GoAbroad

Staff Interview with Maria Tomas

Get to know International Open Academy's staff!

Maria Tomas

Maria Tomas

Interviewed in 2023
Maria Tomas is the Director of the KnowHowDo Educational Group. Our success is built on the fact that we deliver excellence in learning experiences, transforming the lives of our students. Our classes are focused on lifestyle careers and personal interest learning. We have sold over 2M classes onlin
Share this interview

What inspired you to work for your organization?

I think education inspires people to achieve their life and career goals. We strive to ensure that our community learns, knows, and grows in a supportive, pleasurable, and engaging environment.

Also, we help people open up their potential, rediscover dormant passions, or simply investigate a previously unknown world.

What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?

I would say to anyone: to find a career that you like, get qualified, pick a great country to work from, and keep traveling the world.

I think education is as important as a passport and will give people all the skills they need to have an interesting career abroad, as well as the opportunity to travel to different countries.

How do you use your education and international background in your current role?

I am supported by creative and talented people working remotely in 11 countries. Our diverse backgrounds ensure that we spark off each other and that our work is evolving and challenging the norms. We thrive on change and new ideas—taking learnings from all corners of our business.

Why should someone choose your organization over competitors?

We provide a broad range of e-learning classes for people seeking to turn their passion into their paycheck—whether it is for a full-time career, side-hustle, or leisure pursuit. Our learning platform ushers every student into a comfortable front row seat. Video courses ensure that you don't miss a single detail.

Our courses are ICOES certified and CPD accredited which allows students to maintain or enhance their knowledge, skills, and experience, and is required by some professional body memberships.

What makes your organization special?

We are a female-founded organization supporting a community of diverse learners passionately invested in their hobby or personal interest. This diversity and passion fuels every aspect of what we do.

What is your organization's mission and how do you continue to work toward it?

To improve education globally by connecting engaging educators with passionate learners. The company leverages partners, content creators, and employs optimized marketing to
cater to the large online education audience.

Our library across brands now boasts over 400 courses across 30 different learning categories. Our experts are prominent social influencers in their fields, delivering practical skills to our students.

We are a collective of creative and talented people working to provide a supportive environment. Our diversity and passion drives our continual improvement.

What do you hope participants take away from your programs?

I hope that our programs:

  • Allow people to explore a new path and nurture a passion;
  • Turn aspirations into reality by making learning accessible;
  • Offer authentic creators delivering useful and tangible learnings in a supportive environment; and
  • Support our students' development and the satisfaction it brings.

What hopes do you have for the future for your organization?

We believe that learning is an amazing connective tissue where you're not selling someone something, you're not spamming them, but rather you’re genuinely adding value for them. We also believe that learning is the future connective tissue between brands and consumers.

What makes your organization easy to market to potential participants?

What we represent resonates with our audience. We stand for creativity, authenticity, authority, focused on the creator, the entrepreneur. We’re focused on passions for people, and we believe that that is the next chapter for education.

Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?

I think the more you see and experience, the more you realize how big the world is and how much it has to offer. You start to focus on what matters and stop being disappointed by little failures here and there. You begin to look on the bright side of things and cease taking yourself and life too seriously. This is probably the best thing traveling and living abroad has done for me.

What does meaningful travel mean to you?

Meaningful travel to me are those experiences and trips that enable me to visit destinations where I can contribute and support local people and business with honest tasks, work, and involvement. These types of trips are a whole different way of traveling by being part of other cultures and opening people's minds.

Provided By:

International Open Academy
International Open Academy
9.82
28 Reviews
Learn More

Recommended Programs

9.7117 reviews
Budget-Friendly, Accredited 120-Hour TESOL Course Online
International Open Academy

International Open Academy

Take your teaching career worldwide with the International Open Academy Membership Plan! Gain full access to our 120-Hour Online Certificate Cour...

1011 reviews
Over 300 Accredited Online Courses to Enroll In
International Open Academy

International Open Academy

Unlock your global teaching potential with the International Open Academy (IOA) Membership Plan! Get full access to our 120-Hour and 150-Hour Onl...

00 reviews
Budget-Friendly Accredited Sign Language Courses
International Open Academy

International Open Academy

With the International Open Academy Membership, get full access to ASL 101 and 201, BSL courses, and 300+ other courses for just $33. Learn at yo...