What inspired you to work for your organization?
The organization has a very good reputation abroad and I heard about it from friends living in China and studying there. I wanted to work in China as an intern and this opportunity was perfect!
At work, end of the day, end of the week, still smiling!
Describe a typical day at work.
I publish on our social media either a video, vocabulary list, or pictures for our story or as tweets three times a day. I manage partnerships with all platforms, the content, the promotion, and the new contracts. I look for new partnerships and exchange with people who have questions on the social networks I manage. I write comments on forums and websites to tell people about our school. I schedule interviews or talks with our students about writing a review to share their experience and I take Chinese lessons four hours a week.
Why do you do what you do?
If you like the company you work for and you want to help it do better, then you'll do as much as you can. I want to get real experience and I want to know how a Chinese company operates. This job fulfills all of my needs.
What is your favorite part of your job?
The environment and my colleagues. I like exchanging with them, how heartwarming they are, and how everybody does their best. I like being close to the students, exchanging with them during their class break, and taking a break myself.
How do you use your education and international background in your current role?
Being a foreigner is a major characteristic of my job already. I have a much better understanding of what students look for, how they look for it, and what they want. I also have the experience of my university in France and what I was doing in my organization before. Marketing and communications is very similar across the world, I have more experience of the tools to use and the way to do it. According to my manager, Europeans al have a different way to work, we take more initiatives, and we have different ideas...this is what she wants from us.
What challenges do you often face and how do you overcome them?
Being in China makes using the internet very difficult. We need a VPN for absolutely everything and sometimes it is not working, which slows our work considerably. Our customers are usually from Europe and America and the time difference is huge; publications should be done in the evening or early in the morning. Talking with the partner companies always take more time. For example, one day for my email and one day for their answer.
Coffee time in a secret cafe of Qingdao
What are some current projects you are working on?
I am working on developing two new major partnerships with important companies, we are reaching the payment part and this is a difficult barrier as the Chinese currency is not internationalized yet.
What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?
There was no need to hesitate at the beginning!! It is really worth it. I should have packed less to bring back more, and I should have brought chocolate in my luggage.
What makes your organization special?
it is international, open-minded, young, and friendly! People work a lot and work hard, be it students, teachers or admin staff, everybody does their best.
Why should someone choose your organization over competitors?
From what I know our price point is really low and our teachers are really professional, maybe our price point is even too low! Our teachers really do their best because their students are all amazing and friendly. The mood is very good here!
Drinking with my teacher after we both finished work
What makes your organization easy to market to potential participants?
There are few Chinese schools in Qingdao and we have years of experience with good results and good feedback from our students. We organize a lot of events for our students, so they can discover more than just the Chinese language. Our teachers are all very professional and friendly, everybody likes them!
What is your organization's mission and how do you continue to work toward it?
Our organization's mission is to help students find exactly what they want when they come here. We have a flexible schedule, free coffee and tea, cultural activities, and you can build the learning program you want with a very wide type of subjects. We want our students to feel at home and comfortable.
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
First off, Chinese! I hope they learn a lot. It is always difficult because some are here for very short programs but still want to learn a bit, experience the openness about the Chinese language, and we really like teaching them what we can. For students that are here for a longer period there is nothing to worry about, I just want them to reach the goals they came with.
Coffee time at the office
How do you help support participants?
It all starts with course counseling. Before arrival, we establish a program that fits with the ambitions and the goal of the student. We don't want the student to lose its time or return unsatisfied. Communication with the counselors and with the teachers is the most important.
If you could participate on one of your organization's programs, where would you go and what would you do?
I am actually already participating in a program. I do one-to-one classes and for my level it is perfect. As I prepare HSK4, being in a private class allows me to have more flexibility with my teacher, to ask a lot of questions, and she knows straight if I didn't study well. She will make me work harder but is very friendly!
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
You need to learn something from travel and the shape of that knowledge is very wide. I think you learn from any kind of traveling, but sometimes people tell me that they lived in China for one year and all they know is Nihao and how to take a taxi. For me meaningful travel means that you learn more from the culture and if you have time to learn the language, I think that is important.
What hopes do you have for the future of international education?
I hope that it will expand. I know that it is generally very expensive so few people have the opportunity to do it but sometimes it’s because they don't dare. I hope that schools, universities, and companies will push people to travel more and take the chance. When you are young it makes you grow and when you are old enough to work, there are so many opportunities to combine both traveling and work. International education should continue to support students who have the will to learn something different. I hope the price can be reasonable and that the government will help push those exchanges for people who don't have money.
