Smaller Earth

I lived in Dublin until I was 15 and then moved to Brisbane, now Im in the Czech Republic! I love meeting new people and making friends, but it is always extremely difficult leaving everyone! After just 1 year in Australia I knew I had made lifelong friends, but I will always stay in contact via facebook and Skype!

I began teaching English after just 1 week of completing the TEFL course. As an English teacher in Prague, all of my students are Czech. Teaching is a extremely rewarding career, especially when you can see your students improving! It has also allowed me to discover so much more about the Czech peoples' traditions, attitudes and culture. My students always love telling me about great places to visit in Prague. The main reason they want to learn English is not just for communication with english speakers in their country, but also for travelling. English is the common language throughout Europe! They are always interested in learning about cultures of English speaking countries.

"There are many TEFL courses in Europe. I considered doing a course at home in Dublin, however there aren't many people looking for English lessons there, compared to Prague! The staff at smaller earth were fantastic. They were always happy to help, with recommendations on the best restaurants and bars to help with finding a job or accommodation after the course. Because of this, I didn't want to leave Prague after finishing the course, and so I decided to stay for 5 months until university begins! I have made so many new friends through the TEFL alumni group, and they were always willing to show me around when I arrived."

I will definitely continue teaching English during my summer holidays at university. After such an amazing experience in Prague, I hope to teach English in other foreign countries around the world. If I hadn't done this course, I don't think I would consider living in a different country for an entire Summer!

I recently caught up with a Smaller Earth participant from Scotland who spent the summer in Queenstown working as a lift operator at a ski resort in the mountains.

Seeing his face light up when he talked about his job as a lift operator filled me with pride and satisfaction. He explained how he interacts with hundreds of people every day from all over the world and even though many of them speak different languages, the people he meets all share the same common interest and have a love for the snow which allows them to connect even when language barriers get in the way.

He lives with an English guy who we connected him with prior to his arrival in New Zealand. They also work together, spending the majority of their day's side by side. They relate to one another as brothers now when just three months earlier they had never before met.

It is these kinds of connections that make our jobs so important, breaking down barriers and creating meaningful interactions between people.

I would go on the Kiwi and Kiwi program! New Zealand is such a magical place, it's uncrowded, green and not to mention incredibly beautiful from every angle.

I love being outdoors, exploring nature and skiing. All of which is plentiful in New Zealand.
There are a number of roles offered on the Kiwi and Kiwi program that are entry level, I would not be held back from securing employment by lacking necessary qualifications.

Kiwi's are extremely welcoming, easy going and friendly. They have an enviable work life balance, believing that life is for living. Working hard to get the job done and enjoying plenty of free time with friends and doing recreational activities.

For Smaller Earth, the biggest factor is staff believing in the company values and purpose. With invested, passionate and motivated staff the company continuously strive every day to meet the values and live the company purpose of inspiring people to go further.

Our staff is pushed out of their comfort zones regularly to help them grow as individuals which feed into our participants.