Meet Menghour Pen: One of our successful candidates from the Air New Zealand open day!

Posted on 12/04/2023 by Hayley Clark

Late last year, ITC hosted an Air New Zealand open day on campus. This event was a fantastic opportunity where the Air New Zealand team gave a presentation to students and graduates, and did live interviews on the spot for candidates.

Following these interviews was a multi-step process, involving reference checks, swim tests, and training.

And now, we’re excited to see the first ITC graduate from that day, Menghour Pen, has finished his training and is becoming a flight attendant with Air New Zealand! However, there’s much more to Menghour’s story than just making it through the selection process.

Menghour only migrated to New Zealand from Cambodia four years ago – and didn’t speak any English at the time. Today, he is not only fluent in English, but a graduate of ITC.

His tutor Take said that Menghour has been a great role model for the Cambodian community in Auckland, and studied incredibly hard throughout his levels 3 and 4, “always coming in early, often staying late, practicing his English in writing and speaking, and he has gotten a distinction at level 3.”

We spoke to Menghour to learn more about his amazing story.

What were your goals when you moved to New Zealand?

I moved to New Zealand in May 2019. When I first came here, I had no idea what English was. I had no chance to study English in Cambodia because I was busy studying Cambodian and Chinese languages. I spent my first 2 years at Papatoetoe High School studying English, and at that time I had no clue what my goals were.

However, one day I went to the school Gateway to have a look at what kind of short courses or careers they offered. And I saw the Flight Attending Short Course certificate at ITC, so I decided to sign up.

After I went to the ITC Flight Attendant Short Course certificate, I told my parents about the course, and what kind of qualifications that I needed to become a flight attendant. And how brilliant ITC College is.

Why did you choose to study with ITC?

The reason I chose to study with ITC was because when I took the Flight Attendant short course I could see what kind of Human Resources that ITC have for students.

Furthermore, the campus location was at the Botany Town Centre, so it was easy to buy food during break time. Also, ITC provided free car parking for students, so I didn’t need to worry about paying anything.

Did you enjoy your ITC studies? Do you have a favourite memory?

I am very happy with my study at ITC. I have met a lot of brilliant people like my tutors and my classmates, they are so friendly, helpful, respectful and never judged each other’s cultures. Additionally, ITC always supports me as well as my classmates when we tell them what our dreams are. We were studying together for a short period of time, but we built a good relationship and a lot of memories that we will never forget.

How did ITC support you as you applied to work at Air NZ?

ITC knew that I wanted to become a flight attendant, so when they received the good news from Air New Zealand that they wanted to do the presentation in our campus, they immediately let me know.

ITC advised us to prepare a CV for those who wanted to do the interview. At that time, I didn’t trust myself that I could go to the interview because of my language barrier. Furthermore, Air New Zealand only interviewed the students who would finish in January, but I would finish in March.

However, ITC knew that it was my opportunity, so contacted Air New Zealand to give me an opportunity for the interview. ITC is very supportive of me and helped with my CV to make sure there are no errors, and advised us to practice the questions that the recruiter would ask. 

What are you most excited about for your new job with Air NZ?

The most exciting thing is I have an opportunity to join the Air New Zealand Whanau. They are a good company, and give us good training. I have learned a lot from the aviation industry. As a flight attendant, we are not only the people who serve coffee and tea, chicken and beef to you, but we are also a firefighter, a nurse, a cleaner and the person responsible for emergency situations to make sure you are safe.

Do you have any advice for anyone looking to study travel and tourism?

My advice to anyone who is interested in working with the aviation industry or tourism industry, ITC is the best place for you. The reason I said that is because ITC has a lot of brilliant tutors that are very friendly, some of them have more than 10 years’ experience in aviation and tourism. They are friendly, helpful and supportive. As long as you tell them what your career is, they never leave you alone, they will make your dream come true for you, just like me now an Air New Zealand flight attendant!!!

Study with ITC like Menghour

Menghour’s story is an incredible one, especially as he only arrived in New Zealand and began learning English a few years ago. He proves just what hard work and passion for the industry can do, especially with the help of a qualification from ITC!

If you have dreams of working in aviation, travel, or tourism, take a look at the variety of courses available at ITC. We’d love to hear from you, and to help you make your dreams come true as well.

Campus Study – college@itc.co.nz 0800 TOURISM (0800 868747) or https://www.itc.co.nz/contact-us/

Posted in Airline, News, Student success | Tagged Air New Zealand, Flight attending, Graduate interview, Open Day |