On this page we feature students who are either currently attending or recently attended a Boot Camp at Koenig. We encourage them to share their experiences in India with their friends across the world. If you are planning to join a Boot Camp at Koenig, you will find this section interesting. And, of course, you can hope to be featured here soon !!!
Hi my name is Venessa Turner and I work as a Senior IT technician at an adult education college in England. I attended the Koenig Training centre in Goa during March/April 2007. My trip to India was an incredible journey both emotionally and academically. It came about after completing an online Computer Based Training course with another company which I found to be useful but not comprehensive enough to pass any exams. I realised that real and practical experience was required, so after much research I discovered the Koenig training centre and the course I was looking for. It appeared to be the most economically viable course and after completing the online test, I opted for the one to one tuition.
After booking the journey I was a little apprehensive, the thought of being a lone female traveller was a frightening prospect and I was worried about how I would find my way around a foreign country without appearing to be vulnerable. I sent many e-mails with countless questions to koenig but I was reassured by the quick and informative responses. The plane journey to Mumbai went without hitch but I found Mumbai airport to be confusing and this was the only low point of the whole expedition. My advice to any lone male or female travelling to Goa via Mumbai airport is to make sure that before you travel you know exactly where you need to go on arrival in Mumbai, particularly if you are arriving in the early hours of the morning. Be aware that once you
have collected your bags, there is a transfer bus that will take you from the International airport to the domestic airport and you shouldn’t leave the terminal. Don’t be tempted by the offer from officials to rest in a nearby hotel with compliments of the airline, they invariably are not free. If you are not travelling on to Goa and you have to leave the terminal make sure that you have a taxi booked or that there is someone to pick you up.
The Indian culture was a whole new sensory experience for me, it is so different to any I have encountered before. I was fascinated by the distinctive architecture, the spicy aromas, and the beautiful women in traditional dress riding to work on their scooters and equally bemused by the haggling for goods and the crazy driving. I couldn’t fathom the rules of the road, basically I think anything goes. I saw many scooters driving along carrying families of two, three and sometimes four people and was amazed by the fact that only the driver is required to wear a helmet. I am pleased to say that we had transport provided by the training centre every day and our driver was fantastic, I felt safe travelling with him right from the start.
When I arrived at the training centre on my first day I was greeted very warmly by women who was so efficient and charming she put me at ease very quickly. She arranged my phone and internet connection, transport from the hotel to the training centre and back, refreshments, accommodation, I didn’t have to do anything. Throughout my training all the staff at the centre were so welcoming and would always stop and chat and enquire how I was progressing with the course. My trainer was excellent and his knowledge of the subject was so extensive and very impressive. If there were any concepts that I didn’t understand he would help me to relate them to real world scenarios from my work environment.
When it came to exam time I was always anxious but the people were always on hand, reassuring and encouraging me all the way. They really took an interest in how I was doing and were eager to hear my results and shared in my elation every time I passed an exam. Fellow students were also just as encouraging and keen to congratulate every success.
One of the best things about the boot camp style of learning was that I had no distractions and could focus solely on my studies. I would never have been able to achieve the results I did in such a short time by studying back at home. Of course this was helped by the fact that I stayed in the 5 star Cideda de Goa hotel where the staff took care of all my requirements, from room service to laundry. There were so many restaurants to choose from within the hotel, all tastes are catered for. I tried them all and was not disappointed, not one bad meal in my entire stay. Before travelling to India it would be a good idea to read as many of the other featured students write ups as you can as they provide very useful information about the food, travel, hotels etc and can help you make the best decision suited to your needs. Most importantly, every student has commented about the amount of work that they had to do. Training is full on from the very first day and there is so much material to get through so be prepared for long hours of hard work. I have never worked so hard but don’t regret one minute. I did miss out on touring Goa but the few places I saw were well worth the sacrificed time. I can recommend a visit to Old Goa and the beach town of Anjuna to let your hair down for an evening.
It was great to have the opportunity to meet such a diverse group of people from all different nationalities. The thought of travelling on my own had been a big issue for me initially but there were many other people who had travelled alone and it was nice to get together at lunch time and some evenings to share experiences with them. I met some very nice people who I won’t forget and would like to thank them for making my stay so much more enjoyable. Too many names to mention but you know who you are. It is true that the courses were attended mostly by males and it’s a shame that there were not more women, I would definitely encourage them to attend the Koenig training centres. There was no gender barrier and I never once felt uncomfortable with staff or other trainees.
The good definitely outweighed the bad and was well worth the trip, I am very pleased with my achievements and overall it was an excellent experience, much better than I had expected and I am grateful to the staff at the training centre and the other trainees who made it so. The staff at Koenig did everything possible to make my stay rewarding and enjoyable and I send special thanks to koenig's staff and I hope to revisit for further training courses.
