 for the fast conversation of the day. Being a Monday, we start off with career, a topic that relates to you, a topic that will help you. We're talking today about securing global opportunities. How do you get a job abroad? How do you go for further studies abroad? And how is this helpful to you for this particular conversation? We have been joined by the director and CEO of One Team Career Coaches. He goes by the name Innocent Kip Kimboy, who's also an executive coach and career advisor. Most welcome. Congratulations. My name, as you've said, is Innocent Kip Kimboy Palluget. I am the director and CEO of One Team Career Coaches. So One Team Career Coaches actually is a career coaching company that assists people from way back because career coaching actually starts with... Even when a child is born, you are able to ship that child or that person into a certain path that you want them to become when they become old. So career coaching is not something that you started today and you hand it. It's something that's continuous throughout life because you realize, like in our nature of work, we coach people who have finished universities. I coach people who have finished PhDs, masters, and so forth. And I also coach people who are in primary school and secondary school. So coaching never ends. So I'm approached all by whole people throughout. It doesn't matter your level because learning and education is something that is continuous throughout life. So coaching starts from way back when a child is born to it never ends, to infinity. Because at the end of the day, someone approaches you and tells you, what do I do about this? How do I go about this? Or is it possible I change this career or this course from this one to this one? Is it possible to shape up or to change especially on matters to do with education, for example, which is our main component. Education in Kenya is different from education in, in the outside countries. Even in Tanzania, even in Uganda, it's different. So what does it tell you about education in Kenya? Education in Kenya is one of the best. Actually, when it comes to securing global opportunities. And many people don't know. The only problem that we experience is that many European countries don't recognize African education. So the only thing they'll want is just to, is just to see whether you have the comprehension or the knowledge about it. That's why when you go to abroad, skills sells best or sells better than education. Because at the end of the day, they'll ask you, are you able to do this thing? And then you'll say, I'm Hebo or you'll say, if you say you're Hebo, they'll give you a practical session. They'll tell you, do it, do it. So unlike Kenya whereby papers sell, when you go to abroad, skills, it's skill based, skills sells. That is why when you see even the government now, they are pushing for the CBC and the technical colleges. The RVTTIs, the ones that you'll be able to learn practically. And I always even tell my majority of my clients, even the guys who are in university and colleges now, as much as you read the paper based education, ensure you also look for someone or a mentor who will be able to assist you get the practical path. Let's say if you go to school on a Monday to Friday, you're in university. Let's say you are studying tech or engineering or any course. Make sure on a Saturday you have a friend, a mentor, who will come and show you the practicals. Who will work with you? Let's say if you're doing engineering or you're doing a course on electrical, you will be able to work with this guy and you'll be able to show you the practical part of doing these things. So career starts from when someone is born to infinity. Okay. Yes. From your experience, how is it, how easy is it handling someone who's in primary, high school, as compared to someone who's already in the job markets and looking into, they're really not really decided on their career. They're not sure where they are, you know. First of all, actually you've touched on something that has been of a concern to me because like now our company, it deals with assisting people. I moved from Kenya to abroad either on matters job or on matters education, which I always say it's more of education because education gives us a bigger platform. Like for example, there cannot be one million jobs abroad at the moment as fast as now. But we are able to take one million students because there are so many universities around the world. Do you see that? And majority of these countries, they sell education. Like when you go to the UK, when you go to America, they have developed some of the best universities. And the reason why they've developed these universities is so that they sell education. Like we sell coffee and tea and Hannah for rain exchange, they do sell education. So many of them or many of these countries, they'll tell you, yes, we have opportunities, but first you must buy what we're selling and what are they selling? It's education. So we always encourage more people to use the education platform to penetrate the market. That's when I say the market, I mean those countries. And then put your roots down, from there you will be able to do all anything else that you want. For example, when you go to Canada, or when you go to Australia, or when you go to the UK, you will realize that immediately you are there, you will be able to work and you'll be able to study. So unlike in Kenya, whereby you only study and then you wait to graduate and then start looking for a job, when you are in these countries, you will be able to immediately work and study. How does this happen? For example, in these countries, they give you like two days in a week to go to school. And they are trying, the online revolution is so fast. So they are trying to