Enter Nick:
I'm a senior International Business Management (IBM) student with a GPA of 3.79. I'm trying to arrange an internship and graduate early.This should be easy as most Payap students do an internship. The program is called "International Experience", a six credit course consisting of an internship with progress reports. In a degree lacking practical coursework, a good internship is the only way to gain real world experience.
Although the business I'd like to intern for has a Payap alumni employed willing to help with the affiliation agreement, the department head has given several reasons why this international internship is not possible. They have said that there are safety concerns, but Bangkok, which is an approved location is more dangerous these days then where I'd like to go. They've also suggested that being so far from Payap, I may not do my work without supervision. But being 29 years old, self financed, and one of the programs most responsible students render all of these reasons invalid.
It would be easier to intern in Thailand but thanks to policies of financial multinational organizations, Thailand is not an option. Internships are only available if you're Thai or a masters student. The Bank of Thailand requires Thai fluency - reading, writing and speaking. The few companies that will take foreign interns are discouraged by the excessive requirements of the Business Department, making Payap interns unwelcome. (I have lost the opportunity to work with either the ADB or UNESCAP because of a lack of flexibility on these requirements).
There are good things about Payap University, but the administration is not one of them. You should know about this if you're thinking of coming.
The past few months have been disheartening and while I'll carry on, it would be nice to have a supportive faculty.