Global degree in Thailand !

Kathmandu

Along with European, American destinations and Australia, many Asian countries too are becoming popular for our students aiming to study abroad. Even in Asia one can get a globally accepted degree and get a lifetime experience of studying in a cross-cultural environment. One such educational institute in Thailand is the Stamford International University (Bangkok Campus).

Studying in STIU

The first choice of students who want to go abroad for studies is either USA or Australia . However, if one can earn an American degree in Asia, then Thailand could be possible choice.
About the reason to study in Thailand and in Stamford International University (STIU), Daniel Ten Housten, Manager International Admissions, Stamford University who was in Nepal on October 3 for a seminar on study in STIU shared, “The first campus of STIU was founded in 1995 and in 2008 another campus was established. Moreover, STIU became a part of the Laureate International Universities, which is an American University network.”

The tuition and living expenses in Bangkok are less expensive than studying in European countries. Along with that Bangkok is an economic hub with the presence of almost all international companies, as per Housten. STIU has three campuses in Thailand — Rama 9 Campus and Asoke Campus — both in Bangkok, and Hua Hin Campus in Phetchaburi.

Talking about the reason to study in STIU, Rabina Shakya, Certified Enrolled Counsellor at Professional Education Consultancy, New Baneshwor, which is the exclusive consultancy in Nepal for STIU explained, “Only having an international degree is not enough for students to get success in their careers. If one aims to compete in the international job market, then they must have exposure to international culture.

Studying in STIU truly gives a student an international degree as well as this needed exposure as 30 per cent of the students in STIU are international students. Students can study in a cross-cultural learning environment and set up networks for their future.”

Housten added, “Students get an international degree that is accepted worldwide and in our undergraduate programme we have internships. If the students do well in their internships, there are high chances of getting a job offer from the same organisation.”

Courses at STIU and eligibility
The courses available at international undergraduate programme are Bachelor’s in Business Administration, Bachelor’s in Arts and Bachelors of Science and Technology. Likewise in international graduate programme, Master’s in Business Administration is offered in STIU.

For the undergraduate programme, a student is required to complete high school or equivalent official transcripts (GED, IGCSE) and valid undergraduate degree to get enrolled in graduate programme. For admissions into the undergraduate/graduate programme, a student is required to take a placement test and must pass Level 4 of the Laureate English Program exam. Alternatively, students can submit any one of English proficiency test scores — TOEFL IBT — with a minimum score of 78, IELTS with minimum score of 6.0. Students who do not achieve the required English placement test score will be required to attend the Laureate English Program prior to enrolling in Stamford’s international degree programmes, as per Housten.

About the scholarship at STIU, Housten informed, “Students with 3.4/4 GPA or equivalent in their +2 level or Bachelor’s level can get 25 per cent off of the tuition fee.
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Knowing more while studying

Most of the students who study abroad also look at doing part time jobs while studying. Moreover, Shakya informed, “There is no work permit for students in Thailand and if students are thinking about studying and working in Thailand, then it is better not to go.
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“However, a student can decide to stay and work in Thailand after completing their studies as well as we help students to find employment possibilities, but we do not guarantee that. We organise various activities to get them through the employers,” shared Housten.

There are three intakes in a year — July, March and November — at STIU and around 50 Nepali students enrol at STIU for their higher education and most Nepali students prefer Hotel Management and International Business Management, as per Housten.

Dashain and hopes from new PM !

Kathmandu

With Gathasthapana on October 13, the greatest festival of Nepalis Dashain has arrived. It is the time when families unite, wear new clothes, eat delicious food, have fun and much more.

However, this Dashain is not going to be the same as it used to be due to the fuel crisis and the April earthquake. Nevertheless with Nepal’s new Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, there is a hope for betterment. And here’s what our college goers think about celebrating Dashain and about the newly elected Prime Minister.

Dashain is all about celebration and being together with friends and family. But due to the fuel shortage, we have to compromise our way of celebrating Dashain this year. Yet we are celebrating it. This year there is a financial crisis in the family and I won’t be buying any new clothes. Instead, along with my college friends, I collected Rs 200 per person and bought kites, cake and juice for the school children so that they can enjoy the arrival of Dashain. The students are from poor background and some of them are orphans.

Meanwhile, I hope our new PM will do something for the earthquake affected people and focus his action towards the needs of people.

Online threats heighten tensions at University of Missouri !

