Chasing dreams: Jimmy Nguyen, on #idplife and experiences that shaped him!

"At IDP, I love that every day is different. In my role as a senior education counsellor, I get to meet energetic and aspiring students from diverse backgrounds and inspire them to reach the next level.

For many students, this may be the first time that they are travelling without their parents, so they may not be sure of what they need to do, where they need to go, and even the thought of having to adapt to a new culture, language, time zone, being far away from family and loved ones, may seem daunting. So, to help ease the anxiety and enable them to feel supported and confident - as education counsellors we mentor and help them all the way from providing free counselling in identifying the right university, getting started with university application and student visa application, looking for accommodation, buying health insurance etc.

Our “IDP Thrive program” aims at helping our students feel comfortable and confident in getting familiar with the new place. Once the students reach their study destination, we have a welcome day event planned for them. We also take them on city tours to help them get to a fun-filled and positive start and provide useful information through various webinars. Recently we planned a Great Ocean Road trip for our newly arrived international students in Australia. All of them had a wonderful time during the outing and gave us some amazing feedback.

It is a privilege to be working in an international organization that is truly global in all aspects. IDP has been operating for more than 50 years in 50+ countries. I love how I can connect with team members from different regions across the globe. Every time I travel to another country, I tend to get connected with team members in the local office to say hi while I am there. Everyone at IDP genuinely cares for each other. It does feel like I am part of a big global family here.

We get a lot of support from the leadership as they are always keen on our well-being and want us to thrive professionally and personally. At IDP, we are all like-minded individuals working towards a common goal. I love working with my team here in Australia. We all get along well and support each other during difficult times as well. I love how we not only work hard, accomplish goals, and achieve targets together, but also bond so well, go out for lunch together, talk about life, have funny conversations, and have a good laugh together.

There is a lot of flexibility here at IDP, to help us achieve work life balance. The hybrid work model that we follow enables us to work from home as well. If someone does have understandable reasons why they need to start work a little later than the usual business hours, it is understood, and they are provided with the opportunity to start work hours a little late and end late. I also love that there is no specific dress code in IDP. We can choose to wear anything that we are comfortable with and looks modest.

When I started as an education counsellor at IDP, I was only handling counselling for Vietnamese market. I am proud to say that after 6 months, based on my performance, I was given the opportunity to work as a virtual counsellor, helping students from regional areas where IDP offices aren’t present yet. I gave it my best shot and performed well in this role as well. I consider this a great accomplishment in my career journey.

Another accomplishment that I am proud of is that based on my skills, knowledge, and expertise, I was given the opportunity to mentor our contact center team* to help identify hot leads.

*Contact center is where the information is stored when a student reaches out showing interest in international education. These details are then shared with the education counsellors to take it forward with the respective students.

It has been a great, pleasant, and rewarding journey in all these 4.5 years. I’ve also been promoted to a senior education counsellor recently. All my hard work and efforts have always been appreciated.

In FY20, I received the Pinnacle Performer award for having gone the extra mile, by achieving and exceeding targets. I also received the Circle of Joy and Expertise awards the same year. In FY22, I received awards for being the Top counsellor with the most IDP app downloads and for my highest contribution in the IDP Brand Ambassador program.I am immensely proud of all that I’ve achieved over the years. It makes me feel content and happy that I am doing meaningful work at IDP and at the same time getting recognized for all my hard work.

To me success is all about being content in my role. It feels incredible when students take the time to come back and say thanks. It makes me happy that the end result of my job is making students happy, giving them hope and confidence to reach their next level, and achieve their global ambitions and dreams.

At IDP, after professional advice is provided to our students by the counsellors, our customer service team ensures to follow up to see if students are content with the information received or if they need more help. Every time we turn a situation around, from when a student visits us not knowing where to start on their journey towards achieving their global ambitions, to them identifying the right university and reaching their dream destination, it feels deeply gratifying and rewarding. This, in my opinion, is my greatest success – to be able to help them achieve their study and career goals. This is why I really enjoy getting up in the morning, going to work and letting the day begin.

I’ve also been fortunate to have received several positive reviews from our students in our google business page for my counselling service. It feels incredible to look back and see all the heartfelt and positive feedback.

Also noteworthy of mention is that I’ve been ecstatic about the opportunity I’ve gotten to be part of the Leadership development program – the first of its kind in IDP Australasia. This is a one-year program that commenced in November 2022, aiming at enhancing the interpersonal and leadership skills of the participants. I’ve learnt a lot from the mentors already and also have access to courses through LinkedIn Learning. I feel privileged to be part of this program and so excited about improving and enhancing my leadership skills, as this will lead to more exciting and challenging opportunities in the future.

Some fun facts about me: I love swimming. I find it very therapeutic, and it makes me feel relaxed. I also have a keen interest in learning Japanese and want to speak the language fluently someday, as I’ve always wanted to live and work from Japan for at least 2-3 months. I am also very fond of anime cartoons. I love the cuteness in it, especially Pikachu and Pokémon. I love travelling and exploring new places and experiences in different countries. " Jimmy Nguyen, Senior Education Counsellor in Melbourne, Australia