take the entire system of education to become even online based. And it's the same thing with the nature of work. When you go to abroad, you will realize that many people are no longer going to the office because you have been asked, this is your task for the day. Whatever you do it from is none of their business. You just deliver. So you will find that there are so many people, even now in Kenya, there are so many people who are working online and even they're working from home. So that is the nature of how things are changing. So the advantages of studying abroad, two days in a week, you go to school. The remaining five days, you are looking for money. You are working. Although they have limits for students, the hours, for example, in Australia, you have to work around 48 hours per fortnight. That's in two weeks. The same thing in UK. They have limitations for hours so that you don't forget actually what brought you here. But at the end of the day, you will realize that people find ways to work because at the end of the day, you will work the physical one. Someone else has another online job. And when you're working online, nobody will be able to track you or trace you whether you worked at night or not. So you'll find someone who goes to work during the day. At night, they're doing something else online. So those are some of the advantages of taking people to abroad. So the question has been this. Should I take my child to the States, or to Canada, or to Australia, when they finish from four? Or should I wait until they finish university? This is the first question. The second question that is always quite challenging is should I resign from my work? I am working and I'm a teacher, high school teacher, primary school teacher. Whatever job you are doing, military guys, we have so many people who call me and they ask me, if I get an opportunity there and relocate to Canada, should I resign? It's always challenging to make those decisions. Because at the end of the day, it depends, you must call yourself to a meeting first of all and ask yourself, should I do this? Before you call me, for my side, I'll give you the advantages and the disadvantages. I'll tell you the difference between here and here. And I'll tell you that this is what you will earn when you're in this side and this is what you earn here. And then there are things you will lose. For example, when you're in abroad, you lose social life. That is very normal. You don't have your friends. You don't have your friends. And then the culture shock. Of course, when you go and you realize, like I've been in the UK and when you go there, you'll realize that there are so many races of people, Indians, Nigerians, all over the world, Pakistanis, all people of all matter of races are there. But one thing you'll notice is that, for example, in Britain, the Brits themselves, they're almost 60 million. And immediately you go there, if you go to a restaurant or any place, any social gathering, you'll realize that you are the minority. You will notice it because, out of one, if you're a black person, you'll notice that out of the entire crowd, you might be the only one. You might be the only one. And some people will ask you, what about racism? Is it there? Racism is there, but if you are keen to it, it never approaches you. If you are keen to it, for example, I remember I could go to a counter and I'm waiting to be served and we are many. And then you realize it's like nobody's seeing you. But although ultimately you'll be served, but you feel like, oh, how come is it that someone else came late, but they have been served? That's to do with that. The children now, the other question, the children now who are finishing from four. Yes, we have solutions. We have diploma courses, we have certificate courses. We have diploma courses. We have degree courses all the way to masters. So I always tell parents, instead of you putting your child into an university here, let them go. Why? It's because they'll be able to walk and study. Instead of you putting a child in an university here, you'll be able, imagine now, you'll have to pay for their rent. You'll have to pay for their food. You'll have to pay for their clothing. You'll have to pay like literally everything. But isn't it even more expensive for them to pick up bread? When you take them abroad, for example, colleges in Canada or Australia, we have community colleges, which are very cheap. You know, the problem we're experiencing in Kenya is lack of knowledge because there are community colleges that with as low as even 200,000 Kenyan shillings, you're able to secure an admission there. The only problem is that if you want an admission now in a community college, let's say in Canada or in Australia, you'll have to wait. You'll have to, this year, you'll have to look for an intake probably next year, a year ahead so that you get that admission. The normal colleges, the ones that they have a diploma and a degree, let's just say a normal university, you will realize that they have certificate, they have diploma, they have degree all the way to PhD. And people don't know that a child is able to start from a diploma and then to an advanced diploma or even a certificate. So we have made people believe that the only way you can go abroad is when you're going for a master's or when you're going for a PhD. They call it to further studies. And that is what has been believed for so many years in such a way that we are no longer aware that we have diploma courses for international students. So now we are teaching people, we are now killing that perception and we are telling parents that your child, the one that has just finished from four, whatever the grades, whatever the grades they score, they are able to go and even start from a diploma to an