A master’s student with a civil engineering background has turned her internship in the property management sector into a part-time job.
Leamarie Vega received an email from Future Skills saying Harcourts Reforma was looking for a Property Manager Intern.
“Even though my background is in civil engineering and I’m currently studying a Master of Applied Management, I decided to take the shot,” says Leamarie.
Leamarie comes from the Philippines. She had only been in New Zealand for a couple of months at the time and didn’t have a job yet.
“The office was close to where I lived, so it felt like a good opportunity to try something new,” she says.
Leamarie emailed Employability Manager Dani Mao, attached her CV, and told her she was interested in the internship.
“The interview was scheduled a week later.”
Leamarie juggled her interview prep with her final assignment for her first study block.
Since she hadn’t worked in property management before, she took some time to research the field and the company.
“On the day of the interview, I made sure to dress in my best semi-formal outfit because that’s what I saw the team wearing on the website.”
Leamarie arrived early for the interview, and they let her come in right away. She says the interview was very relaxed.
“They started by asking where I had come from, and I said Pukekohe. Before I knew it, the conversation kept going, and I didn’t even realise the interview had already started,” says Leamarie.
Not long after that, she got an email from Dani offering her the internship.
“Fast forward to my first day on October 15, the team started training me and teaching me everything. Everyone was really supportive.”
Then, after just two weeks, they offered Leamarie a part-time casual job as Asset & Field Services Support.
“I honestly didn’t expect it, but it made me really happy and even more grateful for the opportunity.”
“My best advice would be to talk to others. Students might get some insights unexpectedly during a coffee meeting with their friends which might be helpful for their paper.”
“The institution’s core values, developing the whole person, fostering lifelong learning, and contributing to the community deeply align with my own beliefs.”
“The best thing about studying at AIC is the classroom environment and the interactive way of learning which allows one to explore themself.”
"My goal is to integrate my industry experience with my academic knowledge to create meaningful business solutions.”
“This isn’t just a job - it’s the New Zealand dream I hoped for when pursuing my master’s.”
“Rest days were few and far between as I balanced work at the hotel, my internship, and peer tutoring.”
"It felt like a good opportunity to try something new."
“This role represents a meaningful opportunity made possible through the support and recommendations of the AIC Employability Team.”
“Don’t be afraid to show who you are while growing in a new environment.”
“There is great support for students in terms of educational support, employability support, as well as fun student trips that I got to join."
“I’d love to use my new knowledge and skills in new technologies within the New Zealand IT industry, or help bring new technologies into non-IT companies."
“Studying with people from different backgrounds has helped me learn not only from the course content but also from their experiences and perspectives.”
