Twelve Effective Reasons About ‘Why to Study Abroad’?

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Study Abroad the Right Choice: Students have almost unlimited choice they are wishing to study aboard. Just make sure whichever university you choose—whether it’s in the US, Europe, the UK, or Australia will be the right one for your future career.

1. Study Abroad for Quality Education: Deciding to study abroad helps you focus on quality in your education. Global rankings, such as the Times Higher Education QS World University Rakings, can assist you focus on some of the most quality regarded institutions worldwide.
2. Study Abroad Gives Independence: Going to university always entails a step toward autonomy from your home, but this is a multiplied many times over and is even more rewarding when when the experience takes place abroad.
3. Study Abroad Helps in Knowing New Cultures: In today’s international world many of us will interact with people of different cultures on a daily basis, but nothing is quite the same as being able to live in another culture—exactly what studying abroad allows you to do.
4. Study Abroad Helps in Learning Foreign Languages: If you choose to study abroad, you will have the opportunity to learn a new language. Most universities offer programs in English—but you will have to go shopping Italian, order dinner in Spanish or buy your metro ticket in Japanese.
5. Study Abroad Adds the Career Advantages: People who have studied abroad display a higher level of independence and resourcefulness. If you have got study abroad experience on your CV/resume, you could be one ahead of the crow.
6. Study Abroad Enhances the value of your degree. Being in a foreign location, students can choose those courses which they could never imagine pursue in their home campus. And, study abroad helps in your language skills such a boost that it is normally quite easy to add a minor in a language or even a second major without having to take many more additional courses after the return to your home campus.
7. Study abroad Increases Employment Opportunities: You may be definitely not aware of the fact that only 4% of U.S. undergraduates ever study abroad? Yet, the world continues to become more globalized, the American countries are continuously investing in the other countries of the world, and the businesses from the countries across the globe are investing in the international market. As an employer stated, “”a student who has studied abroad is self-motivated, independent, willing to embrace challenges, and able to cope with diverse problems and situations”. Your year’s long experience of being in a foreign country helps in dealing with multiple culture, people and their psychology, understanding more than one languages and the combined impact of all these factors make your character and profile stronger than the peers.
8. Study Abroad Contributes in Personal Development and Growth: Studying abroad will enable you to grow as person in ways that go far beyond those that occur at university at home.
9. Study Abroad Enhances Your Network: Imagine the group of people you will be able to meet upon choosing a foreign university for your graduation degree. All are from different countries of the world. These people of different culture, language, and religions could become friends and even business partners in the years to come.
10. Study Abroad Gives the Chances Travel Many Places: International student support services at top universities around the world organize day or weekend trips for international students—experience life outside the classroom while you study.

Student Loan Consolidation: How to Get My Student Loans Forgiven?

Can you ever imagine of not paying back your federal Stafford and Perkins loans. But this often comes true for many of the American students as a good number of effective programs are in place. Under these truly dedicated educational loan programs the students are partially and sometimes the full amount of loans are forgiven.

The process of student loan consolidation is easy and effective across the states of USA. Apart from requesting for a loan discharge available only under some extreme situations, a number of post-graduate programs and some career options will cover the cost of repayment of the student loans. For your information below is an overview of the some of the careers than facilitate to those options:

Lawyers: It is to inform that the Ambulance-Chasers on Television are not eligible. But, a number of law schools forgive the loan of their students who are serving as in public interests or non-profit attorneys. For more details on this topic you may contact the National Association for Public Interest Law at 1-202-466-3686 or contact the law school (website: http://directory.edvisors.com/Graduate_School/Law_School/) you are studying with. Review with your state agency for similar programs.

Volunteers: The specified categories of volunteers are offered with stipend and loan forgiveness alternatives if they are contributing a specified number of hours at service. For an instance, AmeriCorps offers $4700 as stipend on top of $4725 to be utilized as toward those employees’ student loans and including partial forgiveness of the Perkins loan amount in exchange of 12 month of service. Similar loan forgiveness and student loan consolidation options are available with VISTA and PeaceCorps.

Public Service Employees: If you are employed as a public servant and make 120 payments (roughly ten years) of the loan while employed, you are eligible to have the outstanding amount of loan forgiven. The public service employees holding the post of early education teachers, emergency medical technicians, public librarians, law enforcement officers etc. are the eligible candidates eligible under this programs. Income based-repayment of loans and complete or partial student loan consolidation is the other option for repayment for student loans. For more information, you may review the website
http://www.studentloannetwork.com/repayment/.

Teachers: American teachers employed in the specified categories educational institutions (elementary or secondary school for low-income families) are subjected to 30% Perkins loan forgiveness. If you are teacher fulfilling the above-mentioned terms of service you may contact your school district’s administration for information about the schools eligible for this option. In case your profile is no matching any of these loan repayment or student loan consolidation options, you may review the options mentioned under the loan consolidation section provided in the website http://www.studentloanconsolidator.com/.

