Is New Zealand A Student-Friendly Country For Indians?

If you want to ‘futureproof’ your career, New Zealand could be one place you might want to consider.

A classroom in Te Ahuaha, Wellington. 

Photo: Sohini Guharoy

There’s a difference between bookish knowledge and hands-on experience, especially if you’re enrolled in a specialisation course. Words don’t teach as much experience does. And this is one sentiment that most of the Indian students echoed when I met them a while back in New Zealand.

“I love the way they teach. The format is unique as it combines knowledge with experience,” says Selva Ganapathy, an MBA student at the University of Canterbury, who made a significant life decision by going all the way from Chennai in India to Christchurch in New Zealand.

When I visited the classrooms in Auckland University of Technology , Te Ahuha in Wellington, University of Canterbury, etc, I saw one chord that strung them all together – EXPERIENCE.

The AUT business school building has been crafted keeping student priorities in mind.(Photo Courtesy: Jayce D. Ruiz)

If you are planning to study abroad but not sure about the college, loans, placements, then you’ve clicked on the right article.

For the students who are already there, it’s a ‘been there, done that’ moment. But while you are wondering, let’s hear it from the horses mouth.

I spoke to a few students from several universities in New Zealand and tried to get their side of the story.

What Made These Indian Students Choose New Zealand to Study?

Indian students at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.Photo: Sohini Guharoy

Kaivalya worked as a business analyst for 6.5 years at a multinational company in Mumbai, before he decided to study further. ‘ Wasn’t it a tough choice to get back to studies after working for so many years’, I asked. He said it wasn’t difficult for him to make up his mind when he got a scholarship to study in the University of Canterbury, and realised that New Zealand universities and companies would take his work experience into account.

Sheetal Dutt worked in Microsoft for 2 years in Hyderabad before she decided to do a Masters in Service oriented computing. ‘Without barriers, knowledge sharing becomes easier’, she says, as I chatted with her in Auckland University of Technology. She moved her base to New Zealand with her husband, thanks to student-friendly immigration policies.

Amit Sarkar, now a professor at ARA Institute of Canterbury, went to study software development all the way from Kolkata some years back. He is now settled there with his wife and child. ‘Don’t you want to go back to India?’, I asked to which he replied saying that he did consider that option but now feels connected to the community there, especially after being involved in the city rebuilding project in Christchurch, post the earthquake.

Samskar Palavarapu went to do a post-graduate diploma in Computer Science at University of Waikato with two scholarships. He was one of the 32 students to get this scholarship for international students. He is presently working as a Junior Developer at Data Torque in Wellington.

The common area at Ara Institute of Technology.Photo: Sohini Guharoy

Is It Worth The Risk?

One of the buildings at Ara Institute of Technology.Photo:  Sohini Guharoy

With plenty of scholarship options, innovative courses, internships, and student-friendly immigration policies, New Zealand has become one of the top countries for education, after the US and the UK.