Interviewing Pablo González: Mint Studies

Good morning Pablo! It’s a pleasure talking to you!

Good morning, the pleasure is mine!

The other day during an interview with Beatriz Reborido we talked about a project you are involved in these days. We liked it and that is the reason why we would like to talk to you about it, but we’ll do that later. Since we’re in different hemispheres I have to ask you the same question I asked Beatriz. Is there the same 12-hour difference between Galicia and New Zealand?

Well, the truth is, the difference is 11 hours after the Peninsula switched to Summer Time. This weekend we will be the ones who turn the clocks backwards one hour so the difference will be 10 hours during the next 6 months.

These days you live in New Zealand, but where is Pablo from?

I am a descendant of a family from Monforte. I am from A Ponte neighborhood, in Ourense. I grew up and studied there happily until I started my University Degree in Physiotherapy in Ponferrada.

How long have you been living in Auckland? What do you miss about home?morriñento. My family and my closest ones are what I miss most, no doubt about it. Food is a daily topic for us. In general I don’t have the feeling of being at home. In spite of that, we try to exploit all these new experiences this country has for us.

How did you end up going to New Zealand? What were the reasons?

Well, I got to New Zealand after a long, long flight – he laughs. – No, really. The real reason was my partner getting a great job opportunity. We decided that New Zealand would be a good enough reason to move. Moreover, since I was a youngster I wanted to travel through Oceania. So after some doubts, we decided to move.

You came to New Zealand without a job, was it easy to find one? How does the process of finding a job go there?

Exactly, I temporarily stopped working as a physiotherapist in the city of Ourense and its surroundings and I opened my mind to new job possibilities. The unemployment rate is around 5% in New Zealand and supply and demand is quite big. It is a country which is growing, so the possibilities increase exponentially.

How long did it take for you to find a job?

I admit I decided not to be stressed about the job hunt in the beginning because I had savings in addition to my partner’s salary.
After using some job websites, the first interviews happened: the construction industry, hotel and catering industry et cetera. One of those interviews was for a job at a student advisory service. They were looking for somebody who could speak Spanish to help the Spanish-speaking students. I want to put on record that knowing Galician helped me because it made it easier for me to communication with Portuguese and Brazilian people, because the languages are similar.

Would you like to work as physiotherapist there? Would it be easy?

Without any doubt. Working as physiotherapist in this country would make me feel completely fulfilled, because it’s a profession I really enjoy. This will be one of my main goals here in the Antipodes.
To answer the second question, yes, it is. The information I have about it is that immigrants who works in health sector have to fill out many forms and prove their previous experience. Apart from that, we would have to take a difficult exam in English. Having to know about code of conduct for all the different cultures in this country and taxes make it even harder. But I hope I can start working as a physiotherapist in due time. It is something I enjoy doing.

So what is your job now?

Nowadays I work for Mint Studies, a student agency which looks for strategies of finding the best options for the students who want to come and study in New Zealand. We do the same for people who are already here and want to stay longer.

Mint Studies is a new company, but their founders have a great knowledge about this sector. They have a great experience in student consulting. Because of this, the company is growing fast and is in order.

What are the tasks you do at Mint Studies?

My main task is helping people who want to study in New Zealand to find a study program which suits them. This can be studying or improving English (the most common) or even masters and postgraduates programs to increase their opportunities of finding a job.
Then Natalia, our consultant of Official Immigration, advises them constantly during the visa-application process (this is the most difficult part of the process).
This person makes the difference between us and others because having somebody working especially with the service of immigration in New Zealand makes everything easier.

How well do you do it?
Well, after doing a hard and necessary training the Company gave us, the truth is I feel comfortable doing this task. I feel well when I help people to have an experience so different from other things and as exciting as coming to New Zealand.

What is the most difficult thing about your job?
It’s essential that people understand they won’t pay more for our services than they would if they did everything on their own.
The explanation of this is easy: our company represents educational institutions all around the country, so they are the ones paying for representing them. For the students all our services are beneficial, there is no cheating.
Therefore, one of the biggest difficulties is getting a person to trust somebody who is 20,000 km away. This initial mistrust is understandable and because of that I try to work as transparently as I can to show the advantages our project offers.
Is it true that the New Zealander Government offers work permits according to the chosen studies?
Exactly, it’s a good way, advantageous for the student and it’s very common. The government, depending on duration of the studies, gives work permits for students to work while they study to meet the expenses of living here.
This is something that works really well and it explains why so many people from all over the world come to this country in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
What should we, people who like travelling, do to enjoy what you offer?
We try to be on social media, so you can go to our website, facebook page or contact us through our email address.
To avoid expensive phone calls, we use Skype, which I find to be a useful tool that makes the communication easier and helps students to trust us from other places on Earth.
Any contact that you can give?
Sure, our website is www.mintstudies.com and to contact directly with me you can use this FB page Mint Studies España (www.facebook.com/Mint.Spain) or my email address: pablo.gonzalez@mintstudies.com.

Do you organize any events?
At the moment in the city where the headquarters are, Auckland, we organize events and explain everything we offer during the process for the students who are interested.
During my next trip to Spain I will arrange some seminars for students from different school centers and universities to clarify all doubts they might have about coming here.

To finish off, like in politic debates, last moments are yours to tell us what you want. Or like in Luar, say hello to somebody you like.

Haha – he laughs. – A huge kiss to my family and my friends who help me with promotion as much as they can and with my new task. I thank them so much for doing their bit and I invite everyone who will read this interview and wonder why not to try it? to contact
me
que contacte conmigo. Come on and do it!

Remember, New Zealand is now closer!

Thank you very much for your time!

Thank you for inviting me.