University of Missouri students clap while the co-chair of the Forum on Graduate Rights introduces speakers during a rally for graduate student rights at Traditions Plaza at the University of Missouri campus on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015, in Columbia, Mo.

COLUMBIA:

University of Missouri police said Wednesday they have arrested a suspect accused of making online threats against black students and faculty, after racial tensions on campus resulted in the departure of two senior university officials.

Police identified the man arrested as 19-year-old Hunter M. Park. He is being held on a preliminary charge of suspicion of making a terrorist threat and hasn’t been formally charged. His bond is $4,500.

The online posts on the anonymous location-based messaging app YikYak and other social media Tuesday threatened to “shoot every black person I see.”

Missouri University of Science and Technology confirmed that Park is a student there. He was arrested at a residence hall on its campus. The school said no weapons were found.

The school’s online emergency information center tweeted, “There is no immediate threat to campus.”
It has been a tumultuous week for the flagship campus of the University of Missouri system.

The student government president reported in September that people shouted racial slurs at him from a passing pickup truck, galvanizing the protest movement. A graduate student went on hunger strike to demand the resignation of university system President Tim Wolfe over his handling of racial complaints, and more than 30 members of the Missouri football team went on strike in his support.

Wolfe resigned Monday. Hours later, the top administrator of the Columbia campus, Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin, was forced out.

David Wallace, a spokesman for the student government group Missouri Students Association, said the group asked university officials to cancel classes Wednesday in light of the threats.

“It’s really disheartening and proves the point of why these protests and boycotts were necessary,” Gaby Rodriguez, a senior, said.
Some students, faculty and alumni have said the protests and top leaders’ resignations are the culmination of years of racial tension. The university has promised changes.

Chuck Henson, a black law professor and associate dean, was appointed Tuesday as the university’s first-ever interim vice chancell
or for inclusion, diversity and equity.

How to bounce back after you have been fired from your job !

Being fired can come as a huge shock. So, before you launch yourself back into the job market, follow these steps to help minimise the fallout.

GIVE YOURSELF TIME TO LET IT SINK IN.

You cannot really bounce back into an effective job hunt until you have dealt with the negative emotions. You will need to project a positive image to woo potential employers, so give yourself space to work through your feelings.

It can take time to see the situation in a more objective light, but it is helpful to think about what went wrong, and any lessons you can learn. Could you have prevented it?

Was it down to external factors (company problems, management changes, et cetera) or your own shortcomings – in which case, what will you need to do to improve your future employability?

There may even be positives. Perhaps it frees you up to explore a new career path, or it is given you the opportunity to reassess where your strengths, values and interests lie. Do not let being fired overshadow an otherwise stellar career. Focus on your overall pattern of highlights and achievements.

WORK OUT HOW YOU WILL PRESENT IT.

If the job itself was very brief, you may be able to omit it from your CV, especially if you have other activities to account for the gap. If you decide to include it, detail your achievements in the role, and do not give the reason for leaving.

Decide how you will talk about it in interviews. Aim for a factual explanation. Too much detail can make you sound defensive rather than accepting of the situation. It’s important to show that you have moved on and that you’re focused on the job, so it’s worth asking a trusted friend or colleague for feedback on how you come across when you talk about it.

Prepare for your next move

Do not rush into a job search before you’ve taken the time to decide your career priorities and to plan your next move – whether that’s in a similar role in the same industry, or a move into consultancy or freelancing. Avoid firing off unfocused CVs in a desperate attempt to get any new job. Instead, bring your CV up to date and spend time customising it to the roles and companies that interest you.

Put the experience behind you by shifting your focus towards what you can offer. Assess your areas of expertise, find examples that illustrate these, then present these clearly and convincingly in all your dealings with potential employers
– on CVs, at interviews, in speculative letters, at networking events, and so on. Make sure you can articulate why you want to work for that particular employer and how your experience makes you a good match, rather than giving them
the impression that you are applying for new roles indiscriminately.

Also think about your networking messages. Don’t start contacting people and asking for help until you know what your career goals are. A message such as, “I’m really interested in finding out more about X sector or Y company”, will give people more to go on that, “do you know of any jobs going?”

Maintain a professional image

Try to agree the wording of a reference letter before you leave, as well as any communication to colleagues, clients or suppliers about your departure. Exit as gracefully as you can and do not publicly slate your ex-employer or blast out
angry emails. Keeping a folder of positive performance reviews and endorsements from other company managers, clients and colleagues as well as previous letters of reference, can speed up your job search.

