Jiney Ang

International Business - MBA

Jiney arrived at BCU ready to take the next step in her career. With her sights set on working in a management position, she decided to study an MBA in International Business. With new skills and experienced gained from her time at BCU, Jiney has so far excelled in her career, now working her way up the ladder at KPMG. 

After graduating with a degree in Accounting from Multimedia University in Malaysia, where I'm from and grew up, I decided to study for an Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in London, before returning to Malaysia to work as an Auditor for six months.

By then, I knew what living in the UK was like and I loved it. I had the accountancy skills, but I always wanted to work my way up to management level too. So I decided to return to the UK to do a Master's in International Business to be one step closer to becoming a manager. BCU really stood out to me when I was looking at Master's courses, as it seemed like a great university. I got so much out of my time there and gained a lot of experience too.

I started working at KPMG as a Tax Assistant and have since climbed the ladder to be a System Manager which was my initial goal. Before my current role, I worked at Grant Thornton as a Tax Associate but I moved to KPMG because of the location. At Grant Thornton, I was working in the Leicester office and I had to travel from Birmingham to get there each day. When COVID restrictions started to lift, I decided that I didn’t want to travel as much, so I moved to KPMG.

My career so far has, at times, been challenging. I wanted to stay in the UK because I like the culture and the opportunities available to me here. But after graduating, I was struggling to stay here because, for someone who needs a working visa, jobs can be difficult to find and it’s not always easy. A lot of businesses wouldn’t choose a someone from outside the UK because they would rather recruit from their local area. But I was lucky. I got a part-time job in an accounting firm as a Bookkeeper, and they offered me a working visa. This allowed me to progress, and bring exciting opportunities my way. But, I also worked really hard for it and had to stay strong too. Without the support of my family and my friends, I'd have really struggled to make it this far. But now I’m progressing very well in my career. The beginning wasn’t smooth, but it has been worth it.

My tutors at BCU used to tell me to not give up, as you are a very good student and can achieve more than you think. When I interviewed for Grant Thornton or KPMG, not a lot of my competition had a Master's degree and everybody knows BCU too. So when I tell people that I have a Master's from BCU, I’m really proud of that. More than anything, BCU developed my confidence and I am proud of the experience, skills and qualifications I gained from my time there.

My advice to current students is to get involved, meet new people and get to know others. English is not my first language, but by getting to know people on my course and those around me, it allowed me to learn. I’d also recommend volunteering and being active in doing new things, as that experience is going to provide you with many skills for your job in the future.

By communicating with different people from different cultures, it definitely gets you ready for the working world, especially if you want to work in a big firm like I do. I also had a good relationship with my supervisor. He was able to tell me about the experience that he had and got me prepared to actually go into the work place, so it’s definitely worth making the effort.

I AM BCU means always being a member of BCU. I couldn't have achieved where I am today without it. It was the foundation stone for me and my career.