Sakiko Kurita

Gaining a teaching qualification as part of her Bachelor of Language and Culture degree is a definite plus for Sakiko Kurita. The 21-year-old is currently working towards her CertTEFL qualification over two semesters, within her BLC programme.

“Eventually I want to go back to Japan and teach English. My parents want me to become an English teacher. In Japan everybody respects teachers.”

However there is another career Sakiko wants to pursue first. “After I get married and have a baby I think teaching English will be a great job, but before that I want to do something more exciting. I’d like to be a flight attendant.”

The degree she will gain from AIS St Helens should stand her in good stead for both career options, as speaking several languages is always a strong selling point when applying for jobs within airlines.

Sakiko, who is majoring in Chinese, hopes to complete her degree in May next year. She came to New Zealand at the beginning of 2001 and spent her first year studying English in the AIS St Helens English Language Centre.

“New Zealand is a very good place. Originally I wanted to go to America but my parents thought it was too dangerous. New Zealand is much safer and it is also very cheap.”