Cassiano Garcia
The reason I chose TAFE NSW is because the experience that you get from TAFE NSW is priceless and it remains with you for a lifetime.
- Course/s: Diploma of Hospitality Management and a Diploma of Financial Planning
- Campus: Brookvale and Meadowbank
- Nationality: Brazilian
Study with TAFE NSW
I chose TAFE NSW because I needed a course that would give me knowledge and real practice at the same time. Both industries (Finance and Hospitality) are very competitive so I knew that I needed to do something about it to get my foot on the door. Both times it was very successful and worth my time and money.
The student experience
My time at TAFE NSW was amazing. I learned by having fun. First becoming a Chef and working in a real kitchen at TAFE NSW, which gave me so much confidence to join the workforce. I have still a good relationship with quite a lot of people from TAFE NSW including teachers, staff and students. That place became my second home.
An international perspective
I came from Brazil to Sydney 11 years ago to study English. When I arrived, I couldn’t speak any English and it was very hard for me to get a job. I then started working in the kitchen as a Kitchen Hand. I slowly started falling in love with cooking and working in the kitchen and so I decided to become a chef. That is when I started studying at TAFE NSW the Diploma of hospitality, so I could get some skills to eventually become a Head Chef.
After working for seven years in various kitchens, I realised that my lifestyle wasn’t the way I planned and I needed a career change. I was always good with people and Maths so I decided to become a financial planner. I went back to TAFE NSW and completed a Diploma in Financial Planning which got me a job in banking with Westpac. Within three years, I went from being a teller to being a Bank Manager at a branch.
Study with the best
The teaching staff know what we students are going through and know the tricks to help us along the way. The teaching staff have the theory but they also battled on the work field and so they understand our gaps and how to overcome them. Sometimes when I struggled I always had someone there ready to help me, no matter how big the challenge was.