(Early occupations around the river Thames) ACADEMIC READING PASSAGE || WWW.AMANIELTS.IN ||

 

Early occupations around the river Thames

A
In her pioneering survey, Sources of London English, Laura Wright has listed the variety of medieval workers who took their livings from the river Thames. The baillies of Queenhithe and Billingsgate acted as customs officers. There were conservators, who were responsible for maintaining the embankments and the weirs, and there were the garthmen who worked in the fish garths (enclosures). Then there were galleymen and lightermen and shoutmen, called after the names of their boats, and there were hookers who were named after the manner in which they caught their fish. The searcher patrolled the Thames in search of illegal fish weirs, and the tideman worked on its banks and foreshores whenever the tide permitted him to do so.

B
All of these occupations persisted for many centuries, as did those jobs that depended upon the trade of the river. Yet, it was not easy work for any of the workers. They carried most goods upon their backs, since the rough surfaces of the quays and nearby streets were not suitable for wagons or large carts; the merchandise characteristically arrived in barrels which could be rolled from the ship along each quay. If the burden was too great to be carried by a single man, then the goods were slung on poles resting on the shoulders of two men. It was a slow and expensive method of business.

C
However, up to the eighteenth century, river work was seen in a generally favourable light. For Langland, writing in the fourteenth century, the labourers working on river merchandise were relatively prosperous. And the porters of the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries were, if anything, aristocrats of labour, enjoying high status. However, in the years from the late eighteenth to the early nineteenth century, there was a marked change in attitude. This was in part because the working river was within the region of the East End of London, which in this period acquired an unenviable reputation. By now, dockside labour was considered to be the most disreputable, and certainly the least desirable form of work.

D
It could be said that the first industrial community in England grew up around the Thames. With the host of river workers themselves, as well as the vast assembly of ancillary trades such as tavern-keepers and laundresses, food-sellers and street-hawkers, shopkeepers and marine store dealers – there was a workforce of many thousands congregated in a relatively small area. There were more varieties of business to be observed by the riverside than, in any other part of the city. As a result, with the possible exception of the area known as Seven Dials, the East End was also the most intensively inhabited region of London.

E
It was a world apart, with its own language and its own laws. From the sailors in the opium dens of Limehouse to the smugglers on the malarial flats of the estuary, the workers of the river were not part of any civilised society. The alien world of the river had entered them. That alienation was also expressed in the slang of the docks, which essentially amounted to backslang, or the reversal of ordinary words. This backslang also helped in the formulation of Cockney rhyming slang, so that the vocabulary of Londoners was directly’affected by the life of the Thames.

F
The reports in the nineteenth-century press reveal a heterogeneous world of dock labour, in which the crowds of casuals waiting for work at the dock gates at 7.45 a.m. include penniless refugees, bankrupts, old soldiers, broken-down gentlemen, discharged servants, and ex-convicts. There were some 400-500 permanent workers who earned a regular wage and who were considered to be the patricians of dockside labour. However, there were some 2,500 casual workers who were hired by the shift. The work for which they competed fiercely had become ever more unpleasant. Steam power could not be used for the cranes, for example, because of the danger of fire. So the cranes were powered by treadmills. Six to eight men entered a wooden cylinder and, laying hold of ropes, would tread the wheel round. They could lift nearly 20 tonnes to an average height of 27 feet (8.2 metres), forty times in an hour. This was part of the life of the river unknown to those who were intent upon its more picturesque aspects.

Questions 14-19

Reading Passage 319 has SIX paragraphs, A-F.

Choose the correct heading, A-F, from the list of headings below.

Write the correct number, i-ix, in boxes 14-19 on your answer sheet.

List of Headings

i.      A mixture of languages and nationalities
ii.     The creation of an exclusive identity
iii.    The duties involved in various occupations
iv.    An unprecedented population density
v.     Imports and exports transported by river
vi.    Transporting heavy loads manually
vii.   Temporary work for large numbers of people
viii.  Hazards associated with riverside work
ix.    The changing status of riverside occupations

14. Paragraph A
15. Paragraph B
16. Paragraph C
17. Paragraph D
18. Paragraph E
19. Paragraph F

Questions 20-21

Choose TWO letters, A-E.

Write the correct letters, A-E, in boxes 20 & 21 on your answer sheet.

