Paid Industry Placement in the quaint town of Hanmer Springs

Meet Tatiyan Isaac. She is currently completing her second Industry Placement as part of her three year Degree on the South Island, in Hanmer Springs.

I was set on PIHMS when I visited in 2019 with my high school. I loved the diversity of students, family-feel environment and admired how professional everyone looked. I loved how students took charge and were so confident in themselves. Most importantly for me at least, it looked fun and for that reason, I was sold. 

My first placement was at the Hilton Lake Taupo as a Food and Beverage Attendant, and my second placement (which I am currently on) is at the CPG Hotels Hanmer Springs as a Guest Services Agent. Both experiences were very different in every way. In Taupo, I learnt how to be a team player and observe various management styles. Here in Hanmer, I have to self-manage, and recently had to step up to lead our small team in Front Office. 

My favourite thing about placement is having a sense of independence, and the opportunity to discover different regions of New Zealand. With that, I also very much enjoyed meeting and working alongside PIHMS alumni during both placements.  

“I chose this industry for the purpose of interacting and learning more about one’s culture.”

I believe that although I may not get the chance to visit every place in the world, by meeting and catering to different people I may get a chance to engage with where they have come from. 

I do not have a dream job as such but once I graduate, I would like to explore more of NZ and the world, in different fields like HR or Marketing. I would like to work towards the overall goal of self-employment.