Terence Santimano

“Stressful but exciting” is how AIS St Helens student Terence Santimano describes his MBA programme. The confident 25 year-old is due to graduate this May and says although the course has been more theoretical than he expected, he has really enjoyed it.

“The MBA is good. It’s very intense – at the moment I’ve got lots of assignments piling up! The lecturers are really good. When you look at their backgrounds, at their previous jobs, you realise how well qualified they are. A big advantage of the course is that it is structured over the weekend, two weekends or sometimes three weekends a month so it suits people who are working. And it’s much more comfortable than having classes three, four or five days a week.

Terence works part-time in the hospitality industry, however as a foreign student this was initially a challenge. “Getting a part-time job here is quite hard because the employers all want New Zealand work experience. It took me three months to get work.”

Homesickness wasn’t too much of a problem for Terence, who was born in Goa, but brought up in Calcutta. “I’ve been away from home since I was seven or eight because I was at boarding school. I do miss my home and family but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be…New Zealand is beautiful and I was fascinated with it from the start.”

Terence gained a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from the University of Calcutta before heading to New Zealand. He sees his education here as a great opportunity. “In India there are not many opportunities, it’s always a struggle. It’s really competitive to get into the top institutions at home. Luckily my parents are very supportive and I’m drawn by a better quality of life.”

Terence dreams of one day living in Europe, enjoying all that the continent has to offer. As for his career, he plans to become involved in the export industry. “I’ve always been interested in business. The money is good, it’s challenging and every day is different.”