There are really effective options like turn multiple loans (private or federal) into a low, single monthly payment and most probably lower the interest rate. The website http://www.studentloannetwork.com/ provides vital information about loan repayment, for students loan consolidation; visit the help page of the web site http://www.studentloannetwork.com/repayment/.

Detailed review of the questions/queries from the students regarding student loan consolidation appears like the followings. Does your question matches the below one? If so, you may take a closer look at the FAQ section of the website studentloannetwork.com. I am a student and looking for the option of my student loan forgiveness. At present, I have the following types of federal loans:

Grad PLUS

1. Unsubsidized Stafford
2. Subsidized Stafford
3. Previously consolidated federal loans from my Bachelor’s in Nursing (‘97-’01)

My am Looking for Answers to the Following Questions:

1. Can I consolidate the above 4 types of loans together?
2. When should I consolidate? Before or after July 1st? Does it matter? (Grad school was from 8/07 – 12/09)
3. I’ve read about the PLUS loan loophole. Should I consolidate my PLUS loans separately to save 0.25%?
4. Who can consolidate? Are there any options now other then the federal government? Will there be lower interest options in the future?

For immediate assistant in student’s loan consolidation, there are Student Advocates available from every Monday to Friday in every week that carefully reviews your questions and formulate the most workable answers within 24 to 48 hours after hearing from you. Besides this the FAQ section has been arranged with lots of valuable information and question answers on the topic of student loan consolidation.

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Travel and Tourism Management

Sunday, April 25, 2010

The travel and tourism industry, one of the first industries that witnessed the immediate effects of the global recession last year, is finally reviving. Not only is the country back on the international traveler list of favorite holiday destinations, but inbound travel too has witnessed an upswing. Concurs Prasant Nair, president and head, human resources and special projects, Thomas Cook India, “Though the tourism department has tightened the visa norms in wake of the recent terrorist attacks in the country, inbound, outbound as well as corporate travel in the country has seen a positive uptrend recently. Thus, there is a demand for talent across the segment.” Says Zubin Karkaria, CEO and management director, Kuoni India and South Asia, “Though the global travel and tourism industry is one of the most sensitive industries to external issues ranging from economic downturns to natural disasters and terrorist attacks, it is also one of the most resilient industries. The long-term potential of the Indian travel and tourism industry remains strong, and the short-term outlook is very positive.”

FAST FIGURES

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), a global forum for business leaders in the travel and tourism industry, the industry employs approximately 220 million people and generates over 9.4% of world GDP. The contribution of this sector of the employment statistics in India is expected to rise from 49,086,000 jobs in 2010 to 58,141,000 jobs by 2020.

OPTIONS OPEN

The industry proffers employment opportunities in the public as well as private sector. Aspirants keen on pursing options in the public sector can look to work with various state tourism boards or the central tourism department at various levels. Karan Anand, head, relationship and supplier management, Cox and Kings India Ltd, elaborates, “In the public sector, aspirants can work as tourism officers, information assistants, tourist guide and ground officers.”

The private sector, which continues to expand with the rising participation of foreign companies in the country, offers various employment options. Qualified professionals are engaged in travel agencies, travel companies, tour operation companies, airlines, hotels and cargo management companies.

Travel Agencies: One of the most traditional forms of employment in the travel industry, travel agencies continues to rule the roost as far as inbound travel is concerned. According to Ajay Prakash, Chief executive, Nomad Travels and National General Secretary, Travel Agents Federation of India, “A travel agency’s operations can be divided into four to five key areas---domestic and international ticketing, travel documentation like passports, visas, health certification and foreign exchange, tour arrangements like hotels, sightseeing, transport, activities and attractions, MICE meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, and administration and accounting. In addition to the operational work, there is a need for professionals in sales and marketing and website maintenance.”

This segment offers opportunities of entrepreneurship as well. However, this, like any other business, takes its time to get established and bring in profits. Says Anand, “Setting up a travel agency may seem simple but when a customer intends to invest a large amount of money on a holiday, he/she would look at the credibility of the agency. Opening up a franchisee of reputed travel company could provide to be a better option. That way you can get ready-made credibility, back-office support, deals and discounts that can be passed on to customer, thereby increasing business.”

