Salman and Shabeeb came to the UK from India to study, and ended up building something that changes lives for people just like them.
When Salman Faris Mohammed arrived in the UK to study his MBA at the University of Central Lancashire, one of the first things he did was look for part-time work. He walked into a takeaway in the town centre and was offered a cash-in-hand job at roughly a third of the National Minimum Wage. He walked out and kept looking. But the memory of that moment stayed with him, because he knew plenty of students who couldn't afford to do the same.
That experience, sitting alongside years of watching international students feel too nervous about their visa status to question how they were being treated, eventually became the foundation for Ailze Ltd. And it wasn't something Salman built alone.
Two people, one shared experience
Salman co-founded Ailze with his close friend and business partner Shabeeb, who made the same journey from India to UCLan and went through much of the same experience. They both saw what the UK job market looked like for people in their position, and they both felt the frustration of graduating with strong qualifications and still finding the doors a little harder to open than they should be.
During his time at UCLan, Salman became President of the School of Business, which gave him an even clearer view of the pressures that international students faced. The financial anxiety was real and it was widespread, and the exploitation happening at the edges of the job market was going largely unchallenged because people were afraid to speak up.
"I walked into takeaways and street businesses and was offered jobs where the hourly rate was literally three times less than the National Minimum Wage," he says. "It was blatant exploitation." So he and Shabeeb decided to do something about it.
What Ailze actually does
Ailze is a temporary staffing agency based in Preston that connects local businesses with international students and fresh graduates. The practical offer is straightforward: vetted, reliable staff for businesses, and fair, legal employment for workers. But Salman describes Ailze as a support system as much as a recruitment agency, and that shows in how it operates.
The business covers the cost of transportation to shifts so workers aren't losing money before they've even started, and there's a salary advance scheme in place for anyone facing a genuine financial emergency. It's the kind of thing that makes a real difference to someone who is new to the country, new to the workforce, and not yet sure who has their back.
The two founders have split their roles clearly. Shabeeb manages the backend side of things, including accounting, website management and application development, which has meant the business has been able to run efficiently without outsourcing core functions. Salman leads on business development, client relationships and securing new contracts. It's a natural division that plays to both their strengths.
The people it has helped
The thing Salman talks about most warmly isn't growth figures or contracts won. It's the people who came through Ailze and where they ended up.
The business has provided five students with paid internships so far, giving them that first foothold of real UK work experience. Some of those graduates have gone on to roles in the NHS. Others have found opportunities in multinational companies in India and positions in Saudi Arabia. The point was never just to fill shifts. It was to give people the start they needed, and then watch what they did with it.
"I want to make the job market accessible and transparent for fresh graduates across the UK," says Salman, "ensuring that a lack of UK experience is no longer an insurmountable barrier."
What's coming next
Ailze is already growing and working with businesses of all sizes across the UK in sectors including warehousing, healthcare and hospitality. Within five years, Salman's goal is for the brand to be nationally recognised and for exploitation in the market segments they operate in to be a thing of the past.
Alongside that, Shabeeb has been building something new. JoinSpace, which can be found at joinspace.co.uk, is a platform aimed specifically at helping fresh graduates find work, offering free guidance and support as they navigate the job market. It's still in development, but the idea sits at the heart of what both founders care about most.
Looking towards ILR
After everything they've built, Salman and Shabeeb are now approaching a milestone that feels personally significant - they're applying for ILR.
For founders on the Innovator route, ILR tends to mark a real shift in how the journey feels. Sean Zhu of Hyper EV, who received his ILR earlier this year, described the application as a thorough review of everything you've built and documented over the years. The Home Office wants to see a business that was always genuine, and evidence that can demonstrate it clearly. For Salman and Shabeeb, that evidence is there in the contracts, the internships, the graduates now working in the NHS, and the growth the business has seen.
Working closely with Innovator International
Salman explains that working with Innovator International has been a truly valuable part of their journey. The founders and their team have worked together throughout, but Salman would especially like to highlight Richard, who has made a significant impact.
He states "we both live in Preston, which made it easier to connect, and his support particularly over the past year has been exceptional. Richard’s guidance, encouragement, and willingness to go the extra mile have not gone unnoticed. His outstanding support is something I will always appreciate and never forget."
A road trip and a Sunday roast
When the business settles and the applications are filed, Salman has a very specific idea of how he'd like to spend some time. He wants to see the Scottish Highlands, find a quiet countryside pub with a fireplace, and finally figure out what a proper Sunday Roast is all about.
"I want to go on a proper road trip and just appreciate the slower, greener side of British life," he says. It's a lovely reminder that behind every business built on principle is a person who also just wants to enjoy the place they've put so much into.
Fair work is the future
Ailze was built from lived experience, and that shows in every decision Salman and Shabeeb make. They came here as students, saw something that wasn't right, and chose to fix it rather than move past it. The business they've built treats workers as people, gives graduates a genuine chance, and holds the kind of space that was missing when they themselves were starting out.
Find out more at ailze.co.uk and keep an eye on joinspace.co.uk for what's coming next where they are creating shiftcycle.co.uk with Join Space.
