UGANDAN 'TURNED DOWN FOR JOB CUZ AFRICAN ACCENT PUTT OFF RIC

[Daanyeer]

Ugandan mortgage advisor 'turned down for job because African accent would put off rich customers'


By Daily Mail Reporter
4th February 2011


A Ugandan mortgage advisor was told he missed out on a job because his strong African accent would put off 'affluent' customers, a tribunal heard.
Shemi Leira, 31, claims his job application was rejected by estate agent Barnard Marcus and told the sound of his voice did not fit in with the company's 'sophisticated central London market.'

Mr Leira who has lived in the UK for 16 years, said he had been left feeling 'sick, demeaned violated and punished for no other reason than my racial background.'
He claims he was also subjected to an 'intimidating, cynical and quite offensive' barrage of questions about his ethnicity and reason to live in the UK during an interview.
Mr Leira, who holds a Certificate in Mortgage Advice and Practice, is suing the company for racial discrimination.
A Central London employment tribunal heard Mr Leira had applied for the role of Mortgage Consultant in early 2010 and attended a recruitment day where he was interviewed by the then mortgage services development director Andrew Goodchild.
He told the hearing he felt he already had the skills and experience and had worked previously in mortgages and sales.
Mr Leira claims that in a ten minute interview Mr Goodchild was 'hostile' and questioned him over his African roots and his reason for moving to Britain.
The tribunal heard that Mr Goodchild allegedly said he would be in touch with Mr Leira, who lives in Battersea, south-west London, later that day.
When he did not receive a response he emailed Mr Goodchild for several weeks and asked why he had been unsuccessful.
In a second email, sent after he asked for feedback on his failure, he told the hearing Mr Goodchild said replied 'I was not successful and he was concerned about my strong accent working in their sophisticated central London market.'

Giving evidence he told the hearing: 'I was horrified that anyone could say such a thing, put it in writing and send it to the victim.

'This simply confirmed my fears and grave suspicions of the interview.
'He was out rightly and openly discriminatory' 'I felt sick, demeaned violated and punished for no other reason than my racial background.
'I have no doubt in my mind as clearly shown in the e-mail to me that my ethnicity was the major reason why he rejected my application as I would not apparently suit their sophisticated central London office.'
Mr Goodchild told the hearing said he had asked Mr Leira how long he had lived in London to assess his 'knowledge of the area,' but claims he did not focus on his ethnic origin.
He added that he had no concerns about his academic qualifications but was troubled by his lack of sales experience.
He said: 'From 1999 to 2010 he had no sales experience whatsoever that was relevant to selling mortgages face-to-face to clients in a highly pressurised environment.
Mr Goodchild said the company's Putney office, where Mr Leira had applied to work, dealt with 'frequently affluent and financially sophisticated clients' and he felt he did not have the communication skills to cope with the demands.
He said: 'The Putney office for which he applied I one of the most demanding offices and based on my concerns about his lack of sales experience and his communication skills I did not feel he was suitable for a role in this office'.
Barnard Marcus reject Mr Leira's claim.
The hearing continues.




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