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Is forex all it’s cracked up to be? For the more conservative amongst us, the growth of web sites promising overnight riches from forex trading make us remember that get rich quick schemes, notoriously do not work.

Most of us would run a mile if we were offered such a scheme. And it’s true, people do get their fingers burnt as they try to get rich quick. We’ve all heard the saying, ‘there’s no such thing as a free lunch’ – and generally speaking it’s true. Forex is not a free lunch and it definitely is not a get rich quick scheme. But for the steady, non-gambler who is prepared to be disciplined, patient and sensible, Forex can be a complete life changing, safe and profitable business.

It’s ALL about compounding a tiny amount regularly and with discipline.

Click Here to learn how to become a professional trader with Forex Training Works

Let’s compare ‘Return On Investment’ (ROI) from forex, with ROI from a bank. We’ll assume a bank deposit account with $5000 in it attracts interest at 4% per year. At the end of a year, the total ROI would be $200.

Now let’s compare that with a simple minimum target of just 5 pips a week at forex – trading only 5% of a capital of $5000. Using a simple equation to determine a pip value of $12 a pip. 5 pips a week would give us a ROI of 3.3% per MONTH.

Untouched for a year, the compounding of a growing capital sum would give an annual ROI of a staggering 88%. Compare $200 with $4,400 and it’s a no-brainer. No wonder more and more ordinary people are turning to Forex to change their financial circumstances.

5 pips a week really is low figure. It includes negative trades, holidays and off days and is a truly achievable target. Unlike any other markets, forex is 100% controllable by the individual. The ONLY prerequisite for safe trading is discipline and 100% application of some simple rules.

Most people do not understand the power of compounding in Forex. Here are actual figures for monthly ROI on the same $5000 – but instead of 5 pips a week, we’ll double the pips to 10 pips a week. Still an incredibly low target by anyone’s standards.

This is an example only to explain the power of compounding. The 10 pips a week projection does not take into account holidays and off days. It is an average, and includes negatives. It is not a guarantee of earnings. The column on the right is actual profit on your original investment(ROI) which remains intact.
Once Again Please Note: These figures are net, average, which means they include losses.

Month 1 . . . . . 11.08%
Month 2 . . . . . 22.32%
Month 3 . . . . . 36.00%
Month 4 . . . . . 51.36%
Month 5 . . . . . 67.64%
Month 6 . . . . . 86.64%
Month 7 . . . . . 108.8%
Month 8 . . . . . 131.44%
Month 9 . . . . . 157.80%
Month 10 . . . . 187.28%
Month 11 . . . . 218.56%
Month 12 . . . . 256.84%

Forex is definitely not a get rich quick scheme, but compounding small amounts regularly, surely can pay-off, big time.

Click Here to learn how to become a professional trader with Forex Training Works

Parkash Singh Chima founded the Bonmarche womenswear retail group in 1985, 35 years after arriving in the UK from the Punjab, and built it, with his sons, into a business with more than 300 stores.

He died at Huddersfield’s Sikh Leisure Centre as he arrived there on February 13 to play cards with fellow Sikhs, a regular pastime in his retirement. The centre holds regular social gatherings for elderly members of the community.

The Huddersfield Examiner newspaper reported that Mr Chima, of Kirkburton, travelled in his Rolls Royce Ghost to Huddersfield’s Sikh Temple and walked to the nearby Sikh Leisure Centre to join friends of many years standing.

A family friend told the newspaper that at 1pm, as he was about to take his seat, he suddenly collapsed and passed away peacefully among his friends.

When he arrived in the UK Mr Chima settled in Ely, Cambridgeshire, from where he launched his door to door sales of clothing items that were in demand after the war.

According to the Examiner he developed the business into markets in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, working with a tireless dedication that he instilled into his sons Mohan, Gurchait and Gurnaik, who all joined the family business.

The family bought two retail clothing firms in 1982 – Wiltex and Hartley – in partnership with his nephew Surjeet Khela. The companies had 26 indoor market locations across the north of England and Mr Chima moved to Huddersfield with Gurchait and Gurnaik, leaving Mohan to run the business in Ely.

