My Experience Studying a Diploma in Hospitality in Australia: Tips and Realities
How did I start the course?
At the end of the English course, I had just a few days free before starting the diploma, I was anxious because I wanted to know what it would be like, I had the hope of learning new things, I had already studied tourism in Chile, so I wanted to know if they were intertwined .
I started the course and I just realized that it was a mixture of Certificate III, Certificate IV in Hospitality, and Diploma, which means I had to start “from the most basic to something more advanced” all this mixed together corresponded to a year and a half .
Australia has different levels of study so it is important to check which one is right for you.
The AQF qualifications page | AQF will give you more details regarding academic levels.
In order to enroll in the Diploma, they required me to have advanced intermediate English to be able to follow the classes, so I intertwined the English course with the Diploma and together they gave me two years of studies in Western Australia. What would help me for my immigration process.
What did the course include?
The course included different units, from responsibility for serving alcohol, to leadership, the units were not heavy, but they start from the most basic, when I was studying I had an existential crisis, I realized why I did not study hospitality in Chile, I wanted to learn more things, but for me the course became redundant and boring.
How does the diploma work?
As for the studies in Australia, they are quite different, I was doing this diploma in a VET Vocational Education and Training, they are vocational courses that are focused more on learning skills and demonstrating that you know how to do work-related tasks, these skills must be demonstrated in theoretical and technical tests ( the tests must be 100% satisfactory) .
An example of a practical test is making different types of coffee (Australia is big on coffee issues, different styles, different milks is an art), I will write in another post.
As I mentioned before, you have two options: pass or fail, there is NO four-pass test (Chile evaluates the tests from 1 to 7), generally they give you 3 attempts, you have to justify the third attempt or they will charge you in addition to what you paid, so that, even if you don't like it, you should have everything perfect.
How much does a Diploma in Hospitality cost?
In 2020, when I paid for this diploma, it cost me 17,150 Australian dollars, which is equivalent to almost $10,000,000 Chilean pesos. I was checking at the school I was in and now the course is cheaper (about a thousand dollars less).
If you are going to study hospitality, I recommend that you look for all the schools in the area that you want to study and check which one offers you the greatest benefits.
Breakdown of the course and then payment in installments
You can pay for the courses here in installments every three months, that's how I was doing it until I quit.
So the 20 hours of work that we had in those years, we had to know how to use them very well.
The good thing about the Diploma…
It helped me a lot to have an Australian coach again, listening to her speak almost every day helped me with my hearing and by speaking more (Australian English is nothing like books) , so that was an important point.
I learned to have contacts with friends, hospitality is sometimes a very small world at least in Western Australia, many times when you need work, meeting someone opens many doors for you, my teacher recommended several places to me so, in that Sense, I was lucky.
Soft skills from hospitals can help you have other types of jobs in Australia, as it is the main door for all of us who are immigrants because I am not going to lie to you, we do the work that the Australian does not want to do, the same thing happens in our countries, but the difference here is that the payment is noticeable.
I did the diploma for almost a year, and I think that in one way or another it has helped me on my Australian path.
The Bad Things about the Diploma…
I think the bad thing for me was not finding out more about the units, so I could be 100% sure about studying.
Not being sure what to study - it's best to take your time and do some analysis before making the decision.
Tips
My advice if you are going to study something abroad, do it because you are passionate about it because you like it, research the schools, the prices, the places, don't get carried away by the opinions of others, do your research.
If you are in Australia, go to a sample class (If you are in another country), review the curriculum, ask questions and never pay anything, without first being sure that it is 100% legitimate
Today the government has more restrictions for students so it is necessary to be alert to the news, follow the official pages.
If you are reviewing with an agency, ask for quotes from several, so you can choose which one you feel most comfortable and confident with. Check the website of the school they are recommending.
If you are going to pay an immigration agent, prepare your questions because an appointment is easily worth more than 100 AUD, this way you will not waste time and money, it is also important to know what your budget is that you are going to allocate to your studies, so that you do not have too much indebtedness
I was studying in times of COVID, so everything was very uncertain, and believe me, taking the diploma was a good option at that time, it is more accessible when it comes to paying for it.
If you want to know more about hospitality, leave me your comments, I'll read them...
