Tatiana Poletaeva

New Zealand Certificate in English Language (Academic) (Level 5)

Master of Applied Management

(Russia)

Tatiana Poletaeva is putting the four main components of her English language studies - reading, writing, listening, and speaking – to use in her Master’s degree.

Tatiana worked as an engineer, architect, and quantity surveyor in the construction field back home in Russia.

She always dreamed of living and working in another country, particularly an English-speaking one where she could interact with native speakers and experience the culture.

OPAIC’s Master of Applied Management appealed to her because she loves getting to know people and a management career would give her more opportunities to interact with others.

But before she could begin her master’s study, she needed to improve her English, so she enrolled in the New Zealand Certificate in English Language (NZCEL).

Just as she was due to start her English programme, the country went into lockdown and she found herself studying online. While online study was new for her, it suited her well and she was still able to communicate with her classmates.

“It was so nice. Everything was so structured. I really enjoyed that time. It was a really good experience.”

She says her English programme included four main components - reading, writing, listening and speaking.

She’s now using those skills in her Master of Applied Management degree. Everything she learned about listening and speaking is now helping her with presentations. Reading and writing is essential for her assignments, as she needs to read a lot of academic articles which NZCEL taught her to do.  

“Everything was so useful for me.”

She’s taken other opportunities available to her at OPAIC to help her settle into a new country, develop her language skills, and build her networks, including becoming a student ambassador and doing conservation volunteer work.

“I really like to meet new people from other countries – to understand their culture,” she says.

She also made use of free learning support services to practice her pronunciation and get extra tips.

Tatiana recommends the NZCEL course to anyone who asks. She encourages them to make use of OPAIC’s new online offerings for overseas students. They allows students to gain a certificate during this difficult time while they wait for the borders to open while saving money on travel and accommodation.

Tatiana hopes to finish her master’s programme by the end of this year. After that she’d like to return to the construction sector, hopefully as a construction manager or property manager.

Read more about New Zealand Certificate in English Language (Academic) (Level 5).

Read more about studying online.