Latsamy Mahaphonh
Master of Professional Accounting student
He is impressed by the expertise and teaching style of his lecturers, says Latsamy Mahaphonh who came to AUT as an international student from Laos to study a Master of Professional Accounting, supported by a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade NZ Scholarship.
“The in-class experience has been the most enjoyable part of my studies. The lecturers are all experts in their fields, and they always share their valuable knowledge and experiences. Because they share real business world issues and practices with us, I feel engaged and know that what we’re learning will be useful for my future career. I also enjoy that we’re all sharing different ideas and diverse perspectives, which makes the classes exciting.”
He would highly recommend the Master of Professional Accounting to other students, says Latsamy who expects to graduate in 2021 and is looking forward to applying his newfound knowledge to contribute to his home country’s development.
“The programme covers a wide range of business disciplines; not just accounting. Our courses also focus on related business disciplines like economics, statistics, management, auditing, law and taxation. This equips us with the knowledge for a wide range of future careers, including as a chartered accountant, management accountant, chief financial officer, finance manager, forensic accountant, business consultant, tax specialist or senior management.”
An easy decision
He came to AUT to advance his understanding of international accounting standards, says Latsamy who worked as an auditor for Ernst and Young in Vientiane, Laos, for several years before moving to Auckland.
“I realised that to advance my career I had to develop my knowledge of international accounting standards and gain an international qualification. What attracted me to the Master of Professional Accounting was that this degree is accredited by professional accounting bodies, including Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ), CPA Australia and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). I believe that this degree will help me become a member of one of the leading professional accounting bodies in the future.”
When he was researching his study options, Latsamy discovered that AUT is a popular choice among his international student network from Laos.
“AUT has a robust reputation for providing an exceptional education and having outstanding student support for all international students. Other students currently studying at New Zealand universities also recommended that I should pursue my degree with AUT. This made me confident in choosing AUT.”
Advice for other students
Latsamy’s advice for other students is simple: make the most of your time at university.
“There are a lot of impressive things happening at AUT, and I would recommend going beyond your studies to gain experiences and enjoy university life. The AUT events web page is a great start as it shows you upcoming events throughout the year. I guarantee that you will find many invigorating events and gain a lot of satisfaction from them.”
There’s a lot of support available if you need help adjusting to university life, he says.
“As my first qualification is from Laos and I didn’t have any previous experience of overseas study, at first I found it challenging to adapt to studying in New Zealand. However, AUT helped me to transition to university life by providing various workshops for international students like me. The workshops were practical and covered paraphrasing, APA referencing, academic writing, researching skills, presentations and more.”