Make plans, keep work worries at bay !

Do you keep worrying about work even when you are away from office? Planning how to resolve incomplete work tasks can help employees switch off from work and enjoy their evenings, advises a new study.

In a study of people’s ability to detach themselves from work, Brandon Smit from Ball State University, Indiana used an online questionnaire to survey 103 employees pursuing 1,127 work goals.

Overall, he observed they had more difficulty detaching from work tasks that had been left uncompleted, especially when these were important to them. However, one group of employees was encouraged to create plans by writing down where, when, and how they would complete these unfinished tasks. Smit found that they detached themselves from work more effectively than employees who did not create plans.

“If you have an important deadline looming on the horizon, for example, your brain will keep nudging you with reminders, which makes it difficult to get a break from work demands,” Smit said.

“It seems like we have the ability to ‘turn off’, or at least ‘turn down’ these cognitive processes by planning out where, when, and how goals will be accomplished,” he said.

This is primarily true for people who already have a difficult time forgetting about work during leisure because their job plays a central role in their life. “For them, a simple change to their work routine like
task planning near the end of the workday would likely make a real difference,” Smit said.

The study was published in the Journal of Organisational and Occupational Psychology .

Eight questions you are likely to be asked in a social work job interview !

You have no doubt chosen to pursue a career as a social worker because you want to make a difference. You need to be able to demonstrate you are the right person for the job to a potential employer in an interview.

Some social worker interview questions come up time and time again, so what’s the best way to answer them? We have put together a list of typical questions you could be asked, with expert tips on how to answer them.

How would you prioritise your caseload?

Craig Davis, head of social work at Sanctuary Social Care: “Try and have one or two examples that show how you had to make an important decision while managing caseloads in previous roles. This will show how adaptable you are at managing your time and meeting the needs of service users.”

Nadia El Atrash, senior recruitment consultant at Hays Social Care: “You should talk about the tools and strategies you use to deal with a busy workload, showing that you are aware of the need to prioritise to key deadlines and that you communicate well with your managers and peers to manage your workload.”

Could you give me an example of a complex child protection case you were involved with?

El Atrash: “You should give a relevant example and be concise and clear in your answer, focusing on the actions you took and the resulting outcomes. A strong answer will demonstrate your understanding of child protection issues, show you know the desired outcomes from the case and explain clearly the actions you took. Practice using (situation, task, action, result) technique when answering questions.”

What do you know about working for our local authority?

Davis: “This question presents you with the opportunity to express how much you already know about the local
demographic. Research your local authority. Explore the social care element on its website, check for press coverage and read any recent Ofsted reports. They might be known for specific models of working or may have piloted landmark projects. If you acknowledge this in your interview, it demonstrates a strong appreciation for the type of work involved. It is also worth checking to see if the relevant director of service or a senior manager has been interviewed in the media.
“This question also provides you with a chance to ask the interviewer more about a specific project or model of working. You might, for example, wish to ask about the systems they have in place to facilitate multi-agency working.”

Could you tell us about how you approach case recording?

El Atrash: “Your interviewer will be looking for an answer that shows you can work in a timely fashion with an evidence-based approach. Emphasise your understanding of meeting legal requirements and draw on relevant examples of successful case recording.”

What pieces of legislation would you say are relevant to the role?

Davis: “Preparation is key. Review relevant legislation and policy, and consider current debates too, but try to avoid
discussions around party politics. What an employer is looking for is an understanding of your legal obligations as a social worker.

Tell us about something you are proud of in your social work career?

Davis: “Here is your chance to show how you are the best candidate for the position. Use stories of how you have managed complex cases. Bring in examples of how you assess and address risk, and try to cover which models of practice and methodo-logy you use and why.”

How do you make sure you are on top of your continuing professional deve-lopment ?

Davis: “Be as open as possible and remember that everybody learns in different ways. There is no textbook answer, but be ready with two or three examples and show how a particular activity or course helped with your CPD. Crucially, employers are looking for an indication of how your CPD has broadened your skill set and how this is of benefit to the role.”

Do you have any questions for us?

Catrina Garner, recruitment consultant and marketing manager at 4SocialWork: “This is always a good opportunity to show you have done your research while showing a genuine interest in the job. Ask questions that emphasise what you already know about the role you have applied for.