Miyoko Sato

Miyoko Sato has a huge respect for New Zealand women. She admires their strength and forthright manner. According to Miyoko the role of women in Japan is vastly different part of the reason she abandoned her banking career and came to New Zealand to study.

"In Japan women can get promoted but generally the boss always accepts men's opinions. It's not appropriate for us to share ours because we are women. I wanted to have a look at the cultures of other countries, to see how different societies work for women. I want to change Japanese men's ideas. If I have overseas experience and a worldwide perspective I think they'll have a lot more respect for my opinions."

Two years later, Miyoka is halfway through NZMA's National Diploma in Hospitality Management Level 5. "I really enjoyed my job at the bank. But I wanted to change my lifestyle. In Japan everyone is really busy. I wanted to move somewhere where I could learn about another culture and where there was more to life than just work."

When Miyoko first arrived in New Zealand her English was poor, yet she immediately felt an affinity to the country. "I love New Zealand. The people have such nice personalities; they are always positive and helpful to everyone. The lifestyle is more relaxed and there's lots of nature."

She studied at an Auckland language school for a year before shifting her focus to the hospitality industry. "I love working in customer service. My dream is to become a hotel concierge. My agent said NZMA was a good place to study so I came in to have a look. I really liked what I saw. The tutors were very friendly and there were hardly any Japanese so I thought it would be a good atmosphere to learn English. There are also lots of domestic students.

I'm enjoying the diploma course it's a great atmosphere. And the ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Language) support classes helped me get off to a really good start. If I couldn't understand something in the class, I could ask my English tutor and she would explain it very clearly to me."

Miyoko is also working part-time as a waitress at The Carlton, one of Auckland's five-star hotels. "Most of the customers are from overseas so it's very interesting. To provide good service I need to know the customs and cultures of other nationalities so I'm getting good training for that! It's good to study and work at the same time because you put the things you learn each day into practice at work.

Some of my friends thought I was crazy, quitting my career and trying something new. But I will never regret my New Zealand experience; I will treasure it always. It has made me a much stronger woman."