Which TWO statements are made about work by the River Thames before the eighteenth century?

A. Goods were transported from the river by cart.
B. The workforce was very poorly paid.
C. Occupations were specialised.
D. Workers were generally looked down upon.
E. Physical strength was required.

Questions 22-23

Choose TWO letters, A-E.

Write the correct letters, A-E, in boxes 22 & 23 on your answer sheet.

Which TWO statements are made about life by the River Thames in the early nineteenth century?

A. The area was very crowded.
B. There was an absence of crime.
C. Casual work was in great demand.
D. Several different languages were in use.
E. Inhabitants were known for their friendliness.

Questions 24-26

Complete the sentences below.

Use NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

24. In the nineteenth century, only a minority of dock workers received a ………………….. .
25. Cranes were operated manually because …………………..  created a risk of fire.
26. Observers who were unfamiliar with London’s docks found the River Thames ………………….. .

Answer:

14. iii
15. vi
16. ix
17. iv
18. ii
19. vii
20. & 21. C, E [in either order]
22. & 23. A, C [in either order]
24. regular wage
25. steam power
26. picturesque

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Happy New Year! 2022 || AMAN IELTS || PTE || CELPIP

 Happy

New Year!

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Writing Task 2 SAMPLE ANSWER || WWW.AMANIELTS.IN ||

Write about the following topic:

School children are becoming far too dependent on computers. This is having an alarming effect on reading and writing skills. Teachers need to avoid using computers in the classroom at all costs and go back to teaching basic study skills.

Do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

Nowadays modern technology has totally changed our approach to study. In many countries students no longer have to copy notes by hand from the blackboard; instead the teacher gives them a photocopy. Rather than messy ink and pen, students present a typed-up copy of their assignments. Their computer even checks their spelling as they go. In fact, some people believe that modern technology does a lot of our thinking for us and, as a result, we are going to lose our ability to think for ourselves.

In my opinion, spelling skills have definitely deteriorated in recent years. So many young people use mobile phones to send text messages where speed and conciseness are more important than spelling or grammar. Some teachers complain that these students take the same attitude toward their assignments.

On the other hand, typed assignments are much easier to read and are much neater. Frankly, I find some notes or texts which are handwritten almost impossible to read. Doctors, for example, have a reputation for illegible handwriting, which could lead to disastrous medical mistakes. Perhaps it is time we focused not on handwriting but on presenting information as accurately as possible.

One advantage of computers is that access to the Internet has opened up a new world of learning for us. We no longer have to wait for a book that has already been borrowed from the library before we do our research. In fact, the Internet can clearly be used to research information in the same way as a library but more conveniently.

On the whole, rather than holding students back, I believe modern technology has actually improved standards of education considerably.

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Geoff Brash academic reading passage || WWW.AMANIELTS.IN ||

 

Geoff Brash

Geoff Brash, who died in 2010, was a gregarious Australian businessman and philanthropist who encouraged the young to reach their potential.

Born in Melbourne to Elsa and Alfred Brash, he was educated at Scotch College. His sister, Barbara, became a renowned artist and printmaker. His father, Alfred, ran the Brash retail music business that had been founded in 1862 by his grandfather, the German immigrant Marcus Brasch, specialising in pianos. It carried the slogan ‘A home is not a home without a piano.’

In his young days, Brash enjoyed the good life, playing golf and sailing, and spending some months travelling through Europe, having a leisurely holiday. He worked for a time at Myer department stores before joining the family business in 1949, where he quickly began to put his stamp on things. In one of his first management decisions, he diverged from his father’s sense of frugal aesthetics by re-carpeting the old man’s office while he was away. After initially complaining of his extravagance, his father grew to accept the change and gave his son increasing responsibility in the business.

After World War II (1939-1945), Brash’s had begun to focus on white goods, such as washing machines and refrigerators, as the consumer boom took hold. However, while his father was content with the business he had built, the younger Brash viewed expansion as vital. When Geoff Brash took over as managing director in 1957, the company had two stores, but after floating it on the stock exchange the following year, he expanded rapidly and opened suburban stores, as well as buying into familiar music industry names such as Allans, Palings and Suttons. Eventually, 170 stores traded across the continent under the Brash’s banner.

Geoff Brash learned from his father’s focus on customer service. Alfred Brash had also been a pioneer in introducing a share scheme for his staff, and his son retained and expanded the plan following the float.