advanced diploma to a degree all the way up. So that is what we do because at the end of the day, if you come and you tell me you're on a school in Canada, I'll be able to assist you, get that school, assist with the entire visa application and guide you whole through until that child or that person manages to fly abroad. Yes. So now, my next question would be, what are some of the requirements for students to go abroad? Because I know that there's this test that is usually required, IELTS test. Is it one of the requirements for every university abroad? Let's say the US, the UK. First of all, actually you've gone to a very, very, very important question because one is we have an IELTS academy. At one team, career coaches, we have an IELTS academy, a caregiving and a support work academy where we assist these people, get the knowledge and sit for the exam. So IELTS actually is prepared by the British Council. It is prepared, offered, examined, everything by the British Council. It is the most recognized English test language in the whole world. So that means it's the number one English test language. So many countries, let's say not even many because America, the moment America, UK, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, it means the whole world. So the whole world now requires an English test before you talk on anything. So when someone comes, the first thing, apart from having a passport, is having, is putting them into our academy. They start with the English, English test. The moment you have that English test and your academic papers and a passport, now you're good to go. So of late, recently in Australia, they brought in new rules which I want to share with our people. They have put Kenya now on level three. So those people want to go to Australia and people from Rift Valley, you know Rift Valley virtually now, every family has two, three kids in Australia. So now Kenya is in level three in terms of visa processing. Level three means level one first. Level one is an American who wants to go to Canada or an American who wants to go to Australia. The only thing you need is a ticket. When you go to the airport with your ticket, you are by my British citizen, I want to go to Australia. Oh, you go. You're good to go. Level two, it means the last to ask you, where are you going? What are you going to do? So you have to say, I'm going to study or I'm going on a visit or I'm going on, whatever the thing that is taking you there and then they'll stamp it. That is where we have been. Now Kenya is now on level three. Level three, now it means there are two sets of rules. The ones for the host, let's say I'm going to university. The university will ask me for a bank statement, for an highlight, for whatever they ask me, I provide. And then now when you go to the embassy, the embassy now will ask again, give us the highlights and give us the bank statement. So it means two levels of barriers. It doesn't mean like it's not possible, but it means two level of barriers. For example, when a university asks you for papers, they don't come to a certain, this is Tiambogo University. Are you sure you went to this school? They don't. The moment whatever you give them is where they'll believe. But now, when the embassy asks for those papers, they are able now to even make a phone call to that university and ask them, did you study or was this person ever there? So it means now it's becoming strict. And the more it becomes strict, if we go to level four and end up in level five, for example, Nigeria now, they are in level five. In short, there's no Nigerian who can go to Australia. And how does a country end up here? How did they end up there? How did we even end up in level three? Yeah, because you said you were in two. Yeah, we are now in level three. We dropped, okay. We dropped to level three, we were fake documents. We are using everything fake, from fake papers. People are going to River Road here. They just say, I finished a degree in more university and then they take it and they want to go to masters and someone has never even been to school. They're done a degree, oh my goodness. And then bank statements, they've been using also fake bank statements. So someone just goes to a cyber, they pull out something. So they noticed like, we are now almost, of course Kenyans, we are now almost like Nigerians when it comes to shortcuts and they like shortcuts, even in highlights. I remember there are clients who call me and they ask me like, is that way? You know, is that shortcut for these eyelets thing? You know, I just get the result. I don't know, you know, my friend. This one, there is no, you know, you cannot bribe a white person. You know, we are used to bribing so much to a point whereby when we go to abroad, you think that when you are arrested by the police, you can, you can, I remember I was once arrested on my car, there's one bulb, you know, one light was not working properly. And then I was arrested and then I was told, you know what, first of all, where is your license? I gave them, then they were asking me, how comes your, your car is like this and this. So I thought like, I'll talk my way out, you know, negotiate like the Kenyan that I am. I was told come out of this car and they called a breakdown and the car was taken. I was told you will have to follow up for the car, the police station. That's where you are, so very well. So majority of our people, they don't know. What are the rules? That is why even some of our people are killed in Saudi Arabia and other countries. It's because we go with the Kenyan mentality when we are going everywhere and we believe like everywhere is like Kenya. So you go there and you get shot. You get, you find out that you don't even know the language. But I know English. I thought I