Q. I want to be a yoga instructor. Can you tell me where I can get professional training? I have heard of Kaivalyadham. Is it a good institute?

A. With yoga gaining popularity across the world there is a great dearth of trained yoga instructors. In the absence of a statutory body for regulating education in this field, the Central Council for Research in Yoga & Naturopathy (www.ccryn.org) has formulated the syllabus for a 1-year Diploma in Yoga & Naturopathy (DYN) that is approved by the M/o Health & Family Welfare. This course is aimed at producing skilled paramedics in the field of Yoga and Nature Cure to assist full-fledged physicians of the system. The Council presently finances 28 Universities for imparting Certificate, Diploma and Degree and Ph. D courses in Yoga. UGC is also promoting Yoga by financing the Universities to start the Yoga courses in the Universities. Some Universities are imparting Yoga education ranging from Certificate to level courses. There are numerous private centers as well. But you will need to ensure that they are not manned by self-taught quacks. Kaivalyadham Yoga Institute (KYI), Lonavala (Mah), one of the few private institutes recognised by GOI, conducts numerous courses including six-week certificate courses in yogic culture starting in May.

This course has been designed for those who are interested in more than just the technical aspects of yoga and are keen learning about its philosophical and psychological background. Diploma courses in yoga start in August and for those interested in teaching yoga while the diploma in yoga therapy equips medical professionals with the necessary knowledge to provide holistic treatment using yoga as a complementary therapy.

On completion of these courses, you can work as a yoga and naturopath assistant in a yoga or fitness institute and in a hospital as a consultant or instructor. You can start your own classes. Both naturopathy and yoga have great promise as more and more people look for holistic alternative cures and remedies that are natural and are relatively free from side-effects.

Q. I have recently completed MBBS degree and would like to join the Indian Army. Can you please tell me about the selection procedure for recruiting doctors in the Indian Army?

A. Civilian doctors who have passed the MBBS exam (although a PG degree is preferred) are recruited as Medical Officers (MOs) in the Army Medical Corps in the Short Service Commission (SSC).

Women MOs are also recruited. The age limit for grant of SSC is 45 years.

You must have a permanent registration from your State Medical Council or the MCI. Selection is on the basis of an interview and selected candidates are inducted in the rank of Captain.

For further information, contact: The Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services, DG-1A, M/o Defence, ‘M’ Block, New Delhi 110001.

Q. I am a BA (Hindi) student. Please tell me about the job prospects.

A.  Suddenly, Hindi is becoming a popular subject at the college level, even in prestigious campuses like Delhi University. You could either teach in a school (after doing your BEd) or join the print or electronic media as a journalist, web content creator, compere, announcer, newsreader, anchorperson or scriptwriter.

The boom in TV and FM channels has also spawned the need for youngsters proficient in Hindi (preferably bilingual). If you have a way with words, you could also become a copywriter in an advertising agency, technical writer, public relations executive or join the tourism industry (Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Viswavidyalaya, Wardha (a Central University) offers a PG Dip in Cultural Tourism Mgt. Details: www.hindivishwa.org.

Creative writing is yet another option. With the proliferation of the media — over a 100+ TV channels and soon 300 plus FM stations, there is a growing demand for those who can communicate with style, ease and competence.

An additional course in PR, journalism, advertising or mass communication would give you the necessary professional edge.

Knowledge of another language may well open up avenues in translation amongst others. Several universities offer one-year Diploma courses in Translation for graduates.

Hindi translators are recruited by various government departments, including the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of External Affairs. The typical eligibility required is a Master’s degree in Hindi/English with English/Hindi as compulsory and elective subjects at bachelor’s level OR a bachelor’s degree with Hindi and English as the main subjects.

There is also a large requirement for people who can do DTP work in Hindi, so knowledge of computers and good typing skills would be very helpful in this area. Domestic call centres, particularly in the North, also require people with good spoken Hindi.

Hindi being our national language, there are several jobs at the clerical level and for typists and stenographers in banks and government offices.

Q.  I am a Class XII student in the commerce stream. I don’t want to join a regular college. Instead I would like to work and do a correspondence course side by side. Please tell me what factors I should keep in mind while choosing a course.

A. Increasingly, students have begun to opt for your kind of decision. In order to zero in on the best course, shortlist recognised well-known universities. Then check out their jurisdiction. Except the central universities and a few others, most universities stipulate their own domicile requirements. First try your local university. It will save you the bother of travelling to another city for taking your exams. Also check out whether the university offers contact programmes in your city from time-to-time, as these can be a great help.

As far as the course is concerned, opt for an ‘honours’ degree instead of a ‘pass’ course if it is available in the subject of your choice.

The open university or distance learning mode is fine for undergraduate courses. However, technical, management or science courses are best pursued through regular classroom study, particularly at the postgraduate level. You do benefit from face-to-face interaction. By and large, corporates and research organisations do not value such degrees, unless buttressed by considerable work experience. Whether we like it or not, that is the reality.

Q. I have just got my Commercial Pilot License and would like to know about multi-engine training. What are the costs involved?

A. With your newly acquired CPL, one way to enhance your qualifications is to go in for multi-engine flight training. After seven to 10 hours of multi-engine training on a certain aircraft, your license will carry an endorsement of the aircraft you have flown. You must always remember to renew your license regularly and adhere strictly to medical tests. Flying for even an hour after your license has expired can lead to a lifelong ban. However, the cost can be quite prohibitive. Depending on the aircraft that you get your endorsement on the costs can range from Rs15,000 - 35,000 per hour.

Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Academy (IGRUA) offers a Multi-engine endorsement course along with instrument rating on twin-engine turbo prop aircraft, though it is not conducted on a regular basis.

IGRUA is one of the few academies in the world, which offers multi-engine endorsement on a turbo-prop aircraft.

Q. I am a final year MBA student. Will joining the hotel industry be good career move?

A. Sure, MBAs can look at the hospitality industry as a potential career avenue - particularly now that the hospitality sector is booming. A hotel job can be an ideal platform for an MBA to execute his management skills and utilise his experience and training.

A hospitality venture is a highly professional business. Moreover, the industry is undergoing visible transformation — both in terms of work as well as function; MBAs are generally preferred in sales and marketing department. Business building, brand building and positioning — the job will give you ample opportunity to put all the principles of management that you’ve learnt to effective use. You can also test your leadership skills in areas of human resources development.

Opportunities in the hospitality industry are growing wider and better with more international chains making inroads in the country.

Though this industry is yet to offer the sort of package other industries pay at a similar level, it has a number of hidden value add-ons attached to it. Besides the growth opportunities and empowerment, working for a reputed brand name can prove to be quite challenging professionally.

Also, dealing with professionals and clients from varied backgrounds gives you a wider platform for interaction. Who knows, one of them could well be your future employer or a probable business partner!

So all things considered, exploring the hospitality sector may be a good idea for management professionals, especially when the industry is looking at them to bring in modern and effective business practices.

Convention management has also emerged as a hot area.

Please send in your query, preferably on a postcard, along with your full name, complete address and academic qualifications to: Editor, Jobs and Careers, The Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh-160030, or at careers@tribunemail.com