I’m Ashley from Miri in Sarawak, Malaysia. I was a student at Curtin University in Malaysia. I was born in a family that cook a lot of amazing food. As most of my cousins are restaurant owners, that helped me in developing my biggest hobby which is cooking. I heard about TAFE from my friends who were studying in Perth, who told me it is really good, and they have had great experiences there. That’s when I decided to enrol, because I want to enhance my cooking skill to a higher level.
What course are you studying?
I’m pursuing a SIT50422 Diploma of Hospitality Management at Bentley campus. The thing I enjoy and appreciate the most is that it's not just theory-based courses, but we also get the chance to learn from a real-life course, such as cooking fine food in a fully equipped and professional kitchen. Not only that, as part of our course, we can work as a service staff in a fine dining restaurant. All those experiences are priceless and help students to gain industry experience and knowledge before we even start to work in the hospitality industry.
How are the facilities on your campus?
The campus provides complete and sufficient support for all our needs so that we can achieve our study and also career goals. We can also see that management always try to improve the facilities on campus to enhance the student learning environment, for example the recently renovated kitchen. The professional lecturers are always the biggest supporters as they are the most important part of our learning journey as an international student. They’re always there to support us with any challenges we may face. The industry connections we make at Career Expos is one of the best parts. We get the chance to meet companies and professionals to help us understand the industry better, so that we can prepare ourselves to be ready for any working opportunity.
As I’m a big fan of food and someone who is passionate about cooking, the most memorable experiences I have is the time my classmates and I spent together in the kitchen at Bentley Pines Restaurant. The fast-paced environment was exciting and satisfying when you cook and serve, and customer satisfaction will always be our biggest motivation. We even had the opportunity to work in the kitchen at Crown Perth while the Bentley campus kitchen was under renovation. The atmosphere in the hospitality industry felt different compared to our on-campus kitchen, so it really helped us understand how a professional kitchen prepares food and services over 1000 customers.
Looking ahead, what’s next for you?
I would like to work in kitchen related roles in Perth to gain more experience and eventually become a professional chef. After that, my dream is to open my own restaurant in my hometown in Malaysia, to not just serve amazing food, but also share culture and bring people together through dining.
How long have you been in Perth?
I’ve been in Perth for a year and a half. Perth is a beautiful city. For me as an international student, everything here is convenient, such as public transportation, and a lot of different cuisines are available so I can find Malaysian food when I’m homesick. There are also a lot of supportive people and organisations that help students with financial and psychological support.
Do you have any advice for future students?
The only suggestion I have is to strengthen English skill before you start studying, especially as all course materials are delivered in English. To ensure a better and smoother learning experience, having better English skills helps you to understand what your lecturer is saying and will make doing your assessments easier. I would definitely recommend my course to my family and friends. This is a very supportive environment and feels very nice studying here with all the support from my lovely lecturers at Bentley campus. Furthermore, students learn hands-on skills to prepare them for their career.