Geoff Brash was optimistic and outward looking. As a result, he was a pioneer in both accessing and selling new technology, and developing overseas relationships. He sourced and sold electric guitars, organs, and a range of other modern instruments, as well as state-of-the-art audio and video equipment. He developed a relationship with Taro Kakehashi, the founder of Japan’s Roland group, which led to a joint venture that brought electronic musical devices to Australia.

In 1965, Brash and his wife attended a trade fair in Guangzhou, the first of its kind in China; they were one of the first Western business people allowed into the country following Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution. He returned there many times, helping advise the Chinese in establishing a high quality piano factory in Beijing; he became the factory’s agent in Australia. Brash also took leading jazz musicians Don Burrows and James Morrison to China, on a trip that reintroduced jazz to many Chinese musicians.

He stood down as Executive Chairman of Brash’s in 1988, but under the new management debt became a problem, and in 1994 the banks called in administrators. The company was sold to Singaporean interests and continued to trade until 1998, when it again went into administration. The Brash name then disappeared from the retail world. Brash was greatly disappointed by the collapse and the eventual disappearance of the company he had run for so long. But it was not long before he invested in a restructured Allan’s music business.

Brash was a committed philanthropist who, in the mid-1980s, established the Brash Foundation, which eventually morphed, with other partners, into the Soundhouse Music Alliance. This was a not-for-profit organisation overseeing and promoting multimedia music making and education for teachers and students. The Soundhouse offers teachers and young people the opportunity to get exposure to the latest music technology, and to use this to compose and record their own music, either alone or in collaboration. The organisation has now also established branches in New Zealand, South Africa and Ireland, as well as numerous sites around Australia.

Questions 1-5

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 318?

In boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet, write –

TRUE     if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE    if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN   if there is no information on this

1. The Brash business originally sold pianos.
2. Geoff Brash’s first job was with his grandfather’s company.
3. Alfred Brash thought that his son wasted money.
4. By the time Geoff Brash took control, the Brash business was selling some electrical products.
5. Geoff Brash had ambitions to open Brash stores in other countries.

Questions 6-10

Answer the questions below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

6. Which arrangement did Alfred Brash set up for his employees?
7. Which Japanese company did Geoff Brash collaborate with?
8. What type of event in China marked the beginning of Geoff Brash’s relationship with that country?
9. What style of music did Geoff Brash help to promote in China?
10. When did the Brash company finally stop doing business?

Questions 11-13

Complete the notes below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

Soundhouse Music Alliance

      •  Grew out of the Brash Foundation.
      •  A non-commercial organisation providing support for music and music 11 ……………                              
      •  Allows opportunities for using up-to-date 12 ……………
      •  Has 13 …………… in several countries.

.

Answer:

1. TRUE
2. FALSE
3. TRUE
4. TRUE
5. NOT GIVEN
6. (a) share scheme
7. Roland/ Roland group/ the Roland group
8. (a) trade fair
9. jazz
10. 1998
11. education
12. technology
13. branches

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Important map for jan 2022 IELTS Exam

 The maps show improvements that have been made to a university campus between 2010 and the present day.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

 

 Model answer

The two maps show the development of a university campus from 2010 to the present day. It can be seen from the maps that the campus has been improved and extended, with much more student accommodation and facilities than previously.

Firstly, the number of student accommodation buildings has been increased in number and size. A previous accommodation block south of the lake has been destroyed and replaced by a new building for students, which includes shops and offices. In addition, the teaching facilities have been extended. The previous single teaching block has been changed into a block only for arts subjects and there is a new building for the sciences to the north of the campus. This has replaced the old university offices. The lawn and outside seating area which were next to the lake have been removed. The lake, however, has remained and is still the central point of the campus.

(152 words)

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General Writing Sample Task 1 ||www.amanielts.in ||

 

You have just spent a weekend staying at the Lilo Hotel in Adelaide. When you get home you find that you have left a bag at the hotel.

• You should write at least 150 words.
• You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

Dear Mr. Simpson,

I stayed in your hotel on the 23rd and 24th of October. I was in Room 603. When I arrived home, I discovered that I had left one of my bags at the hotel. Could you please check your Lost and Found Department and see if my bag is there?