knew English until I went to Britain. The English I'm talking is no English. You were there, or you were English, the original. I used to say, yeah, yeah, yeah. Thank you, thank you. Sorry, thank you. No, no, no, they're talking and I can't get anything. So that's how, so how are you? Where are you going? They have a way of, they have their own slang. But now when it's in writing, it's normal. But now with the way they talk, I... They speak to me in a culture. I speak in a language that I don't understand. I don't speak Kenyan because I speak English. You speak Kenyan because you are a representative. Yes. I speak Kenyan anyway. So what we assure our people is that knowledge is power. And as one team, career coaches, we are here to assist you. We are here to guide you. We are here to show you the way in terms of career parts from high school to university, all the way to you going abroad. So it's always a process. That is why I always tell people, like, don't wait until when you're ready. You can never be ready. You can never have enough money. The game is not about the money on their numbers. It's about the willingness. That's why I always say, wherever there is a will, there is always a way. So you just come. You tell us, like, start from somewhere. Get a passport. Don't say, where will I get the money? The moment you start, God also joins you because he sees the desire and the willingness from this person. So get the passport. Go, I always tell people, we don't give passports. You go to Uduma. You'll be able to get a passport there. The moment you have a passport now, call us or come to one team. The moment even you have applied, call us or come to visit our offices. I'll tell you where we are located. And then when you visit our offices, we'll be able now to tell you, like, as you wait for the passport, these are the opportunities. Or start from here. Get the highlights. Because the highlights now, the English test is almost like a driving license. Speaking of the highlights, yeah. Before we move away from it, what is usually tested there? You know, is it the normal English that we speak? You know, the one that we usually get A at because I understand people fail in the test sometimes, but Kenyans are good with English. So, how is it like? Kenyans are good with English until you've come, you encounter the English people themselves. Because I, let's say, test around four things. Just the normal things. That is listening, speaking, reading, and talking. So, let's say in listening, you can be given a recording. And then, let's say, the person says, good morning, how was your night, for example. And then you are just told, repeat. Repeat that. But now the accent is the British accent. So, you'll be able to go on morning. So, sometimes, someone, Kenyan, especially those my friends from Rift Valley, my brothers. Yeah, but anyway, anyway, it's an English test. It's intended to just test your ability to read, write, and listen. So, it's never like, it's a big deal. That's why we just coach you for around three weeks and you're good to go. Some people, some sharp people, someone who is sharp, for example, you say, we coach them for a week or two weeks and then we just book the exam with the British Council. And then you go do the exam. And then there is no failing in English. There is bounce. You start from five point zero. It starts from average, it's five point zero. But that one is a fail. You need at least five point five. Six point five now is the normal, almost the main band used by many universities to get the placements for schools. Seven point zero now is for serious courses, nursing or medical courses. Seven point five, eight, and above now, is someone who is really, really exiled. So, every course has a requirement, has a different band of requirement for highlights. So, when you're studying the highlights or when you put you to our academy, you will be able to be in the academy and we have already shown you the course or the course that you need and you already know what band you need to score specifically for that course. So, everybody that wants to do nursing, mental health or any medical or pharmacy or any other course related to the medical world, you have to score at least seven point five. And in that seven point five, make sure you score seven point zero in whole day, the test, that's listening, speaking, talking, and writing. At least seven point zero don't score something less than that in each one of them. So, that is what we tell our people. That's why we are there. That's why we coach people. Because at the end of the day, you have to know like, I need this score for the English test for a specific course. Course that you want to enter. And then, how long does it take? How long does it take valid for? It takes three weeks and the certificate is valid for two years. So, they believe in those two years, you will have managed to go to abroad. So, on that note, when we talk about the cost, the cost is very, very important because in abroad, in schools abroad, you will notice that every course has a different price. For example, if you want to study business, we have the cheapest courses. For example, let's say diploma. Let's say diploma or advanced diploma in Canada and Australia, UK. All these countries, they have almost the same amount. When you check schools, a diploma in Canada, a diploma in the US, a diploma in Australia, you will notice that the school fees is almost all over the same. So, there is no country that we can say it's cheaper than the other. So, let's say a diploma. What's the cost of a diploma? Every diploma course has a different price. For example, the cheapest, let's say business courses, a diploma in, or hospitality, diploma in hospitality and all that. The one for cooking and all the cookery