Tour Operators: Firms dealing in tour operations usually organize tours for their clients from start to finish that is they conduct the entire tour right from designing a package dependent on the client’s budget to managing hi /her travel and stay at the holiday destination. Tour operating firms employ graduates across levels right from customer relations executive to finance departments and from experts in the operations area to human resources personnel. “The choice of the department a person would work in would depend on his/her preference and capabilities. However, the most popular and lucrative stream among fresher seems to be ticketing as most customers prefer to speak to someone while finalizing their holiday plans,” informs Anand. Another popular and exciting option is that of becoming an itinerary planner. Executives dealing in this segment prepare the perfect package for holiday goers. Itinerary planners get the opportunity to travel to the destination that they are allotted to, most often as part of a familiarization group of tour operators organized by tourism boards.

Airlines: Though 2009-2010 saw India’s airlines segment register a loss, the industry is expected to recover strongly during the financial year of 2011on account of an increase in passenger traffic and steady crude oil prices. A number of private airlines, that are looking to upgrade their domestic as well as international operations, are currently hiring pilots, cabin crew members, and customer service agents among other professionals across levels. The Airline industry is an excellent option for those who aspire to earn big bucks while traveling. Those are not too keen on traveling could opt for opportunities at the ground staff level.

Hotels: Sujit Banerjee, tourism secretary, recently announced that Indian would need 150,000 hotel rooms over the next three years in keeping with the recovery of the travel industry. This need has further been transformed into opportunities for those wanting to pursue a career in this segment with a number of international hotel chains, such as Marriott, Peninsula, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc, and Hyatt Hotels Corp, already announcing their plans to expand their presence in the country in the coming years. Students with a qualification in hotel management would find employment at the managerial and supervisory positions in the front office, marketing, sales, housekeeping, and food and beverage departments.

CURRENCY CONCERNS

The travel industry offers good remunerations. Elaborates Karkaria, “Remunerations at the engry level have increased significantly over the past few years as the travel and tourism industry is competing against the equally fast growing BPO industry.” The starting salary for a fresher is generally Rs, 10,000 depending on the company. For those who plan to start their own travel agency, initial earnings may not be much. However, once you carve a niche for yourself, the rewards start coming in. Hotels, airlines, tourism boards offer travel agencies a number of special incentives such as commissions. The salary figures in the airlines segment ranges from Rs. 20,000 per month to a whopping one lakh per month depending on whether one is employed as flight attendant or pilot. The figure would high for those working with international airlines. In the hotel segment a fresher can expect an initial salary of Rs. 20,000 per month.

SKILL SPEAK

The travel and tourism industry is a consumer-driven industry and requires a professional to directly deal with customer at all levels. Thus, apart from the academic qualification that are crucial for entry into the industry, one must also possess people-friendly skills. Another quality one must possess in order to succeed in this industry is the wiliness to upgrade one’s knowledge from time to time.Adds Neelu Singh, COO, Ezeego1.com, “The ability to manage different time zones, good communication skills and patience play a major role for the success in the chosen field.” For those would want to set up their own venture, Prakash has valuable advice, “As an entrepreneur, you need to put in a lot of hard work in the initial year or two before reaping tangible rewards; the key to a successful travel business is networking and specialization. You need to constantly refresh your knowledge and anticipate needs and trends to maintain the relevance of your business according to changing times. Be patient, you’re dealing with people. Make the internet your friend, not your competitor. Define your specialty and refine it constantly.”

TRAINING TALK

Students can opt for diploma/degree in hotel management, travel and tourism, food and beverage, house keeping etc post class XII. Graduates can opt for PG course in the same. Any course a student pursues must be recognized or approved by the Directorate of Technical Education in the state or AICTE or internationally recognized courses like IATA.

With an increasing number of students talking interest in this industry, a number of institutes have mushroomed across the country claiming to offer travel and tourism programmes. Cautions career counsellor, Jayanti Ghose, “Before enrolling for a course a student must keep in mind that an undergrad degree or diploma in travel and tourism may not be as effective, as a degree/diploma I hotel management as it does not qualify as professional programme. A student should verify all the direct placement leads offered by the institute, rather than be satisfied byt eh vague promise of placement assistance.”

FUTURE BRIGHT

The travel and tourism industry holds great potential as this sector has not yet reached its zenith as experts predict a radical change in the holiday scenario in India. The short-term prospects are bright with a number of tourists expected to visit the country for the 2010 Commonwealth Games slated to be held in Delhi later this year and the 2010 budget increasing the tax exemption limit thereby leading to an increased disposable income and inevitably a rise in the number of Indians spending on holiday. Speaking about the long-term prospects, Nair asserts, “The travel industry is certain to witness more positive changes as Indians will, a couple a years from now, start viewing holidaying as necessity rather than a luxury or discretionary activity just like it is in parts of Europe, UK, US etc.”

INSTITUTE INDICATOR

1. Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel management (IITTM)
2. Institutes of Hotel Management under the National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology, New Delhi
3. Kuoni Academy
4. Oberoi Hotels STEP

(Source: The Times of India)

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