SUNDAY, COPLADER 8, 1974.
THE WORLD COMES TO SEE SARAH
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HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE A JOB WHICH OFFERS YOU A CHANCE TO SEE THE WORLD EVERY DAY WITHOUT RUSHING FROM PLACE TO PLACE WORRYING ABOUT TIME TABLES AND EXPENSES?
+VELL, WORKING AS AN IMIGRATION OFFICER WILL GIVE YOU JUST ONE SUCH OPPORTUNITY,+ SAYS SARAH GUYEN, THE FIRST VOHAN TO HEAD THE BRITISH PASSPORT SECTION OF THE IMMIGRATION DIPAR KENT. AND SHE SHOULD KNOW BECAUSE SHE HAS BEEN WITH THE DIPARMENT FOR MORE THAN SEVEN YEARS.
THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE IF ONE IS ASSIGNED TO WORK AT THE AIRPORT CONTROL POINT, SHE SAID. +SITTING AT THE IMMIGRATION CLEARANCE COUNTER YOU FIND YOURSELF KEETING ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE FROM ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO TO SEE THE WORLD BECAUSE THE WORLD COMES TO SEE YOU.+
SARAH, BORN IN HONG KONG OF VIETNAMESE PARENTS, FIRST JOINED THE DEPARTMENT AS AN IMMIGRATION OFFICER IN 1967 AFTER
SINCE THEN SHE HAS BEEN GIVING UP TEACHING FOR HEALTH REASONS. PROMOTED TWICE, AND RIGHT NOW, SHE IS THE ONLY WOMAN OFFICER IN HER DEPARTMENT HOLDING THE POST OF CHIEF IMMIGRATION OFFICER A JOB HITHERTO HELD ONLY BY NEN.
BEFORE TAKING UP HER NEW POST AS HEAD OF THE BRITISH PASSPORT SECTION, SHE SPENT FOUR MONTHS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM WHERE SHE ATTENDED A SERIES OF COURSES AND WAS ALSO ATTACHED TO THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT FOR ABOUT EIGHT WEEKS.
SARAH FEELS THAT TO BE A GOOD IMMIGRATION OFFICER,
YOU NOT ONLY HAVE TO KNOW YOUR RULES AND REGULATIONS WELL BUT THAT YOU MUST EXERCISE TACT, PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING WHEN DEALING WITH PEOPLE.
+EXPERIENCE ALSO COUNTS A LOT,+ SHE SAID. +WHEN YOU ARE ON A JOB FOR SOME TIME, YOU CAN AT ONE GLANCE TELL WHETHER A DOCUMENT IS A FAKE OR THE INFORMATION GIVEN IN A PASSPORT APPLICATION IS FALSE OR IRRELEVANT.
+VERY OFTEN TOO, YOU CAN TELL WHETHER A MAN IS AMERICAN CR EUROPEAN JUST BY HIS GESTURES OR APPEARANCE +
THE SECRET OF SARAH'S SUCCESS IS THAT SHE REGARDS
HER WORK AS A +SERVICE+ FOR PEOPLE. +I ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND THAT HY JOB IS TO ASSIST PEOPLE TO CET WHAT THEY WANT AND NOT 10 DEPRIVE THEM OF SOMETHING THEY NEED.+
BUT THEN, BEING AN IMMIGRATION OFFICER DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN BEING PERMANENTLY DESK BOUND AND UP TO YOUR EARS IN PAPER WORK.
/ACCORDING TO ...................
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