The bag is a small black leather, document case with a narrow strap. Inside the bag, you will find several business cards, a fountain pen, a small address book, three copies of a business proposal and a silver pocket calculator. These things are not very valuable in money terms, but they have a lot of personal value.

I would appreciate it if you could contact me as soon as possible, particularly since I need the proposals for a presentation this week. If you could send the bag to me by courier service, I would be most grateful. I have arranged to pay for the service.

Thank you for your help.

Yours sincerely,

Michael Johnson

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The Future of fish READING PASSAGE || WWW.AMANIELTS.IN ||

 

 The Future of fish

The face of the ocean has changed completely since the first commercial fishers cast their nets and hooks over a thousand years ago. Fisheries intensified over the centuries, but even by the nineteenth century, it was still felt, justifiably, that the plentiful resources of the sea were for the most part beyond the reach of fishing, and so there was little need to restrict fishing or create protected areas. The twentieth century heralded an escalation in fishing intensity that is unprecedented in the history of the oceans, and modern fishing technologies leave fish no place to hide. Today, the only refuges from fishing are those we deliberately create. Unhappily, the sea trails far behind the land in terms of the area and the quality of protection given.

For centuries, as fishing and commerce have expanded, we have held onto the notion that the sea is different from the land. We still view it as a place where people and nations should be free to come and go at will, as well as somewhere that should be free for us to exploit. Perhaps this is why we have been so reluctant to protect the sea. On land, protected areas have proliferated as human populations have grown. Here, compared to the sea, we have made greater headway in our struggle to maintain the richness and variety of wildlife and landscape. Twelve percent of the world’s land is now contained in protected areas, whereas the corresponding figure for the sea is but three-fifths of one percent. Worse still, most marine protected areas allow some fishing to continue. Areas off-limits to all exploitation cover something like one five-thousandth of the total area of the world’s seas.

Today, we are belatedly coming to realise that ‘natural refuges’ from fishing have played a critical role in sustaining fisheries, and maintaining healthy and diverse marine ecosystems. This does not mean that marine reserves can rebuild fisheries on their own – other management measures are also required for that. However, places that are off-limits to fishing constitute the last and most important part of our package of reform for fisheries management. They underpin and enhance all our other efforts. There are limits to protection though.

Reserves cannot bring back what has died out. We can never resurrect globally extinct species, and restoring locally extinct animals may require reintroductions from elsewhere, if natural dispersal from remaining populations is insufficient. We are also seeing, in cases such as northern cod in Canada, that fishing can shift marine ecosystems into different states, where different mixes of species prevail. In many cases, these species are less desirable, since the prime fishing targets have gone or are much reduced in numbers, and changes may be difficult to reverse, even with a complete moratorium on fishing. The Mediterranean sailed by Ulysses, the legendary king of ancient Greece, supported abundant monk seals, loggerhead turtles and porpoises. Their disappearance through hunting and overfishing has totally restructured food webs, and recovery is likely to be much harder to achieve than their destruction was. This means that the sooner we act to protect marine life, the more certain will be our success.

To some people, creating marine reserves is an admission of failure. According to their logic, reserves should not be necessary if we have done our work properly in managing the uses we make of the sea. Many fisheries managers are still wedded to the idea that one day their models will work, and politicians will listen to their advice. Just give the approach time, and success will be theirs. How much time have we got? This approach has been tried and refined for the last 50 years. There have been few successes which to feather the managers’ caps, but a growing litany of failure. The Common Fisheries Policy, the European Union’s instrument for the management of fisheries and aquaculture, exemplifies the worst pitfalls: flawed models, flawed advice, watered-down recommendations from government bureaucrats and then the disregard of much of this advice by politicians. When it all went wrong, as it inevitably had to, Europe sent its boats to other countries in order to obtain fish for far less than they were actually worth.

We are squandering the wealth of oceans. If we don’t break out of this cycle of failure, humanity will lose a key source of protein, and much more besides. Disrupting natural ecosystem processes, such as water purification, nutrient cycling, and carbon storage, could have ramifications for human life itself. We can go a long way to avoiding this catastrophic mistake with simple common sense management. Marine reserves lie at the heart of the reform. But they will not be sufficient if they are implemented only here and there to shore up the crumbling edifice of the ‘rational fisheries management’ envisioned by scientists in the 1940s and 1950s. They have to be placed centre stage as a fundamental underpinning for everything we do in the oceans. Reserves are a first resort, not a final resort when all else fails.

