To get a full-time job after graduation, an internship is essential; to find a part-time job, students should ask for advertising or connections.
Job search experiences and notes when applying for jobs were shared by former students at the New Zealand Study Abroad Fair 2023 on October 15 in Hanoi.
Ha An Nguyen, a Bachelor of Economics and Sociology from Victoria University of Wellington, studied abroad in New Zealand since high school and started working part-time at the age of 17. The President of the Vietnamese Students Association in New Zealand said that international students are allowed to work 20 hours/week during the semester and full-time during the holidays, with a minimum wage of 18.9 NZD (more than 270,000 VND) per hour.
Students can find part-time jobs through connections, store posters, websites of companies they like, or from school information channels.
Part-time jobs are divided into three main groups including service, retail and admin industries. International students can apply to be a bartender, a waiter in a coffee shop, a milk tea shop or a waiter, a kitchen assistant in a restaurant, a fast food chain, or a cashier at a supermarket or a fashion or home goods sales person.
"Supermarkets are the places that hire the most people and require the least experience. Selling household goods is what I did during high school and college," Nguyen said, adding that cosmetics stores and drug stores also have jobs that don't require expertise.
In addition to these jobs, you can also take on general admin positions in university offices.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Quynh Anh (left) and Ms. Truong Van Anh (right) during a job application experience sharing session at the New Zealand Study Abroad Fair 2023 on October 15 in Hanoi. Photo: Binh Minh
During her master's degree in New Zealand, Ms. Nguyen Thi Quynh Anh, Senior Manager of Business Advisory and Consulting, PWC Vietnam, taught Vietnamese to children of Vietnamese parents or those with half Vietnamese and foreign parents. She also sold traditional Vietnamese food such as banh mi and pho at a New Zealand restaurant in the school. Occasionally, when the school or locality had events, she signed up to support the organization and was paid.
Ms. Quynh Anh said that depending on each person's goals, there is a priority for work. Studying business, outside of class, Ms. Quynh Anh wants to gain more experience, learn about culture, and how businesses operate in New Zealand.
Different levels of education have different ways of finding a job. Ms. Truong Van Anh, a project evaluation specialist at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank (WB), went to New Zealand to study for a doctorate and worked part-time at a public health institute and the graduate school of the University of New Auckland as a research staff.
Unlike undergraduate or masters degrees, PhDs often find part-time work opportunities by attending conferences and meeting people. Here, you talk about your research and are invited to participate in projects if appropriate.
"Thanks to the connections of my teachers and the opportunities after attending seminars, I don't have to look for a job," Ms. Van Anh shared.
Former students should note that when working, they must register for a tax code with the New Zealand government to understand their rights such as how much leave they are allowed, how they are paid... International students must sign a contract to protect their rights.
"You also need to take care of your health and always prioritize studying first," Nguyen said.
After graduation, bachelors and above can stay for three years to work, except for those who come with a full New Zealand government scholarship. According to Ms. Van Anh, graduating from schools in New Zealand will have the advantage of a globally recognized degree, so you can apply for a job here, in Australia and in Europe.
"Try to do internships in businesses as much as possible. This is the first door to help you get a full-time job," said Ms. Van Anh, adding that about 60% of her friends studying engineering applied for jobs through this channel.
WB experts explain that internships are an opportunity for you to demonstrate your abilities and contributions while the company does not have to pay you. You are losing out on income but you are learning a lot about the environment, work skills and expertise.
She recommends that undergraduate and graduate students should follow this path, but PhDs are a bit different because there are two paths, the most common being teaching or doing research. However, the number of jobs in universities is not much, so you need to look at opportunities in Australian or European schools. Otherwise, you have to accept lower-level research in colleges to wait for opportunities.
Van Anh did not pursue a teaching career but decided to work for non-governmental organizations. She dreamed of working at the World Bank, but to be accepted, she needed relevant experience, multinational experience and research ability. A doctorate is a document proving her ability to conduct independent research in any field.
The working environment in New Zealand is flexible, friendly and low-stress. You don't have to receive work emails or calls on the weekends. Every Friday at 4pm, employees leave the office to enjoy the outside space. The job is full-time but you can register to work from 9am to 3pm, 5 days a week.
"At 3pm, people can pick up their kids and then go back to work on the computer at 4pm. People respect other people's lives outside of work," she said.
According to Ms. Van Anh, 97% of New Zealand businesses are SMEs (small and medium enterprises). Many companies have 10 employees, even 5, so when applying for a job here, acquaintances and introductions are very important. In a small working environment, trust is paramount.
Your first job in New Zealand is more about references than income. The pay may not be great but if you have a good reference, you will progress smoothly to your second job.
"Referrals play a crucial role in getting you a stable job after graduation," she said.
The New Zealand Study Abroad Fair is an annual event organized by the New Zealand government to create conditions for Vietnamese students to proactively plan their future careers. This year, the event attracted more than 800 participants at both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Dawn
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