Emmanuel Ramos Ortile
Emmanuel Ramos Ortile arrived in New Zealand, no stranger to starting afresh in an unfamiliar country. As a born and raised native Filipino, New Zealand is Emmanuel’s fourth country - he’s already worked for 12 years at multinational companies in both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
What did New Zealand have to offer him? Well, for Emmanuel, he was hoping to just complete his postgraduate studies. Having accomplished his previous education with no major issues, he assumed that study in New Zealand wouldn’t be too different.
Emmanuel tells us what his first day at AIS was like - upon attending his first course, the professor turned around and blatantly announced that he was not there to hand out diplomas. He went on to explain to the class that, instead, his job was to teach, train and cultivate skills within these students, so they were all prepped for real-life situations in the working industry.
This changed Emmanuel’s mentality about study - he could see the passion and purpose that upheld the foundations of AIS.
“It was already a sign that the school is committed to maximising the potential of its students to the point of excellence.”
Emmanuel was amazed at the highly-skilled talents of the lecturers who taught him - they were some of the best experts of their respective industries, with doctorates under their belt, and many were also passing on their knowledge to bright-eyed students like Emmanuel across universities in New Zealand.
He recalls them laying out the most complex of lessons in the simplest of terms, just by using real-life examples from their experience in the workforce. Their approach to teaching was more than just reciting a textbook, but rather, focussed on how these students could build these skills and apply the information learnt to life in their respective industries - this made for both interesting and relevant learning.
“They will challenge your views, not to embarrass you, but to teach you to deviate from your linear thinking. And this had been a great source of improvement in the way I perceive my work now, and my life in general.”
He recounts how, even though with many years of prior experience, AIS taught him that he still had plenty to learn. This helped him to start not just a career, but also a life in New Zealand, as well as build up key skills needed to help with the transition from studying into the country’s workplace.
Currently, Emmanuel works as an Accounting Professional for Robert Walters NZ, Grand Winner of HR Asia Recruitment Awards 2015, and one of the largest specialist recruitment consultants in the world with 30 years of operations in 25 countries.
To date, Emmanuel still considers AIS the “pinnacle of his educational journey” - an investment that he highly recommends to others.