ORIGIN: Fu Jing, China
BACKGROUND: “In China I had just graduated from high school before coming to New Zealand. I was very keen to see the world. I have many friends in New Zealand and they all told me what a beautiful country it is so I decided to come and see it for myself!”
REASONS FOR CHOOSING NZMA: “I am really interested in hospitality so looked around at some different hospitality schools in New Zealand. NZMA seemed to be the most professional. Before starting my diploma at NZMA I spent a month studying General English at Fern School of English which was very worthwhile. My English improved a lot during that time and I loved going to class each day because I had such a nice, funny teacher!”
HIGHLIGHTS OF NZMA: “Choosing to study at NZMA was an excellent decision. I am very happy here. I have a great teacher. He knows so much about the hospitality industry and is teaching us so many different things – everything from how to make coffee to how to run a function. Every day I feel excited about coming to class! All the staff here are very kind and friendly, and my classmates are great. I have made a lot of new friends. It is really like a big family at NZMA.”
EMPLOYMENT: “At the moment I have two different part-time jobs in addition to my NZMA studies. I work in a café and I also make tea in a tea shop. Until now I have never had a job! I’m really enjoying working and also the fact that I get to put into practice at work everything that I am learning at NZMA.”
FUTURE GOALS: “I will graduate from NZMA in 2011. I’m not sure what I’ll do after that – I may stay on here and gain some more work experience or I may head straight back to China. But one thing is for sure – I’ll definitely be working in hospitality. That’s the industry I want to work in for the future. Hospitality jobs are very popular in China but a lot of people over there don’t have professional training and qualifications. I think China needs more graduates from hospitality courses such as those offered by NZMA to really bring the level of service up over there. When I go back to China I’ll take back everything I’ve learned about the industry and I’ll be really, really good at my job!”
