"As a manager I was expected to write a lot and my English was simply not good enough. I offered to step down."
It was also the time when his Kiwi wife, Allannah, gave birth to son Adam, now 3-and-a-half years old. With the arrival of a new baby people often re-evaluate their priorities and also consider career changes. It was no different for Tareq. He enjoyed baking but the night shifts really took it out of him.
Being a man of many talents, Tareq applied to work for the police but again, his written English let him down and disqualified him. Tareq couldn't put his language issues off any more. So he pushed himself out of his comfort zone to seriously open the books and put pen to paper. This month, he has successfully completed the Level 3 General New Zealand Certificate of English Language, a 16-week intensive course.
"From being a novice writer who barely knew a comma from a full stop, Tareq has progressed through to writing 250 word reports, essays and information sheets," says one of his tutors, Paul Lishman.
Half of the course was spent in lockdown, which brought with it the additional challenge of online learning. Thanks to his patience, perseverance and the goodwill of supportive classmates from Japan, Thailand, China and South Korea, Tareq emerged from the lockdown with a new range of computer skills and the drive to become a firefighter.
"I had planned on going to Jordan since my family has never met Adam but that's not going to happen now. Luckily my hobbies keep me busy."
A keen boxer, his punching bag is a good outlet for the frustrations of crazy English spelling. Tareq is also a member of the Pania Surfcasting Club and made the news last year catching a 25kg kingfish. The other silver lining from two months of being housebound at his Taradale home was more precious time with his wife and son.
"I needed a holiday, to sit back, clear my mind and start afresh," he explains.