Of all the places I visited during my trips, Peru was one of the most impressive. Although most people I met were poor, they have compassion for others and treat everyone respectfully. The country is so beautiful, and their culture is unique. My trip to Machu Picchu was fascinating and educating. I love to learn about other people's history.
Staff Spotlight: Adriana Blumberg
Title:
Director of StudiesPhotos
Ms. Blumberg received her MA TESOL in Limerick, Ireland. After being a public school English teacher in Sweden for a number of years, she moved to France and later to the U.S. In France, Ms. Blumberg taught English in private schools and in corporations. In the U.S., she taught in language centers and community colleges. She has worked as a TEFL trainer for over 10 years.
What is your favorite travel memory?
How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?
After coaching so many prospective teachers over the years, I have improved my daily work to become more efficient in targeting weaknesses of my trainees. After over 10 years of training teachers, I have developed a worldwide network of graduates who help me, sometimes instantly, to identify employment opportunities for other graduates. My trainees work in every corner of the world, and I maintain contact with them.
What is the best story you've heard from a return student?
One of our graduates in South Korea wrote to us that the principal observed her class. At the end, he came to the front of the class and congratulated her for the outstanding performance and work ethics in general. She was told by her colleagues that this rarely happens and wrote us proudly about it.
What unique qualities does your company possess?
As a training organization, we strive to give our graduates knowledge and skills that go beyond the "travel teacher" and make them compatible to four-year graduates of formal colleges of teacher training. The employment record of our students speaks volumes.
As we train them on site, our students are hired by the best schools worldwide. Our graduates teach at universities in Saudi Arabia, Oman, South Korea, and China, for just to name a few countries.
What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?
One of our graduates wrote us a huge thank-you note. She had been hired by Yale University in the U.S. to work with international students in their summer program. Yale University is an Ivy-League school in the U.S. and is compatible to Princeton and Columbia University. It cannot get any better. In such moments, we realize that we do exceptional training work.
What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?
In order to be a successful TEFL training organization, you have to have your customer service under control. Besides great customer service, you have to offer valuable employment opportunities to your students. And the staff of the organization has to understand that we are in the business to help our students to achieve their goals--even if it means that they have to get a second try after intensive coaching.