What inspired you to work for your organization?
I love the one-to-one support that Bridging Gaps offers its clients and the underlying value of creating enriching personal experiences that feed into impactful contributions for Cape Town and South Africa as a whole.
Inspiring construction we found in the garden of a Normandy Cider farm, Billy’s!
Describe a typical day at work.
I spend a lot of time learning about what makes an experience abroad special and of most value to our clients. To do this I interact with a lot of people and analyse feedback to help us serve our clients even better.
Why do you do what you do?
I believe that travel experiences are one of life’s best opportunities to grow in maturity and wisdom to enhance our contribution to society. Being a part of a team that enables this is an absolute privilege. Our clients’ stories of changed lives and perspectives are golden!
What is your favorite part of your job?
Hearing the stories of our interns. How their skill set, confidence and world view has been enhanced through their programme. And the friendships they make in the process.
My family and I in Annecy, France. My wife and I spent four years living there and both children were born there.
How do you use your education and international background in your current role?
I’ve travelled extensively and partaken in volunteering work. I lean on my own experiences to empathise not only with our interns as they undertake what can be a daunting experience; but also that of their parents who have sent their child abroad perhaps for the first time on their own!
What challenges do you often face and how do you overcome them?
My challenges are in making sure I truly understand what is important to our clients, and that we do not operate on ‘instinct’ but regularly validate our offering with the people that really matter - our interns.
What are some current projects you are working on?
I’m working on extending the range of opportunities we offer. Tens of thousands of people intern abroad every year - we need to make sure that they don’t just get a cookie-cutter experience like some providers unfortunately offer. We strive to offer precision-engineered placements!
What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?
Put yourself out there. Start more conversations. Take more changes to improve yourself.
What makes Bridging Gaps special?
I believe that the level of support we offer our interns is utterly unrivalled in our industry. We (the team) are obsessed with adding value to the interns experience in any way we can - not least through an industry leading orientation and full country briefing.
Why should someone choose Bridging Gaps over competitors?
Our interns choose BG because they want two things: 1) The experience on the ground to be exactly that which was promised to them. 2) A trustworthy circle of supportive mentors that are available at the drop of a hat to solve any problems they may have.
What hopes do you have for the future for your organization?
We’re improving our offering all the time. In the future we will likely offer much more than straight internships - perhaps bringing in taught elements for further enhance the development opportunities.
What makes Bridging Gaps easy to market to potential participants?
The dozens of granular testimonials and reviews that our past interns have provided. We let the experiences of our past interns do the talking! In fact many of the people that our interns meet when they’re here say things like ‘we wish we chose BG over our guys’ - you can read this for yourself in our granular reviews... unedited by us.
My wife and I heading to California with two extremely young children (thankfully with their grandparents)
What is Bridging Gaps’ mission and how do you continue to work toward it?
To put it simply our mission is to offer experiences that change people for the better.
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
Lasting experiences which have given them enough challenge to keep them at the absolute edge of their abilities. This is where their growth in skills and confidence happens fastest. But this is underpinned by an exhilarating immersion in the beautiful culture of South Africa.
How do you help support participants?
Firstly: We make sure we know exactly what is important to them before they come. We take so much care to align their needs with the right kind of opportunities within our network of more than 500 local organisations. Secondly: We equip them to thrive in SA by offering a very thorough induction and orientation. Thirdly: We make sure we are there for them whenever they need us and for whatever reason.
If you could participate on one of your organization's programs, where would you go and what would you do?
Cape Town. Cape Town. Cape Town. What a beautiful city full of wonderful sights and experiences - plus a growing economy full of opportunities. I would undertake a marketing internship in order to learn for myself, and offer a valuable contribution to a local organisation or several clients through a Capetonian agency.
Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?
Travel is increasingly important in contemporary careers. The ability to be able to understand and operate within cultures different to those of our native experience can make us extremely valuable employees. But more importantly the world is a wonderfully enriching place, if we just get out of our limited world views and go experience it!
Me and my seven-year-old daughter
Why do you think learning a new language is important?
New languages also open up new ways of thinking and understanding people different to us. I speak a second language fluently and it has honestly enhanced my ability to understand life’s happenings in a different way. From politics to business - there are more ways to see things than of those I learned through any UK education.
What advice do you have for individuals thinking about going abroad?
Ask potential internship providers lots of questions about everything you possibly can. The quickest way to tell who will offer the most effective support is to see how much time they take with you before you come and how much attention they pay to your unique concerns.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Choose opportunities which are designed to help you learn and are offered by people who want to help you learn and grow.
