Many students who step out of secondary school are content with the possibility of hitting the books for another few years during the course of their tertiary education. Terence Kuan is not one of them.  With the desire to be hands-on and gain the practical skills needed to succeed in hotel management, Terence decided to head to Switzerland with the hopes of someday bringing Swiss hospitality to our shores.

 

'I chose this hotel management course because 50% of it is practical. I’m a physical person and I like doing things, not just reading about them in classrooms. This course allows me to actually get involved,’ said the 19-year-old student. It was the appeal of this practical aspect that eventually helped Terence gravitate towards the course he is currently undertaking.

 

According to him, it was this practical aspect that convinced him to take up hotel management, which was not his first choice at the outset. ‘I like to challenge myself and put myself in new situations. So when I found out more about the syllabus of the course, I started to realise that it had a lot in store for me, in the sense that it gives me a whole new industry and more opportunities to explore,’ he explained. 

 

Terence was also quick to point out the fact that obtaining a degree in hotel management would give him the chance to work internationally. ‘Only the first few years of the course are based on hotel management. After that, I will be specialising in certain areas, such as marketing, F&B management or events management. I think that this option, coupled with the background knowledge of hotel management, will enable me to step into the business world,’ he said.

 

Terence began his Swiss adventure with a six-month internship during his first semester, which was a ‘good experience working in a three-star hotel’. He went on to explain that the internship was as hard as it was beneficial to him. ‘It was at one of the top 30 three-star hotels in Switzerland, and was also awarded one Michelin star.  It was a popular hotel: everyone knew it. The usual reaction was “Oh, I know that hotel!” so it was a pretty big assignment for me.’

 

When elaborating his internship, he added: ‘I worked in every single department in the hotel, because it was small enough for me to be flexible. So they put me in charge of everything, even live entertainment.’ He excitedly recounted the time he was given a rather unusual task during a Christmas Eve dinner at the establishment.

 

‘My manager came up to me, and handed me an essay. It was a nice, touching Christmas story, and I was the employee who spoke the best English in the hotel. She later introduced me and handed me the microphone. Luckily for me, I am a public speaker and member of the debate team so I just gave the speech the best I could!’

 

According to Terence, the term ‘Swiss hospitality’ says it all. He also said that he relished the chance of learning in Europe (he has never previously travelled to the continent) and loves the fact that Switzerland is ‘right in the middle of Europe’.

 

‘It gives me a chance to travel to all the countries surrounding it. I’ve been to France, Germany and Italy,’ said Terence proudly. However, the young man has his feet firmly on the ground and is aware of his priorities. 

 

‘The recognition I’ll attain with a Swiss degree is invaluable. Switzerland is synonymous with hospitality, and in fact, hospitality was actually born right here. It was the English who started tourism in Switzerland. Strangely, the Swiss never thought about it before!’ 

Terence also cites food as a product of Swiss superiority in hospitality. ‘Swiss cheese and fondue is good anywhere in Switzerland,’ he said matter-of-factly. ‘I can step into any restaurant in Switzerland and order fondue, and it will be good. Every restaurant in the country has its own high standards to live up to, so the quality is always there.’

 

Terence said that when he finally leaves school, he wants to travel around the world and work in hotels in different places. His short-term goal, however, is to take up an internship during the next semester in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean. Things are certainly looking up for the Malaysian boy who will someday bring his wealth of experience back home.