised the first ever KrisisDnB event in London. A completely different way of promoting an event with so many other events always going to be in the area on the same night. So I decided to make it a multi-genre event instead of just DnB. After doing my research I came up with what I think was one of my most ambitious lineups ever. Heist was my first choice of DnB artists to lead one room, and Ctrl-Z have been making huge moves in the Breaks scene during 2010. And to top it off Jeppa was not only the 2009 UK DMC champion but was also crowned te 2010 champion as well! Alongside a batch of KrisisDnB residents of the highest quality including Septik, Docile, Fly and Spooka, as well as NeO, myself and KrisisDnB newboy Vinyl Richy it was a mouthwatering lineup! We had a decent crowd after the shock that we were in competition with Andy C at Fabric down the road.
It gave NeO and Richy the urge to organise their own event in Portsmouth. They planned it thoroughly and I advised where I could along the way, but they had things in hand anyway, with NeO having a fair amount of knowledge from our previous events in Bournemouth, Southampton and Portsmouth. 2 big events headlined by Majistrate and Pleasure got things off to a good start. A promoters nightmare was about to kick in however as another promoter had seen how well they were doing, and made an offer to Drift in the City that they simply couldnt refuse. Upfrontuk DnB had simply more cash than we did at the time, and steamrollered their way into Drift. It didnt work out too well for them though with small attendances, and even by linking up with Double Dipped to attract more people didnt help them. A costly night in early December looks like it will end their attempt to lure people to Portsmouth. Im sure they will try and prove me wrong but thats up to them and im really not worried either way.
NeO and Richy are planning their next event for the first part of 2011 which im looking forward to seeing more details of. In the last 2 months ive been organising the next KrisisDnB international event, this time in Ukraine. Its taken a lot of work so far but once again we are doing this with the ethos of involving the stars from the station alongside a big lineup from Ukraine, and headlining the bill is one of the biggest international DnB names in the scene. Unknown Error has played around the world, having performed at various Therapy Sessions events which have taken him to Kiev before. It has attracted quite a bit of interest from the locals so far, and so has the fact that this event will have the most UK artists they have ever seen in the former russian republics capital city.
So thats it for 2010, a couple more weeks left, my christmas show on KrisisDnB.Com on christmas day, and time for a few beers (or vodkas) on New Year.
Thanks to everyone who has supported me throughout the year, and be prepared for more during 2011 !!!
MX (KrisisDnB, UK)
KRISISDnB.COM MANAGEMENT AND PROMOTIONS
http://www.djmx.krisisdnb.com
http://www.krisisdnb.com
http://www.basslineskiev.com
http://www.drumandbassmovement.com
http://www.krisisdnb-djmx.blogspot.com
Sunday, 12 September 2010
BASSLINES - FEB 2011 - KIEV, UKRAINE
Following on from 3 events in the UK and a massive 18 events in Belarus during 2010, KrisisDnB is about to invade Kiev, Ukraine.
Following the same tried and proven record for our international events, the Krisis brand will be working with a well established promoter from the eastern european capital, to bring you a joint event with the best talent from KrisisDnB, some of the biggest Ukranian DJs, and some top headliners as well.
We have secured one of the best known clubs in Kiev for this one-off event. Cinema Club is famous for all the right reasons, having hosted nights involving Drum and Bass stars including SPL, London Elektricity, Panacea, Future Prophecies, and Techno legend Mark EG. It has also played host to the Top DJ Awards ceremony.
The full lineup will be confirmed soon...
Following the same tried and proven record for our international events, the Krisis brand will be working with a well established promoter from the eastern european capital, to bring you a joint event with the best talent from KrisisDnB, some of the biggest Ukranian DJs, and some top headliners as well.
We have secured one of the best known clubs in Kiev for this one-off event. Cinema Club is famous for all the right reasons, having hosted nights involving Drum and Bass stars including SPL, London Elektricity, Panacea, Future Prophecies, and Techno legend Mark EG. It has also played host to the Top DJ Awards ceremony.
The full lineup will be confirmed soon...
Monday, 24 May 2010
MX – Belarus & Ukraine 2010
New interview with MX in Maxumi magazine
What happens when you take one UK DNB DJ and throw him into Eastern Europe? Mention clubbing and most people probably wouldn’t think of Belarus or the Ukraine, but in recent years Eastern Europe has seen a near explosion in nightlife. Uncovering the scene in Eastern Europe is handily provided to us by DJ MX. MX may not be a household name yet, but in the past 5 years he has risen from being a bedroom Drum and Bass DJ, to performing Drum and Bass or sometimes Breaks at a large number of events not only in the UK, but also Belarus, Ukraine and Germany as well. Having just come back to the UK following a 3 month tour of Belarus and Ukraine, we caught up with MX to hear his views on his tour, Eastern Europe, and his life as a DJ.
Check the following link for the full interview :
http://www.maxumi.co.uk/2010/05/24/dj-mx-belarus-ukraine/
Hope you like, and please leave a comment!
