NAME: Thanh Penner

Q: What is your first language?
A: My first language is Vietnamese.
Q: How many years have you been in Canada?
A: I have been in Canada for nine years.
Q: What was your job in your home country?
A: I was the purchasing officer for a large supermarket.
Q: Where do you see yourself working in five years?
A: I see myself working in an accounting firm.
Q: How has taking Accent Reduction lessons changed your life?
A: Accent Reduction lessons have helped me to become more confident in my speaking abilities and people can understand me better.
Q: Tell us about a time your accent caused difficulty.
A: I couldn’t communicate very well with my in laws- but now they can understand me.
Q: What is the greatest strength you offer your employer?
A: I have great skills- not only as an Accountant but living in Vancouver has helped me to become very aware of different cultures. This can be very helpful since Vancouver is such a multicultural city.
Q: What advice do you have for other iTP’s?
A: Prepare, prepare and prepare! Start making a list of things that you want to improve on and start working towards those goals before you get the job of your dreams. Whether it is improving your accent or learning how to paint or ski……whatever it is you need, start working on developing your skills now.
Q: What can be done to assist the transition of ITP’s?
A: Employers need to understand different cultures. There are a lot of handbooks, but they lack depth. Employers need to be more open and give ITP’s a chance. We might not have everything perfected, but we need to be in an environment where we can grow and develop our skills whether that be skills that we need for the job or just general people skills.
Q: What do you want from an employer?
A: I want employers to take a chance on new ITP’s. We may lack in some areas, but our skill set will make up for it.

L2 Accent Reduction Centre
6093 West Boulevard, Vancouver, BC V6M 3X2
Call Jennifer at 604-267-7781
www.L2accent.com l info@L2accent.com