Study, work or travel abroad … an increasingly popular choice for Thais
Over the past few years I have met a large number of Thai people who have had an opportunity to study or work outside of Thailand and combine this with travel. It is an ideal way to improve English language skills, and those who actively seek out interaction with native English speakers can show an amazing improvement in a short period of time.
Short term work and travel opportunities are sought by many Thai university students during the long break, and a special visa class for this type of visitor makes the United States of America a popular choice. Students find that by working they can recoup the entire cost of their trip and often save some money as well.
Other popular destinations for Thais are New Zealand and Australia. Australia provides generous opportunities for combining study and work, with student visa holders permitted to work in paid employment for up to 20 hours a week.
Many people use agencies in Thailand to handle all the arrangements and place them in work or educational institutions. These agencies typically can arrange visas, international and domestic travel, and arrange accommodation or home stays.
Although most people I have spoken are enthusiastic about experiences abroad, a fairly common criticism is that they did not receive adequate advice about the options available before they left Thailand.
I know of one student who wanted to undertake a Master of Applied Linguistics degree at an Australian university. At an education fair in Bangkok a couple of years ago she was advised that such programs are not widely available and probably would not suit her. She was strongly advised that an MBA program would be a better choice. However, not to be dissuaded from her goal, this student found an appropriate linguistics program and is making excellent progress in a difficult area of study, even for native speakers of English.
Situations such as this may occur because the larger agencies sometimes employ consultants who may not have travelled, studied or worked abroad, or who are unfamiliar with the diverse opportunities available in the destinations they are promoting. In such cases, the advice received by the prospective student or traveller may be skewed. Also, in some instances, agencies may not have local representatives in the destination countries.
Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting a Director of ISKILL Education Australia, Cindy Khamniyom, who has just opened an office of her company in Bangkok. Cindy is a registered migration agent for Australia and her company can provide advice for prospective students, find suitable educational programs or work opportunities, organize travel and accommodation and arrange all aspects of the visa and paperwork.
Cindy has years of personal experience living, studying and working in Australia and her business also has an Australian office in Sydney. I am sure that Thai people looking for opportunities to study or work in Australia can approach her with confidence that the advice and service they receive is based on a genuine understanding of the needs of Thai people in Australia. With an office in Australia, as well as in Bangkok, support for clients is always on hand should difficulties arise.
The ISKILL Education Australia website is at http://iSkill.com.au, and Cindy can be contacted in Bangkok at:
Central World Level 29
999/9 Rama I Rd, Pathumwan
Bangkok 10330
Tel: 022072419 Mobile: 0838902639
