Former student of Nguyen Trai High School for the Gifted (Hai Duong) shares tips for working in an Australian government agency

Since her years as a student at Nguyen Trai High School for the Gifted (Hai Duong), Thuy Linh (born in 2001) has shown her talent for English with achievements such as being the valedictorian of the English major; bronze medal in the excellent student competition of specialized schools in the coastal and Northern Delta regions in 2018 and 2019; silver medal in the national Internet English Olympiad (IOE).

After receiving a 50% scholarship from the University of Wollongong - Australia, and being attracted by the scale, quality of student training and scientific research, Thuy Linh did not take much time to make the decision to study at this school. However, what made Linh hesitate was whether to choose the major she liked or the major with a more potential market. After considering, Thuy Linh decided to study accounting and marketing. And that was the right choice because skills in both majors are very necessary for Thuy Linh's current job.

Despite having a good foundation in English, understanding Australian English was still a challenge for Thuy Linh when she first arrived here. She said: “They have a very different intonation compared to British English or American English that we are often exposed to, especially Australians love to use slang and shorten words to the shortest form possible. Therefore, I practiced imitating Australian accents and using the words they often use, which helped me improve my listening and communication skills more naturally and quickly.”

In addition to studying, Thuy Linh has taken advantage of her English strength (IELTS 8.0) to open online classes with her sister, helping students who have lost their roots achieve their goals. At the same time, the female student also joined the school's CABLE Academic Club and took on the role of an accounting instructor for other students.

In addition, Linh also actively participates in the Badminton Club and won a number of awards in Sydney City such as: 2021 mixed doubles gold medal, 2022 women's doubles gold medal, 2 women's doubles gold medals and 1 mixed doubles silver medal in 2024. This is also an effective method for an international student like Linh to balance the pace of life.

Not only does Thuy Linh have good academic achievements when she won the Dean's Merit List Award - Top 5% of outstanding students in the Faculty of Business and Law of the school for 3 consecutive years, she also pays special attention to accumulating experience through part-time jobs. From tutoring, selling clothes at Uniqlo, being an ambassador for a local taxi company or fundraising for mental health organizations, she always perseveres in learning the necessary skills to gradually upgrade her work.

An impressive thing about this Vietnamese girl is that after 5 months of exams and 3 rounds of interviews, Thuy Linh surpassed 70,000 applications to be selected for the New South Wales Government Graduate Program - one of the most competitive graduate recruitment programs in Australia. Through this program, Linh was honored to have the opportunity to work at the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and currently at the Audit Office of New South Wales.

It is known that this is the dream working environment for many students in Australia not only because of the high salary but also the focus on the balance between work and life when government employees only need to work 35 hours/week compared to normal employees from 38 to more than 40 hours/week. However, the Australian government usually only accepts those with Australian and New Zealand citizenship, and the door for foreigners is very narrow.

“In an environment where all my colleagues are Australians, the biggest challenge for me is how to integrate and become more confident. Sometimes I worry about my weaknesses and forget that I also have many strengths in terms of thinking, analytical skills, diligence and meticulousness in work. I used to be afraid that my accent was not as perfect as an Australian's, but then I realized that there are many people of Indian, Chinese or Vietnamese origin who also hold very high positions even though they still have the accent of their mother tongue. The important thing is that I can communicate effectively, clearly and fully about the content of the work," Thuy Linh shared.

She always encourages her juniors with the same goals as her to experience many different jobs to gain more diverse experiences and skills. Then, bring your own story to search for and conquer job opportunities in different positions in the Australian government. In addition, you can also directly register for short-term positions in the government to gain more experience before aiming for a long-term position.

Thuy Linh realized that although government jobs have nationality requirements, there are also many exceptions for international students. Therefore, as long as you are persistent, confident in your skills and provide specific projects to demonstrate your abilities, opportunities will always smile on you.

In the future, Thuy Linh hopes to improve her skills and understanding related to public policy as well as the operating apparatus of state organizations to be able to advance further in her work. In addition, she will also consider attending higher education levels and continue to help other young people learn English.