Australia: The perfect catchment for Filipino ambition
 Weng Mina
Student
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"I was keen to use the internship program as a springboard to gain international business experience."
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For international students, Australian-based MBAs offer more employment prospects than US-based MBAs. At least that's according to Weng Mina, a new MBA student from the Philippines.
She investigated doing her MBA in the US and Asia before deciding on Australia, citing economic stability, close linkage to Asia, growth prospects and return on investment as major decision factors.
"When I was thinking about doing an MBA, the US was in a slump and my friends there told me that as international students they found it difficult to get placements.
"Classrooms in the US business schools comprise about 70% domestic students and only 30% international. Therefore the chances of getting a good job or internship when competing with a domestic student are slim.
Apart from job and internship opportunities, the advantage of MBS is the "global classroom" environment. The good mix of international students enriches the learning and gives a wider perspective in classroom discussions."
"Australian MBA programs are one third the cost and offer a much better chance of getting a job or internship, so the return on investment is better."
When it came to choosing between schools in Australia, Weng was impressed with the MBS rankings, internship program and the flexibility of intake dates-January and September.
She says, "The Admissions Department told me that the internship program was available to students in the September intake. Other business schools did not offer a September intake or an internship program.
"I was keen to use the internship program as a springboard to gain international business experience."
This is an important consideration for Weng. Since graduating in 2001 with a degree in business management from De La Salle University, she has worked for just one company-Shell-for eight years.
She started in the graduate program, then did an key management role selling fuels and lubricants to automotive manufacturers and major industrial conglomerates, firstly at a local level, then later at a global level. After six years in sales she moved to a marketing role where she was responsible for channel marketing and category management for lubricants in Shell's retail outlets.
Two years later saw her at a cross roads in her career. "I loved marketing but I knew that to be a holistic manager I needed to know more about operations, strategy and finance and the best way to do that was to go back to school."
Like most Filipinos, before arriving here, Weng still lived with her parents. She admits that life here is also an opportunity to experience independence.
Weng claims to enjoy the Australian lifestyle, describing it as a "good mix."
"The whole Melbourne thing is not hard core. It's laid back and relaxed. You get to work, yet enjoy yourself at the same time. It's a good vibe."
She's also enjoying herself in the classroom saying there is a good mix of Asians, Americans and European students who are intelligent and fun to work with.
Future plans? To pick up at least five years' international experience then to use that learning to help organisations in Asia to grow further and take advantage of the growth opportunity it is facing.
Her advice to anyone thinking of doing an MBA? It's worth it. "You'll be surprised that there's so much more to learn in an MBA classroom, not just from your professors but also from your classmates. The breadth of experience and knowledge from the cohort will enable you to broaden your thinking and will encourage you to think strategically from all facets of a business setting."