The first Bonmarche store opened in Doncaster in 1985 and this was the start of the chain that grew into more than 300 stores, with a turnover of more than £200m. Mr Chima retired and left two sons to run the business, before they sold to the Peacock Group in 2002.

He was a prominent and respected member of the Sikh community, always at the forefront of fundraising activities for charitable purposes.

The Peacock Group says Bonmarche is the UK’s largest value retailer selling affordable quality womenswear in a wide range of sizes (12-24) to women over 45 years. Ranges include casual and formal separates, outerwear, swimwear, lingerie nightwear and accessories, all designed with the more mature figure in mind.

Bonmarche has over 380 stores nationwide with a growing high street presence. It employs over 4,000 employees with head offices and warehouse distribution based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

A youthful entrepreneur has embarked on a quest to promote jewellery and bejewelled accessories created by top Indian designers into every kind of ethnic market.

Rajveer Kaur Panglia, 26, who moved to Rotterdam in 2006 from Hyderabad, has been selling a stunning selection of designs online since June this year and reports enthusiastic responses from customers around the world.

She has named her business Fusion by Rajveer, which reflects the fact that fashion items she commissions incorporate stylish modern specifications that she judges will appeal to women of all ethnic backgrounds for different social occasions.

She believes Fusion will prosper because of the inventive contribution of young India-based designers like Pooja Pariani, who is renowned for her clutch bags, and Mahek Lokhandwala, who has made a name for herself with individualised handmade accessories.

“The target audience is women of all ages – but definitely those who like to feel stylish and classy and like to experiment with their looks,” said Rajveer.

“It is not aimed at a specific ethnic audience – it is designed to appeal to everyone irrespective of their ethnicity. Already I have Dutch, Turkish, Moroccan and Spanish customers, as well as Indian.”

An art graduate from Hyderabad’s St Ann’s College (economics, public administration, political science and mass communications/multimedia), she believes there is huge scope to build a brand in the Indo-Western fashion marketplace. She has her eyes firmly set on the UK and America. “I have had an offer to launch the brand in the States and am hoping to finalise a deal.”

She would be happy to take Fusion into the high street. The first step will be a presence in a Rotterdam store called The Hubshop and she hopes this will lead to other retail outlets being established in Holland and then across Europe.

Rajveer said: “The business is very young and has not yet received much media attention but I have showcased my collection in a lot of fashion events – including one in Rotterdam called Fashion Village, which resulted in an interview with a TV channel that aroused a lot of interest.”

“I am delighted with the way things have taken off. I do get to hear good things about my products and I am on cloud nine when I get these compliments.”

Core beliefs for Fusion include allowing those skilled craftsmen and women to express themselves in the design of innovative yet versatile products.

The collection includes quality clutch bags in faux leather and satin, decorated by diamante studded brooches, coloured stones or ornate metal finishes. It also features wild animal prints, pure pearl jewellery and handmade funky bangles, necklaces and bracelets adorned by all sorts of beads, not to mention earrings of semi-precious stones.

The emphasis on creating a modern look from traditional Indian designs is convincingly projected by the company website  (www.fusionbyrajveer.eu) which was devised by a design house called Goradia Infotech – famous for creating sites for Bollywood actors and fashion stylists like Manish Malhotra and Vikram Phadnis.

Rajveer’s interest in art and fashion is partly attributable to the many hours she spent as a child helping her mother design and make fashionable garments for a loyal set of Indian clients. What she learned from the home-based business about different materials and colour combinations helped forge her confident foray into the fashion world.

Later, she sharpened her business skills in a partnership running an event management company called Cirrus, before leaving India to settle down with her husband in Holland.

In The Netherlands she attended university and learned to speak Dutch and was making a career in sales before the desire to be her own boss became too strong to resist.

Rajveer said: “I believe I can bring Indian design into the international market by giving these products a truly contemporary international look. I enjoy every bit of the business, from interacting with the designers, to supervising the creative process, to promoting the finished products. I make my own decisions without outside interference to produce beautiful objects that I believe women will be proud to wear.”

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The chairman of the Skylink Travel Group received an Excellence Award from the NRI (Non-Resident Indian) Institute at a presentation ceremony in London attended by 400 people.

