What position do you hold at CSA? What has been your career path so far?
I currently serve as the Student Liaison, which basically means I'm the first point of contact for students once they've arrived in China. After earning an Economics degree in England, I decided to go for something completely different, take a leap of faith and learn some Chinese.
I originally came to China to study through CSA, and had such a great time, I wanted to get involved with the company more formally. I applied for the job of the student liaison (afterall, who knows what the students have to go through better than someone who was recently been in exactly the same position!) Now I'm climbing up the CSA ladder and will soon become the National Operations Manager (watch out, David!).
Did YOU study abroad?
I studied Chinese in Beijing for one year at BLCU. I had always wanted to learn a new language, and due to China's recent rise as an economic power and the diverse culture, I knew it would be an interesting, challenging, and overall very useful language to learn!
What does the future hold for CSA - any exciting new programs to share?
CSA continues to offer a huge variety of courses. From two weeks at a private school to one year intensive courses at top universities - we're there to help every step of the way. We now offer specialized optional courses for students aimed at learning new skills, such as cooking and other cultural classes.
We're even designing our programs to make teaching opportunities more accessible. And if that's not enough, we're happy to tailor one of our courses to suit the individual needs of the student - all they have to do is get in contact with one of our super friendly program advisors.
Describe what "study abroad" means to you in 3 words or less.
New. Exciting. Opportunity.
What about the future of the industry? How do you think study abroad and international education will change over the next 10 years?
China's powerful emergence on the global stage and fascinating culture can only mean more people will realize the value of learning Chinese. I have no doubt that within the next ten years, even more students will take a leap of faith and head abroad.
Students know that study abroad is a great tool for finding a fresh challenge and gaining insight into a different culture from their own and will start to take advantage, especially as companies (such as CSA!) offer such a broad range of awesome courses!!
