What inspired you to work for Beyond Academy?
The role of community coordinator is about helping younger people find their own pathway. It feels great when I see how we impact someone's experience and make it even greater. This inspired me to work for an organization like Beyond Academy where I use my my previous background and skills to contribute to to someone’s future
Our interns in Seoul!
Describe a typical day at work.
There are two different types of work I do. When it's an event day, I check if everything is ready to go, and make sure the interns know the itinerary. Then, I run the event as planned!
Other days, I do administrative work: event planning, managing documents and interns, communicating with involved colleagues/partners. My schedule is flexible as long as I can get the work done on time.
Why do you do what you do?
I was a student once, and I spent my 20s wandering countries to find my own purpose. I always wished for a big sister or a mentor every time I traveled to a new country, who could guide me. Working with our interns, I can be that older sibling. It's fun and very meaningful when I can provide valuable information or share my experience with them.
Paris
What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of the job is seeing interns amazed by the places and experiences I have organized for them—and then tell me that it was the best experience they have ever had in their life! I plan events very consciously and with the best intentions, so when I see they gain something great, I feel very proud.
What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?
The advice that I would tell my pre-travel self is do not be afraid of taking on more new adventures! And don't think about the small problems you have now—like being short of budget or responsibilities—because this may be the only chance you will get to try new things. There won't be a second chance!
What makes your organization special?
What makes our organization special is that the team is diverse and we all come from a variety of professional backgrounds—this makes for a unique outcome. This is very special because we can all contribute in many creative ways, pool together everyone’s suggestions, and you see what great results we can achieve!
Why should someone choose your organization over competitors?
In Beyond Academy, everyone wants to create the best experience for our interns—this is authentic and we really mean it. All our products are customer-centered, and we allocate conscious time even for small decisions.
often feel that I would take this program over others if I were a customer when I am working with our team.
What makes your organization easy to market to potential participants?
Our products are flexible and adjustable for candidates. Our team tries their best to make sure candidates are comfortable and aware of every detail. And we also have many new attractive destinations to offer for 2023. All those exciting factors mean the products market themselves.
What is your organization's mission and how do you continue to work toward it?
Our mission is customer satisfaction. We really work for our customers and the direction is quite straightforward: customer first. We want to create the best experience for anyone who takes our programs and it can be applied to every single decision we make everyday. With this in mind, we aim to delight and go above and beyond.
Australia
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
I want our candidates to not only have the best memories in Seoul, but also a valuable career experience that they can use in the future. Internship experiences in South Korea are not only unique, it can also open many exciting opportunities in their careers. Having international experience looks really great on the resume.
If you could participate on one of your organization's programs, where would you go and what would you do?
I'd love to try the London Program since it was one of my dream destinations that I haven't traveled to yet! It would be exciting to live and work in one of the most international cities in the world. It would be great to experience its international career environment and visit every tourist attraction London has to offer.
What questions do participants often ask you, and how do you typically respond?
The questions participants ask most often are about Korean culture. As most of our interns are from Europe and America, they face some new cultural norms they have not experienced before. I try to explain that Korea has opened its gate to the world not that long ago, and we are still learning how to mingle with international cultures.
Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?
It is important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures because it really opens your eyes to the world and gives you wisdom. We often can be trapped in our comfort zones, and don't realize that what we see is limited to what we already know. Traveling abroad and experiencing new cultures keeps our minds sharp!
Spain
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Interacting with locals and learning their lifestyle is an essential part of truly understanding a culture, including its food culture. When I travel, I make an effort to try all the things that locals have to offer, even if they may not be to my personal taste.
By immersing myself in local customs and trying new things, I gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the culture I am visiting.
What does ethical global engagement mean to you?
Not participating in activities that are harmful for humanity, the environment, and local culture. We are living in an era of a global world. Small things really affect our planet and we can contribute to it by being an ethical traveler. Always learn to be tolerant of foreign cultures before judging!