The event is held each year to honour people of Indian origin for outstanding achievements and excellence in their endeavours.

As SkyLink chairman, Mr Babra, a Sikh born in Punjab, has not only provided leadership for global growth of his business, he has ensured it has an internal support system which responds philanthropically to the special needs of people around the world.

The company, which sells air tickets to travel professionals, has provided support for people in dire circumstances on five continents over the years.

Humanitarian missions include SkyLink Aviation airlifting 100 UN workers and their families out of danger and delivering medication to victims of natural disasters, including the Indian Ocean Tsunami.

Charitable works include Surjit Babra’s special assistance in helping the Sikh community to bring 149 new scrolls from the Golden Temple in Amritsar to Toronto to replace tattered Holy Scriptures. Skylink’s international headquarters is located in Toronto.

The sacred mission was accomplished by SkyLink Aviation airlifting the holy books, each occupying its own linen-covered seat in the aircraft. Mr Babra accompanied the scrolls on the flight to realise his dream of serving his faith at the highest level.

Syndicated radio show travel expert Stephanie Abrams, who has known Surjit Babra for almost two decades, said: “His warmth, sincerity, and kindness transcend his business goals.”

The guest list of the UK Chapter of the NRI Institute, which organised the event, included such prestigious individuals as Lord Swraj Paul, Lord Karan Bilimoria, Minister Parmjit Dhanda MP, Minister Liam Byrne MP and Keith Vaz MP.

The ceremony at the Radisson SAS Portman Hotel was sponsored by one of the oldest legal firms in the UK, Gullands Solicitors.

In 2006, Mr Babra was also honoured with an Award of Merit by B’nai Brith of Canada, the Jewish advocacy and community volunteer service organisation, along with Skylink co-founder, company president Walter Arbib, a Tunisian-born Jew.

Special presentations were made by Italy’s Consul General Emanuele Punzo and Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Her Excellency Shyamala Cowsik.

Examples supporting the award included:

2004: Arbib brought together the Jewish and Italian communities of Toronto to honor Giogio Perlasca, an Italian Holocaust hero who saved more than 5,000 Hungarian Jews. The event raised $350,000 for Jewish and Italian charities.

2005: SkyLink transported to its Ethiopian homeland the ancient 30-metre tall obelisk which Mussolini’s troops took to Rome in 1936. Mr Arbib encouraged governments in possession of stolen works of art to follow Italy’s lead in returning the works to their rightful homelands.

Established in London in 2003, TOUCHSOLUTIONS has been working with clients in the UK and abroad and has evolved from a web design company to a recognised provider of web site solutions, Internet and eCommerce consultancy, marketing, bespoke software development, professional business web hosting and technical support.

It was set up by a young Sikh web enthusiast who was responsible for creating and supporting the development of SikhsOnline.co.uk. He looks forward to the future with great optimism.

‘When I first started TOUCHSOLUTIONS, I always imagined it to become a reliable company that businesses of all sizes can trust, I’m pleased to say we’ve achieved that. All of my clients will get to know me personally, and I think that’s the key to our success’.

‘I’m involved in providing solutions for some new companies which I know will be the next big dot.com companies and I’m looking forward to contributing to their progress’.

If you’re a business looking for a new website or are looking to sell your products on the Internet, visit: www.touch-solutions.co.uk for more details.

To help consumers easily find Sikh businesses and suppliers, The Sikh Directory Ltd has compiled the very first directory of Sikh Businesses and Sikh Organisations, throughout the UK. It is the only one of its kind in book format with an electronic version on the internet.

This unique directory is researched, designed, compiled and published to the highest standards and quality by Sikhs for Sikhs.

Sikhs Online is supporting The Sikh Directory achieve it’s goals.

So if you’re looking to advertise your business in the The Sikh Directory or would like to order your FREE copy, please visit their website: www.TheSikhDirectory.co.uk

Now, 8 years later, I find myself in the same environment – but as a teacher.

