Roughly 20 years ago, Hang (born 1984) graduated with a degree in English Linguistics and Literature from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities under Vietnam National University, HCMC.

Following graduation, she worked at an international school for two years. Later, when a prominent bank expanded its network and recruited customer service personnel, she chose to apply.

Passing four selection rounds, Hang entered the banking and finance sector in 2008.

Over the subsequent 16 years, she advanced through multiple roles, including customer service, team management, and human resource training and development. During that period, her highest appointment was Regional Business Development Director for Southern Vietnam.

However, as her career progressed alongside favorable income, she realized stability no longer offered her desired fulfillment.

She decided to travel to Australia on a 20-day trip. The journey prompted deeper reflection on her life and career goals.

"The work routine consumed me like a machine, leaving no time for myself or family. After many years, I lost motivation and joy in my job. I asked myself whether continuing this path for another 20 years represented the life I truly wanted," she recalled.

Her answer prompted immediate change. She sought to start afresh with a new career in an entirely different living environment.

After researching destinations such as New Zealand, Australia, and Canada, Hang decided to choose New Zealand, pursuing a career in the preschool teacher sector.

She said the sector is facing a shortage of workers. In addition, during her years in finance and banking, she realized that she had an aptitude for training and also enjoyed caring for children.

So, at 40, she moved to New Zealand to pursue a master’s degree in teaching and learning for early childhood education at Auckland University of Technology.

“My biggest fear at the time was not knowing where the future would take me or whether it would turn out as I had planned,” she recalled.

She invested all of her savings in the plan. With no financial reserves left and no opportunity to return to her old career, Hang said she felt she “could only stay determined and keep going.”

After a month of persuading her family, Hang received her parents’ support. They not only helped her complete the financial documentation required for her visa application, but also helped care for her child while she studied and looked for work in New Zealand.

From an outsider to a preschool teacher

Hang said the master’s program in teaching and learning did not require applicants to have a teaching degree or prior teaching background. However, applicants had to achieve an IELTS score of at least 7.0 in every skill, along with other requirements for their applications and essays.

Applicants then had to take a test featuring questions related to the field of study and go through several interviews with the admissions panel. The process focused on applicants’ qualities, suitability for the profession and ability to interact and work with young children.

Hang said these requirements are not particularly difficult to meet with thorough preparation.

Her biggest challenge was the learning approach, which required a greater investment of time. Age was not a barrier; in fact, it became an advantage.

After completing the academic program, Hang began an internship at early childhood education centers. The program lasted 12 months, during which she had to complete a total of 16 weeks of practical training.

During this period, she studied full time and completed numerous assignments while also spending around seven to eight hours a day training at a preschool.

As a result, just one month after graduation, Hang received an offer for a full-time position as a preschool teacher at a school in New Zealand.

Although her current salary as a preschool teacher is considerably lower than what she could earn in many other professions, she said it is “still enough to cover my life if I know how to manage things.”

But she believes changing careers is not simply about finding a new job.

“It is a process of answering the question of who I want to become in the years ahead and having the courage to begin that journey,” she said.

Thuy Nga