Questions 27-31

Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 317?

In boxes 27-31 on your answer sheet, write –

YES       if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer.
NO         if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer.
NOT GIVEN   if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this.

27. It is more than a thousand years since people started to catch fish for commercial use.
28. In general, open access to the oceans is still regarded as desirable.
29. Sea fishing is now completely banned in the majority of protected areas.
30. People should be encouraged to reduce the amount of fish they eat.
31. The re-introduction of certain mammals to the Mediterranean is a straightforward task.

Questions 32-34

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D and write them in boxes 32, 33 & 34 on your answer sheet.

32. What does the writer mean with the question, ‘How much time have we got?’ in the fifth paragraph?

    A. Fisheries policies are currently based on uncertain estimates.
    B. Accurate predictions will allow governments to plan properly.
    C. Fisheries managers should provide clearer information.
    D. Action to protect fish stocks is urgently needed.

33. What is the writer’s comment on the Common Fisheries Policy?

    A. Measures that it advocated were hastily implemented.
    B. Officials exaggerated some of its recommendations.
    C. It was based on predictions which were inaccurate.
    D. The policy makers acquired a good reputation.

34. What is the writer’s conclusion concerning the decline of marine resources?

    A. The means of avoiding the worst outcomes needs to be prioritised.
    B. Measures already taken to avoid a crisis are probably sufficient.
    C. The situation is now so severe that there is no likely solution.
    D. It is no longer clear which measures would be most effective.

Questions 35-40

Complete the summary using the list of words/phrases, A-J, below.

Measures to protect the oceans

Up till the twentieth century the world’s supply of fish was sufficient for its needs.

It was unnecessary to introduce 35 ……………. of any kind, because large areas of the oceans were inaccessible.

However, as 36 ……………. improved, this situation changed, and in the middle of the twentieth century, policies were introduced to regulate 37 ……………..                                    

These policies have not succeeded. Today, by comparison with 38 ……………. the oceans have very little legal protection.

Despite the doubts that many officials have about the concept of 39 ……………., these should be at the heart of any action taken.

The consequences of further 40 ……………. are very serious, and may even affect our continuing existence.

A. action
B. controls
C. failure
D. fish catches
E. fish processing
F. fishing techniques
G. large boats
H. marine reserves
I. the land
J. the past

Answer:

27. YES
28. YES
29. NO
30. NOT GIVEN
31. NO
32. D
33. C
34. A
35. B
36. F
37. D
38. I
39. H
40. C

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The chart below shows the proportions of graduates from Brighton University in 2019 ( AMAN IELTS)

The chart below shows the proportions of graduates from Brighton University in 2019 entering different employment sectors.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

 Model answer

The pie chart illustrates the career choices of Brighton University's 2019 graduates, giving the percentages who worked in each of various sectors after finishing university. Overwhelmingly, industry and government were the most popular choices.

Just under half the students went into industry, with service industries attracting more Brighton graduates than any other sector by far — almost a third (33.0%). About half that number (16.3%) took jobs in manufacturing.

Politics and public service were the next most popular choice, accounting for nearly a fifth of graduates. Just over 12% went into politics and a further 5.6% chose the civil service. The other significant career choices were education (about 15%) and two others: transportation and warehousing, with 7.8%; and science and technology with 7.3%.

The least popular choices included work in the charitable sector and careers in sport, both of which were chosen by well under 1% of graduates. Finally, 2.8% entered work in other, unspecified, sectors.

(155 words)

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Describe a language that you want to learn (not English) SPEAKING TOPIC || WWW.AMANIELTS.IN ||

 

Describe a language that you want to learn (not English)

You should say:

• What it is
• How you would learn it
• Where you would learn it
• And explain why you want to learn this language   

• 
  

• 
  

• I have always wanted to be bilingual or even multilingual, so apart from English and Chinese, French is another language I wish to learn.Honestly speaking, French was never on the top of my list of must-learn languages. At first, I planned on learning Japanese. But then when i recalled my time learning Chinese during high school and the fact that Japanese can actually be even be more difficult, I don’t think I could ever remember all of the letters, let alone make out what they mean. So, I had to resort to French, which I think will somehow be easier as it shares most of the English latin alphabet.