Growing up in southeast London, I was your average asian boy, who was not exceptionally good at his studies but managed to get his 5 A-C GCSEs. I had always enjoyed science so I decided to do all three sciences and maths A’ levels. Because of the choice of subjects it was assumed that I was going to do medicine. That’s what my family wanted so I went along with that. I found the jump from GCSEs to A’ levels quite difficult and in the end I didn’t get my 3 ‘A’s – more like 3 ‘C’s. As a result I chose to study a chemistry based degree at De Montfort University Leicester.

Teaching was the last thing on my mind when I started university. However in the final year of my course I had to get more serious towards my education – I was never the model student. I worked hard and formed a very good relationship with my Lecturers whom I admired greatly – most of them. I had also helped friends and family with maths and science based work which I had thoroughly enjoyed. This is when I seriously thought about the possibility of pursuing a career in teaching.

I did my 1 year PGCE teacher qualification at Greenwich University straight after completing my degree. I did some lesson observations in my local sixth form, before doing the PGCE, which had helped me get into the course. It was a whole new experience. It was very different to what I had ever been through in all my education so far. I had learnt more about my chemistry subject as well as gaining lots of skills than I had gained in my whole degree. You not only have to know your subject material, but be able to teach it. It was quite an intense year but well worth it and also rewarding.

After finishing my PGCE I was fortunate enough to get a job in a sixth form college in Leyton – East London. Having just completed my 3rd year as a full time teacher I can reflect back and say, without hesitation, it has been a truly great experience. What can I say about the teaching field? Where do I start?

Some negative points first. Lots of time can be taken in preparing your teaching material. There can be lots of marking to do as well as administrative tasks. Your evening and weekends can be overtaken by this marking and preparation – you can almost get consumed by this level of workload. Students can be disruptive and difficult to deal with at times.

These are just some of the downside aspects of teaching. I am sure there are many more but this depends entirely on perspective and how you choose to view situations.

As for the positive points we can start with one of the best – up to 13 weeks paid holidays a year! What type of work do you know that gives you this? This can be very conducive to family life eg. getting holidays at the same time as your children and going for more frequent holidays abroad. As I write this I remind myself that in two days time I am breaking up for 6 weeks summer holidays – I will be the envy of all my family and friends. But don’t be deceived. What everyone doesn’t fully understand is that you really do deserve them.

In my current year I have approximately 200 students. I know all of them by name and a little about their individual personalities. There is never a dull day. You can never predict the day ahead. There has never been a day where the students haven’t made me smile or even laugh. The teacher’s role can be very dynamic. You play the role of an educator, a psychologist, a diplomat, a motivator, someone who inspires, who support and helps build character, a leader and even a humble student – you always learn something new. Once in awhile you may get a student approach you (someone you least expect) and they say that you have really made a positive difference in their learning. You feel you are just doing your job, but the effect of which can be life changing for the students. When you see your students do very well, who have gone to study further at university and having played an important role in their education, there can be nothing more rewarding than this. This is an aspect of teaching that will keep me in the teaching field for many more years to come. I tell my students to send their children to my college in the future, as I will still be here teaching.

If you are interested in teaching as a career you need to think about what level you would like to teach at. Be it primary, secondary or post-16? What had made me decide to do post-16, was having done a week’s observation at my local sixth form college and talking to the teachers – all giving their own viewpoints. The interaction I had with the students also gave me a very good insight and confirmed my decision. Some of you may find teaching in primary or secondary level more appealing so please do speak to teachers in these teaching areas.

The qualifications you need to get into teaching can vary. A good and relevant degree would be ideal. It could be in teaching itself or in the subject you wish to teach followed by a teaching qualification such as a PGCE. Enjoying your subject is a big help. Chemistry is something I enjoyed, and I felt I could pass on this enthusiasm, for the subject to the students. There are other routes into teaching which could be to train whilst being a teacher, and do your qualification part-time.

For further information I can recommend the following 2 websites:
www.tda.gov.uk & www.teachernet.gov.uk

Try to do a good amount of research before hand. I am sure this will help you decide if teaching is for you.

I had just started my lesson when a student walked in late. I and all the class looked at the student. The student looked nervous. I continued talking to the whole class while I raised my hand and pointed towards the empty chair. The student sat quietly. Later in the lesson, while the class were doing group work, I approached the student who was late ‘Next time try to come on time please.’