Nam Hoang
Nam Hoang is so happy with life as an international student in Adelaide that he’s now helping to market the city as an education destination.
And he certainly has the personal experience to know what he’s talking about.
Since arriving in 1998 he’s completed his schooling at Glenunga International High School, a Bachelor of Information Technology at Flinders University, an Immigration Law course through Victoria University in Melbourne, and has just a couple of units remaining on a Diploma of Multimedia at TAFE SA.
In late 2006 he also passed the migration agent entrance exam and has been working as a Migration Agent at Migration Solutions in Adelaide.
‘To be honest, I didn’t know anything about Australia or Adelaide before I arrived here in 1998,” he says. “It was my mother who picked Adelaide and it turned out great.”
But Nam is a quick learner. And he now says there are many reasons why an ever-greater number of international students (more than 27,000 in 2008 alone) are choosing Adelaide.
“Because it’s a small city, you can afford a better living standard than in any other Australian city,” he says. “Adelaide is also clean, safe and the people are very friendly.
“Adelaide is peaceful, not overcrowded and has a lot less distractions than other cities like Sydney and Melbourne. It makes the best education environment for those who want to concentrate on their studies.
“Adelaide offers a world-class education with three universities ranking among the best in Australia and recognised internationally.”
From personal experience, Nam says TAFE SA also has much to offer students.
“I really like TAFE because the courses are shorter, more practical, less expensive and more job focused,” he says.
“Most courses also include an on-the-job work placement component, which ensures that students gain the practical skills and industry knowledge that employers are looking for.”
And although he’s busy studying and helping to promote Adelaide to other students, Nam says a career change could be on the cards.
“My career goal is to become a website consultant and business owner, running a successful business in designing and developing websites for small, medium businesses and large corporations.”
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