  A second language is obligatory in my faculty so I guess I will be learning French at university. Many of my friends recommended me some language centers but I have no problems with studying French at my university. It can be stressful at times as the score will count forwards my GPA, but I will take that as motivation to learn this language seriously.

  Learning a language is no doubt a difficult and frustrating task. It took me years to master my English, and I know it will take no less to have a relatively good command of French. But let’s not get ahead of myself I will just have to take baby steps. But I think I’m ready for this challenge.

  
  Similar topics

  • Describe a skill that takes long time to learn: It took me 3 years to be able to converse in French (remember to change the verb tense into past tense).
  • Describe a subject you dislike but now have interest in: I used to dislike French very much because it affects my GPA but now I like it because it is an interesting language and I give maximum effort to study it.
  • Describe an activity you would do when you are alone in your free time: I often learn French and do the exercises in my free time when I am alone.

  Speaking Part 3

  1. What is an example of an international language that people use to communicate (besides English)?

  Chinese is an example of an international language apart from English. In fact, around one sixth of the world population speaks Chinese as their first language. Even foreigners speak Chinese, mostly in trade and business.

  2. Do you think people will speak the same language in the future (maybe English)?

  No, I don’t think people will speak the same language in the future, because a language carries national values and represents the indigenous cultures. In other words, the loss of a language equals the loss of cultural identity. Individualism urges people to have their own identity, wave their own flags and speak their own language. That is why people of different countries won’t be willing to speak the same language.

  3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this trend?

  Having an international language can bring both benefits and drawbacks. Despite the fact that people speaking the same language can facilitate trade and business meetings, it can result in the extinction of languages, which will eventually bring about the loss of knowledge and cultural identities.

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Speaking Part Two: Describe a person you enjoy working with (Study & Work) ||www.amanielts.in||

 

Describe a person you enjoy working with.  

You should say

• Who this person is
• How you met this person
• How you feel about this person 
• And why you enjoy working with this person. 

Sample Answer Band 8+

I’d like to talk about the person who has the most profound influence on my personal development. His name is Toan and he’s currently working as a COO in my company. 

I first met Toan when he came to my university as a guest speaker for an IELTS workshop called “Be specific!”. Before that, I’d already known about him as a prominent IELTS high-achiever who’s pulled off lots of remarkable feats, like scoring 8.5 for Writing. This skill was a nightmare for me back then, so I attended Toan’s workshop with pretty high hopes, and what I got from that experience was far beyond my wildest expectation.  

It only took Toan 10 minutes to amaze me with his down-to-earth personality and effective use of language. The messages he conveyed in his stories were so resonant that even the least experienced could relate to, and the best thing was that Toan never tried to over-dramatise any failures he’s gone through, no matter how disheartening they were. Also, the pieces of advice he gave us in the Q&A section were very practical, and his articulateness allowed him to answer all of our questions in such a simple yet convincing way. A few months later, I decided to apply for a teaching position in Toan’s training center, hoping I could learn even more from him. Little did I know, it was the biggest turning point in my career. 

My first impression about Toan was that he is extremely assertive and reasonable. After my demo lecture, he gave me lots of constructive feedback, all of which were really objective and on point. I mean he didn’t need to use any exaggerated criticisms just to exert his dominance, or half-hearted compliments to flatter my ego. Everything about Toan feels so genuine, and from that moment, I knew I’ve put my trust in the right person.

During the past 3 years, Toan never ceases to amaze me with his wisdom, vision and tolerance. In the recruiting process, instead of focusing on a candidate’s current level, he puts greater emphasis on their critical thinking, mindset and long-term commitment. Then, he’d spend lots of time identifying his employees’ strengths and weaknesses to help them visualize a suitable career path. Also, when someone messes something up, Toan hardly ever criticizes them too severely. Instead, he would help his employees figure out the underlying cause behind their problem and give them chances to learn from their mistakes. I feel like rather than exploiting us, Toan always encourages each individual to fully develop and become the best possible version of themselves. All of these qualities, for me, are the most important traits that distinguish a great leader from a mediocre one.

I always feel like there’s a special connection between me and Toan. Every conversation I’ve had with him somehow always motivates me, sparks something in my mind, and makes me want to push myself further. I wouldn’t be where I am now without Toan’s guidance, and for that reason, I always consider working with him a privilege. A privilege I’ll never take for granted.

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