MX (Malcs)
http://www.djmx.krisisdnb.com
What happens when you take one UK DNB DJ and throw him into Eastern Europe? Mention clubbing and most people probably wouldn’t think of Belarus or the Ukraine, but in recent years Eastern Europe has seen a near explosion in nightlife. Uncovering the scene in Eastern Europe is handily provided to us by DJ MX. MX may not be a household name yet, but in the past 5 years he has risen from being a bedroom Drum and Bass DJ, to performing Drum and Bass or sometimes Breaks at a large number of events not only in the UK, but also Belarus, Ukraine and Germany as well. Having just come back to the UK following a 3 month tour of Belarus and Ukraine, we caught up with MX to hear his views on his tour, Eastern Europe, and his life as a DJ.
Check the following link for the full interview :
http://www.maxumi.co.uk/2010/05/24/dj-mx-belarus-ukraine/
Hope you like, and please leave a comment!
MX (Malcs)
http://www.djmx.krisisdnb.com
Friday, 21 May 2010
Pacman is 30 years old !!
Maybe not up to the standards of modern games, but it loads faster than Windows 7 or Vista, so heres a blast from the past !!
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
Monday, 17 May 2010
Friday, 23 April 2010
MX needs help to stay in Belarus... AGAIN !!!
My plea for help to anyone who can give me some advice....
I would like to ask your assistance in a visa problem I have.
I originally came to Belarus twice during 2009 (August for a holiday, and October for a job interview as a native English teacher with Streamline in Minsk).
I was accepted for the teaching job (on an evaluation basis to start with in order for them to assess whether I was suitable for the role), so sold my house in the UK and came to Belarus on the 5th February 2010.
On arriving in Minsk on February 5th 2010, I purchased a Tourist visa at Minsk 2 airport. I settled in with my friends who I had been here to see in 2009, and a few days later went to Streamline to work out how they were going to assess me over the coming weeks. It was only then that they asked whether I had registered at my local office. I hadn’t, so went there the following day with my friend to solve the issue. I paid the due fine for late registration and confirmed that to Streamline.
At the end of February my visa was due to expire. I told my local registration office that my intention was to obtain full time employment in Belarus, so needed to know the best way to achieve that. So as instructed by them, I got a train to Kiev in Ukraine in order to purchase a new visa but this time a Guest visa for 30 days (I was told then that I would not have to make a further trip to Ukraine in order to extend my stay).
My assessment classes with Streamline were going fine, but they informed me that they were unlikely to be able to offer me a full time work visa as they already had 2 native English speakers and there simply wasn’t enough work for a third. So I started looking for alternative teaching schools or IT companies to work for, as I have over 20 years IT experience from the UK, so I was able to give Belarus something back from the experience I have. With multiple interviews at English schools and EPAM IT company I was so close to getting a full time job.
As instructed by the local registration office I went to them a week before my visa and registration were going to expire. I was informed that basically I had 1 week to obtain a work visa and to get it into the system in order to continue my stay here. However I still had a number of days allowance for one last extension as a guest. I enquired once again at Streamline who were very happy with my teaching skills, whether they could offer me a contract. They now said there was an opening so they could. So I went back (again) to Kiev in Ukraine and got the remaining days I could which would then give enough time for Streamline to sort the paperwork for my work visa if none of the other vacancies I had applied for came back to me in time. EPAM offered me the job as well as Streamline, and even though it was less salary, I decided to go for Streamline as it was something I enjoyed doing.
After about 15 days Streamline’s lawyer replied to my manager at Streamline saying that there was an ‘administration problem’ which meant that I was unable to get a work visa at this time. I then found out that in order to get the work visa, I needed a house contract in my name. I assumed this was the problem, and therefore, went out and rented a flat myself and got the contract which I then took to the lawyer today. It now turns out that that wasn’t the administration problem at all, but that the fact that I registered 3 days late when I arrived back in February was the issue. I immediately went to the British Embassy in Minsk to try to speak to someone but they are closed until Monday 26th due to elections I believe. It is now the 22nd April and my visa expires on the 27th April so I am very short of time.
Therefore within a week of me arriving here, I stood no chance of this ever working. I find this hard to take, considering the amount of effort I have put in to get things sorted, having spent a lot of money on visas, trips to Ukraine, and a house contract, as well as applications for job vacancies to companies in order to get me the best job I could, and sorting the necessary paperwork for the work visa. It was all a complete waste of time it seems. I cant believe how a lack of knowledge on local processes can do this. I accepted my mistake and rectified it as soon as I knew and paid the fine, which I assumed closed the matter. To have continued for 2 months spending the amount of money I have trying to make this work, without ever finding out until now that this registration issue would come back to bite me is unbelievable.
It is apparently 2 administrative errors that should cause a problem like I’m facing now with regards to a work visa, but it seems a SINGLE administrative error (my late registration in February) can mean I cannot get a job.
