Students of English for Hospitality Service receive their certificates of completion from Siam Hotel at the end of their internship
Xavier Learning Community (XLC) has a motto that everyone has memorised: “Growing in community, sharing with society”. The motto serves to inspire their students, the younger generation, to serve the needs of society.
Nutchaba Netnirandorn
At the close of the semester, two groups of XLC students in their fourth year of studies completed their on-the-job trainings. One group studying English for Teaching had their internship with a school in Chiang Mai, while the other group studying English for Hospitality Service trained with a hotel in Chiang Rai.
Nutchaba Netnirandorn, a Hospitality Service student who underwent training with Siam Triangle Hotel, is grateful for the experience. Her exposure to the different departments of the hotel helped her learn and hone different skills.
She says: “Each department has different duties. For example, in the Receptionist department, we must be polite and active in our responsibility. We also have to use our English skills.” She realises the importance of having multiple skills in order to succeed in a job. “We have to update our capacities every time and we must be enthusiastic to learn and cooperate with our co-workers.”
XLC interns with their ethnic students
Meanwhile, XLC students studying English to become teachers were assigned to teach ethnic students in rural areas in Chiang Mai. Throughout the course of their training, they stayed with the students in the dormitory, took care of the students’ timetable, and woke up early to cook breakfast with them.
Being able to put their lessons in actual practice is valuable for any student, but especially for those studying at XLC, who are mostly ethnic minorities and are often at a linguistic and cultural disadvantage in the national school system. The internship experience helps them develop their professional aptitude, strengthen their character, and put them on an equal footing with other graduates in gaining potential employment opportunities. But perhaps more importantly, as XLC’s motto suggests, it will help them better serve their communities and the wider society.