and all that, things related with hospitality. You will find that you can get a school as cheap as around 300 or below. That is what we call the 60% deposit. You need to pay 60% deposit for you to get that admission. So, when you pay the 60% deposit, let's say now for a course in hospitality or business, let's say you'll pay around 290 to 300,000 for the course. That's the first thing. The moment you've paid that, the school will give you what we call an offer letter. An offer letter is what gives you all the requirements needed for the course, that's what we call an offer letter. So, you meet those requirements. You pay everything you need, school fees, they'll say an highlight, they'll say these and that. When you meet that, they give you a letter called, they send you a letter called a COS. A COS is what you'll use to get the visa, to launch the visa at the embassy. Do you see that? So, what we are telling our people is that there are so many cheap diploma, certificate, higher diploma, that's what we call advanced diplomas that are very much affordable for the children, especially those ones that just finished from four. Instead of you going to, I don't know, polytechnic or what, you better invest in that child, let them go abroad, they'll work and study. So, on degree courses now on masters, what we assure our people, actually the difference between us and any other, and any other organization in this field is that we sell the most affordable schools. We ensure that we get you the cheapest. If it's a diploma, we get you the cheapest. If it's a degree, don't pay around one million, I don't know, I've had people going for 1.5, I don't know, 1.8 to go to Australia and all that. For us on a degree and on a masters, we can assure you the highest you'll pay is around 700, 750, that's the deposit. And then when you had all these other things, visa fee, medicals, health insurance and all the rest, you will realize that it will go maybe now to one million. So it means with one million, you are able to do it, to relocate from Kenya to Australia, from Kenya to the UK, from Kenya to Canada, from Kenya to the US, New Zealand, wherever you want, because we already have partnerships with all those schools in the outside world. All right, interesting. So now we have talks majorly on schooling because you have mentioned that once you get an opportunity to school there, then job opportunities open up for you. So now, still on schooling, how do you get a scholarship? Is it something that? Scholarships are available. In fact, at the moment, we are having something better because when you wait for a scholarship, scholarships they'll want to sponsor the brilliant people in a particular field. You cannot tell them I need a scholarship to do a diploma or a certificate in hospitality, then you cannot get. It's always for masters, for brilliant people, for research courses and so on. So masters at many times, we can assist you, yes, but it's always better when you even apply it for yourself. So majority of the people that we deal with are those self sponsored students who want to go and pay for themselves. So at the moment, we are having a contract with a company, a US based company. Actually it's good news because this company offers education loan, not scholarship. Let's say if you have an offer later for specific schools, they have specific schools around the world, not all schools, specific schools around the world. So this is what happens. When you come, we apply for a school and we get the offer later. You give them that offer later and then they'll pay for you the entire school fees or whatever the amount is needed for school fees. But now you must pay them back but on a long term basis. So what they do, you agree, like on a period of 10 years, as far as you're still in abroad, you will be able to pay them a specific amount of money but now it will come back with an interest but now it gives you a longer period of time to pay back. So this is good news because at many times we have parents who don't have many students and parents who don't have the ability to raise, let's say one million for a master's or one million for a degree or even the 350 or 300 for a diploma. So for those people now who don't have that amount, you can opt for this. Although it might look long to pay but it's better than staying just here and doing nothing. It's better to go and work as you pay them this amount because now they have funded you and then at the end of the day, you will be able to finish the loan and you will have secured your placement in abroad and if you have even to pay like let's say 19,000 because at the moment, they give you a grace period of six months when you go there and then you start paying them. I calculated in dollars, it's around 19,000 per month. So you'll be able to pay 19,000 every month until you finish the amount of feed that they paid for you. Oh, okay. All right. Now, as we come to a close of this conversation, how do you make a choice on which university you want to go to in the country exactly? If, do I look at opportunities for, I want to do medicine. How do I decide between Canada, US, Australia, the countries that you've really mentioned, UK? First of all, the first world is almost all the same. When we talk about the first world, that's Canada, America, UK. The first world is almost all the same in terms of pay, in terms of life, in terms of education. You cannot tell me like Canadian universities are best than the American or the Australian. They are all the best. So what we do is this. You identify the course and then we advise you on that course. For example, there are people who want the most affordable course. Majority of Kenyans, they tell you, give me a course that's the most affordable. Let me go there first. And