What inspired you to work for LEOlingo?
I founded LEOlingo in 2006. I was inspired by my own exchange/work programs (Chicago and Vancouver, Italy, Switzerland) and host families.
I love languages and learning more about other cultures and countries. Also, I wanted to work self-employed and to have my family join my experiences, especially my two sons, but also my husband.
Describe a typical day at work.
Depending on the season more office work like booking campsites, advertising campsites, accepting bookings, service for clients and sending out/checking invoices/payments, interviewing and hiring new candidates, etc. Also, campsite work like training new counselors, opening/checking/ending camps, and helping counselors.
We had a great time gathering together for the LEOlingo South Welcome Party!
What is your favorite part of your job?
I love languages and independent work. I enjoy working with young people and different cultures. The best part but also the most stressful part is the summer.
Especially when my family bonds very well with the counselors, the whole family enjoys being with them for a BBQ on a weekend. It is very special and nice to have returning counselors.
How do you use your education and international background in your current role?
I have worked at many places in different countries and simple jobs like waitressing or ski instructing. Then I learned how important it is to learn more about a country through the people who live there.
Prejudices can be reduced when you get to know the people of a country personally. A basic knowledge of a language helps to break the ice.
Ja, ja! We all got dressed up and had a great time! The LEOlingo South Bavarian Evening.
What challenges do you often face and how do you overcome them?
Some cultural differences are true and not only prejudices, and if you don't know about them, you might be easily offended. For example, Germans are known to be straightforward and sometimes other nations are shocked by that and think Germans are rude. But it is not meant to be that way. When Germans work with other nations, this might cause some communication problems.
What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?
Try to be more patient and to be more diplomatic. Try to accept that sometimes things are being done differently but still might work very well. Small problems might be solved in a different way than you expect them to be solved.
Why should someone choose LEOlingo over competitors?
LEOlingo Süd is very well organized. That is the feedback we often get from former counselors. The camps have run since 2006 which means there is a lot of experience in what we are doing.
The company is very small in comparison to others. This means that each individual is well known and the personal contact is very close.
We all had a great time with the children at the LEOlingo South Camp group.
What is your organization's mission and how do you continue to work toward it?
Let kids learn a language in "real life" with cool, fun, young people and interesting activities and games. Let them learn more about different cultures at the same time. This way they will get more excited about learning the language and will reduce prejudices.
This mission about getting in touch with a different culture is the same for the counselors who come here. They are "my group of kids" and I want them to experience German culture in a special and personal way.
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
I want them to learn that there is a world outside their country and that there might be different points of view, but also that not all prejudices are true. The reputation of Germans has not always been the best. I can see that families who host our counselors or kids whom they work with can make them change their minds.
United States, England, Ireland, and Canada represented with the LEOlingo South Team 2023.
Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?
Be open and think about different ideas, thoughts, and behaviors. Enjoy the time you are spending in a different country and don't take negative parts too seriously, for example, a rude conductor. When you are friendly and interested, your conversation partner will be friendly and interested in you and your country and life as well.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Meaningful travel to me means learning from other people, their culture, their politics, their work ethic, their problem-solving, their opinions, etc. Take out the best parts and try to keep them for yourself, while you also keep the best parts you learned from your own culture, family, and country.
Understanding without judging is a very important part. At the same time, it is important to see that all British, Canadians, Americans, Irish, French, Germans, etc. are individuals and will also be different from other British, Canadians, Americans, Irish, French, and Germans.
