I am Maria, originally from Argentina, but I have been living abroad since 2007. I am currently working for the TEFL Academy in our head office in Dublin, Ireland as student services. Here, we would handle all queries from all over the world and bookings for our TEFL course.
What is your favorite travel memory?
My favorite travel memory is while cycling through Rajasthan, in India, with some friends.
After a long ride, we decided to stop for some chai (tea) at a friend's house. It was the kite festival season so the sky was full of colorful kites. Kids and family were gathering on rooftops and celebrating.
Travelling makes me realize the diversity of the world we live in, especially when it comes to cultures and life style. Having a cup of tea with some locals made me see beyond all that and realize that we are all the same at the end of the day, no matter where we come from, and especially that we do not need to speak the same language to travel and understand each other.
How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?
Working for the TEFL Academy has helped me to see how many people want to change their lives and it has made me appreciate how many of them want to change their lives by helping others through English and are willing to relocate and leave family and friends behind. This has also motivated me to teach in the future, something that I have always been wanting to do.
What is the best story you've heard from a return student?
It is hard to put in words one story only. The best story for me is when I hear that our students have managed to find the perfect job abroad in the perfect country and are happily teaching. Every time we hear positive stories from our past students, makes me and our team happy and glad to be working for the TEFL Academy.
If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?
I would love to start off with some volunteering in India by helping young kids to learn English. I am a mother of a 7-year-old boy and bringing him along with me it is something that I would love to do. I think it is not only important that we, adults, gain experience through teaching, traveling and helping other people, but it is also important to share this knowledge and experience with our own kids. Kids learn by example and we should start by teaching our own if we want to teach others.
What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?
I find our company unique because of all the support that you get from not only us, who deal with queries and students every day, but from the tutors that are there for them, throughout the whole course. We do also offer a lot of support after the course for students that need guidance in finding a job abroad.
There are so many TEFL course providers out there, so we are always proud of each other as a team when we are able to make people feel happy with their choice of studying with the TEFL Academy.
What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?
The biggest factor in being successful in our company is being able to communicate with people. Being patient is another big factor for me. We have to understand that most of the people we communicate with are in the middle of changing careers and planning to change their lives completely by moving abroad to a different country.
