“I was born and bred in Barcelona but I lived in the UK for 14 years. In 2012, though, I started studying Certificate III and Certificate IV in Fitness at the Australasian College of Natural Therapies in Sydney.
“Originally I wanted to study counselling, but that was going to cost way more than I could afford. I knew I wanted to be in Sydney. I love sunshine, being outdoors and sport, and had never heard anyone say they didn’t like Sydney (though I’d never been myself). The food, the nightlife, lifestyle... everything sounded like the sort of place I wanted to check out for a while. I also wanted a change of career. At 33 I thought it was time to put my brain back into gear.
“After a couple of talks with Stefan at Study Options I decided to see what else I could study and finally came across a course that sounded perfect – the Certificate in Fitness. I could so see myself doing something like that in a city with the conditions and climate that Sydney offers. I was looking for a city with warm temperatures in summer and winter. I was also looking for a city that you could easily travel around. The distances seem manageable and the city compact. I thought it was all the perfect background to start my journey to be a fitness instructor.
“It was all as simple as finding a course that would motivate and interest me within my financial possibilities. As soon as I decided what that was, Study Options made it all incredibly easy for me. They did all the paperwork. Everything was simple, easy, fast and efficient.
“I am very lucky to have a good friend living in Sydney who put me up for a while. I am also aware I am living in a country that’s not experiencing a recession, where jobs in hospitality are currently in abundance and the hourly rates are good.
“Unless I win Euromillions all of the above are things you need to take into consideration when you are paying for things yourself. Studying in Australia is not cheap! I have made a big effort to be able to do this and I am proud of myself for having managed to pay for all of it but I also consider myself incredibly lucky to have found a company like Study Options, which offers a FREE service, when I’m sure there are others out there who charge for this sort of thing.
“This has been a personal project that has been cooking for a while. The change of career, going back to study, finding the course, getting the money together, leaving a well-paid job, saying goodbye to family and friends to go to the other side of the world… Well, guess what? I am super-excited. I couldn’t wait to be in a classroom with others who were in the same situation as me – experiencing a new country. Learning about things I’m interested in. All of it sounded so appealing! Australian training for fitness and alternative therapies has a reputation for being among the best in the world. So many personal trainers and beauticians here have told me that Australia and New Zealand are light years ahead in these fields.
“A big, big thank you to everyone at Study Options - you helped me make this happen and for that I can’t be grateful enough.”