then I'll be able to decide. Because courses, you can change courses when you're in the university. So you use the most affordable course first to go. So that you can now negotiate what you want exactly. Now you're part, I want to do this and that or I want to change into, want to and on accounting or so on and so forth. So we give you the most affordable one. It assists you to go first there. And then from there, you will be able to to make that decision of whether you want it or not. But at first you are, you're ready there. But now what we do in one team, career coaches, is we always go ahead with you. Like before I tell you, like I'll take you to Canada, I must make sure that I've been there. For example, to Australia, I must make sure that in this school, I know what are the opportunities surrounding us at a particular school. So that when you just go there, you will be able to start working immediately. Because I'll have given you my contacts within, agencies and job opportunities within the surrounding of that particular place. So that is the difference between us and the rest. We'll be able to guide you beyond just the airport and help you settle down and we'll become your friends all throughout the journey of your career. Okay, all right, interesting. Yes. And are there like fields that offer more global opportunities than others? Yeah, yeah, they are. In fact, for example, in Australia, you get permanent residency based on what field you are in. For example, in the UK, you get a permanent residency when you finish five years. Just finish five years there. In school. No, whatever, just finish five years. The moment you are done with five years, you are given a permanent residency. But the moment you are done with seven years, you are given what we call a British citizenship. So every country has a different way of naturalizing its citizens. Others, it's naturalization. Like Kenya now, if you stay in Kenya and Britain is almost the same thing. You naturalize into a country based on time, based on a specific number of years. In Australia, you don't naturalize. You are given a permanent residency based on your career. So when your career is creative, for example, teaching is very creative by the way. It's like Kenyan teachers in the 90s. You know, my mother actually was a teacher. So I used to be so much respected of someone from Totoa Mualim. In abroad now, teachers are at that point where our teachers were in the 90s. We live alone now that they keep abusing Sijimo Mawamats and all that. At those times, back where teachers are very, are very, very serious, taken serious. Okay. Any course in the field of medicine, it doesn't matter whether it's public health, whether it's whatever the course is, whatever the course in the field of medicine, you will be able to get a permanent residency as fast as possible in Canada and in Australia because they give you the residency based on, on your field of study. So many people go and then they'll be able to align themselves into this particular field so that they get the permanent residency as fast as possible. Finally, for those that want to study abroad but don't want to really work abroad or live abroad, want to come back to Kenya, does it give them an upper hand in the competitive job market in the country? It used to, but nowadays it's a bit tricky, but it's in an interview. When you are going for an interview and someone lets say they went to Cambridge University. At that point, there's an upper hand because there's a person who is exposed. So when one was studied abroad and they're with you here and didn't want to, let's say, whatever university you went to in Kenya and then I went to a university in the UK, definitely at that point, first of all, it's advantageous to me because I'm exposed and I know what it takes to lead the world, what it takes to know the world and to be able to deliver in that particular field. So it's still advantageous as of now. All right. Thank you very much, innocent. I will give you the machinist to say where people can get you. And maybe a final word for those that have not really thought about studying abroad and the advantages of it. This is your camera. Thank you so much for this opportunity. I want to say thank you to Y254 for giving us this chance to teach and talk to our people. My last word is that put God first because whatever there is God, there is always a way, He provides and He makes a way. And then, as I always keep saying, where there is a will, there is a way. Find a way to start. Start from getting a passport. The moment you have a passport, don't wait until you have money. Don't say I don't have money. Don't victimize yourself. Make sure you start from somewhere and then talk to us. Tell us in the process of getting a passport, what do I do? We'll be able to guide you. So our offices at the moment are located in Eldoret, Safina Plaza. That is first floor, room F2. That is where one team career coaches is located. And we are opening up soon an office in Nairobi whereby we'll be able to assist people get the highlights, the caregiving courses. And of course the entire visa processing and everything related to study abroad. So my phone number is 0719-565-618. 0719-565-618. So you can call me. We can have a conversation. We can find a way. Don't sit down. Don't say it's not possible. Everything is possible because wherever there is a will, there is always a way. Thank you so much. Wow. What a way to close it. Thank you. Once again, anything. Whether it's a will, there is a way. Now you know how to secure a global opportunity and the benefits that come with it. That's what I've been talking about. This has been a talk on career. We're going to take a short break and then Valentine is coming back with youth and politics. Stick with us.