Refugees' integration into their professions: experiences of refugee doctors and teachers in the UK

By drawing upon the experiences of refugee doctors and teachers, this thesis seeks to explore integration into professions as a complex two-way process. This thesis aims to investigate the ongoing events that construct the integration process but does not attempt to measure this process. In order to achieve this, the study explores the roles of underlying structures (profession and refugeeness) and refugee agency in shaping the actions and experiences that construct the integration process. The findings of this thesis are drawn from 180 online surveys, 12 interviews with service providers and 39 interviews with refugee doctors and teachers. The data were collected over a six-month period in Glasgow and London. The findings show that professional structures create institutional and cultural barriers which limit refugee doctors' and teachers' opportunities to re-enter their chosen professions after arrival in the UK. These experiences were further enhanced by the refugeeness of these professional groups wishing to work in a country where they were not educated. The findings also illustrate refugees' diverse responses to challenge encountered barriers and re-enter their professions. Finally, this study shows the important role of professional, cultural and social capital in the process of integration into professions.