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Tshering Tonyo

Teacher Assistant at British Columbia International School of Bangkok

What attracted you to the company? Was getting into it challenging or easy? Explain?

My internship was at an accommodation company in London called BACCOM. At that time.

What is the key to making you successful in the internship and getting to your current job?

The key to making a successful intern, there is no golden rule or a perfect answer for this. One thing that worked for me was keeping the thought that the internship itself was my last step to finishing a long race and that giving up then would not be worth all the hard work put in all of my classes. And this serves as a motivation for my current job as a kindergarten teacher and a slight change in my narrative. My motivation now is a genuine passion for mental health, how I cooperate in teaching kids with special needs, and, lastly, compensation at the end of every month *laughs*.

Does your degree equip you with the skills required by your job? 

Yes, my degree was a great practice that equipped me with all the needed skills required by my job.

What are the challenges you face daily? How do you overcome them?

Most days are harder than others because stepping into the working world is unlike being a student. A student is firstly supported by parents (most of the time) and can still maintain a work-life balance. However, depending on the job, in the world of an adult that works 7 to 4, it’s mostly work-work and no balance. 

Self-reflection and self-awareness and asking myself big questions such as why am I doing this, acknowledging my achievements and self-worth - spending quiet, introverted, me-time whenever I can, keeps me aligned and sane. Lastly, sharing my thoughts and struggles with my close ones is always a good way to be heard and get advice.

Is there any advice you would give current students to help them prepare for employment?

To not lose hope, ah so cliché. Apply to as many jobs as possible, sometimes even when the company requirements don’t match your qualifications. You can make up for that during the interview, and you will learn as you go. Everyone starts somewhere. What if you’re too nervous or go blank during an interview(s)? It happens; that’s called being human 🙂 Take it slow. 

Here’s another tip - set time. If you end up applying for jobs all day and night and don’t take time off physically or mentally to think about work, it’ll ruin you. What worked for me was - From 8 am to 5 pm, I applied for jobs and readjusted my resume like a full-time worker. But at soon as it hit 5 pm, I didn’t open LinkedIn or JobsDB and instead ate what I liked, watched Netflix and socialized (trust me, you need that downtime)