Bunnak Benjamaphinyo

There was a time when Bunnak Benjamaphinyo (Ting's) English was so poor that all he wanted to do was jump on a plane and hightail it back home to Thailand.

Fortunately he wouldn't let himself, and now, several years later, he's not only got excellent English but also a diploma in hospitality and a fantastic job at Auckland's Duxton Hotel.

"It was very difficult when I first came here five years ago because I couldn't express myself," says Ting, who already had a Bachelor in Business Marketing under his belt.

"I wanted to go home but I was determined to master the English language because that was the reason I came to New Zealand in the first place. I spent two years studying at language schools in Auckland which improved my English enormously but I still wasn't satisfied with my level. At that time I was working part-time in a Thai restaurant and becoming really interested in coffee. I started looking for a course that would teach me more about how to make it and that's when I found NZMA! I wasn't intending to do a two year diploma course but the more I looked into it the more fascinated I became and I also knew it would help me a lot in my job."

So in 2004 Ting, now 29, started studying at NZMA. It's a course which he says has made a huge difference to his career in the hospitality industry.

"I really enjoyed my time at NZMA. I learned something new every single day. Even though I worked late each evening I always came to class the next morning because I wanted to listen to the tutors and learn more. Everything I was taught during the course has helped me. I've not only learnt how to make coffee, but also how to satisfy the customers and give good service.

"We learnt about ingredients which has helped me when, as a waiter, I need to explain to diners about the different flavours in various dishes. I learnt the taste of every different kind of alcohol and how to make cocktails properly. Now at work when someone asks for a cocktail they always get me to make it! I also take care of stock for the bar and do cashiering. They teach the same systems at NZMA that are used in the industry so I knew how to do it all straight away. It was a very relevant and useful course.

"If I hadn't learnt those basics from school I think it would have been very tough to go straight into the workplace. Because I have studied, I am quicker than a lot of other staff. When your employer asks you to do something, if you've already studied about it, you know what they want. If you haven't, you don't."

For the first half of the diploma Ting continued working part-time at the Thai Restaurant, where he was quickly promoted to manager. But when he heard the Duxton was recruiting NZMA students, he jumped at the chance to work in an English-speaking workplace. They hired him as a waiter but it wasn't long before they saw his potential and his role expanded to include bartending, room service, portering and even helping in the front office.

"It's really good for me to do everything. If people at work ask me to do something, as long as I'm free, I'll do it. I see it as a great opportunity for me to keep learning. Eventually I hope to move into a supervisory role within the hotel."

All the knowledge and experience Ting has gleaned from his years in New Zealand will be invaluable when he finally returns to his hometown Chonburi, to take over the family business the business which probably gave him the taste for hospitality in the first place.

"My parents have a supermarket and some apartments. I have worked in the family business since I was five years old, stacking the shelves, cashiering and things like that.

"One day my parents will retire and I will take over the running of that business. Apartments in Thailand are different than here. Underneath the actual apartments they have restaurants and launderettes and other services - in a way it's a little bit like a hotel because you have all those different facilities.

"There's no questio�def50(I� �mes2\(I�ineH1\(I�EMES!2007-03-23 21:49:00pro1!���'������'�P�IMG1'��!1