I would like some advice as to how I proceed (if possible) or who I should speak to before my current (and final) visa runs out on Tuesday 27th April.
This whole process upsets me so much as I have done everything I could, to learn local customs and laws, and to integrate and provide a positive contribution to every Belarusian I have met on both a social basis and from a teaching point of view as well.
I want to stay here and continue to contribute to Belarusian society !!! Of all of the countries I have visited in Europe (Germany, France, Spain, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Slovakia and Hungary), Belarus is the one place that I really want to live in ! I really hope that something can be done in the next few days to help me stay here.
Malcolm Taylor
http://www.krisisdnb.com
I would like to ask your assistance in a visa problem I have.
I originally came to Belarus twice during 2009 (August for a holiday, and October for a job interview as a native English teacher with Streamline in Minsk).
I was accepted for the teaching job (on an evaluation basis to start with in order for them to assess whether I was suitable for the role), so sold my house in the UK and came to Belarus on the 5th February 2010.
On arriving in Minsk on February 5th 2010, I purchased a Tourist visa at Minsk 2 airport. I settled in with my friends who I had been here to see in 2009, and a few days later went to Streamline to work out how they were going to assess me over the coming weeks. It was only then that they asked whether I had registered at my local office. I hadn’t, so went there the following day with my friend to solve the issue. I paid the due fine for late registration and confirmed that to Streamline.
At the end of February my visa was due to expire. I told my local registration office that my intention was to obtain full time employment in Belarus, so needed to know the best way to achieve that. So as instructed by them, I got a train to Kiev in Ukraine in order to purchase a new visa but this time a Guest visa for 30 days (I was told then that I would not have to make a further trip to Ukraine in order to extend my stay).
My assessment classes with Streamline were going fine, but they informed me that they were unlikely to be able to offer me a full time work visa as they already had 2 native English speakers and there simply wasn’t enough work for a third. So I started looking for alternative teaching schools or IT companies to work for, as I have over 20 years IT experience from the UK, so I was able to give Belarus something back from the experience I have. With multiple interviews at English schools and EPAM IT company I was so close to getting a full time job.
As instructed by the local registration office I went to them a week before my visa and registration were going to expire. I was informed that basically I had 1 week to obtain a work visa and to get it into the system in order to continue my stay here. However I still had a number of days allowance for one last extension as a guest. I enquired once again at Streamline who were very happy with my teaching skills, whether they could offer me a contract. They now said there was an opening so they could. So I went back (again) to Kiev in Ukraine and got the remaining days I could which would then give enough time for Streamline to sort the paperwork for my work visa if none of the other vacancies I had applied for came back to me in time. EPAM offered me the job as well as Streamline, and even though it was less salary, I decided to go for Streamline as it was something I enjoyed doing.
After about 15 days Streamline’s lawyer replied to my manager at Streamline saying that there was an ‘administration problem’ which meant that I was unable to get a work visa at this time. I then found out that in order to get the work visa, I needed a house contract in my name. I assumed this was the problem, and therefore, went out and rented a flat myself and got the contract which I then took to the lawyer today. It now turns out that that wasn’t the administration problem at all, but that the fact that I registered 3 days late when I arrived back in February was the issue. I immediately went to the British Embassy in Minsk to try to speak to someone but they are closed until Monday 26th due to elections I believe. It is now the 22nd April and my visa expires on the 27th April so I am very short of time.
Therefore within a week of me arriving here, I stood no chance of this ever working. I find this hard to take, considering the amount of effort I have put in to get things sorted, having spent a lot of money on visas, trips to Ukraine, and a house contract, as well as applications for job vacancies to companies in order to get me the best job I could, and sorting the necessary paperwork for the work visa. It was all a complete waste of time it seems. I cant believe how a lack of knowledge on local processes can do this. I accepted my mistake and rectified it as soon as I knew and paid the fine, which I assumed closed the matter. To have continued for 2 months spending the amount of money I have trying to make this work, without ever finding out until now that this registration issue would come back to bite me is unbelievable.
It is apparently 2 administrative errors that should cause a problem like I’m facing now with regards to a work visa, but it seems a SINGLE administrative error (my late registration in February) can mean I cannot get a job.
I would like some advice as to how I proceed (if possible) or who I should speak to before my current (and final) visa runs out on Tuesday 27th April.
This whole process upsets me so much as I have done everything I could, to learn local customs and laws, and to integrate and provide a positive contribution to every Belarusian I have met on both a social basis and from a teaching point of view as well.
I want to stay here and continue to contribute to Belarusian society !!! Of all of the countries I have visited in Europe (Germany, France, Spain, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Slovakia and Hungary), Belarus is the one place that I really want to live in ! I really hope that something can be done in the next few days to help me stay here.
Malcolm Taylor
http://www.krisisdnb.com
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
KRISIS Dnb-High Flow-Eponym
Big new release from french Drum and Bass Producer High Flow. This tune available for only 99p on KRISISDnB.COM
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