Team Talk – Jennie & Ollie, Travel Team 2019
Agent E-Newsletter Article, June 2019
In May we welcomed our travel team. Jenny joins us having been a student host at Wellington School. Ollie is brand new to Etherton Education. They will be in charge of all things travel for our students arriving and departing this summer. They have been engrossed in travel spreadsheets but with the offer of a cup of coffee we managed to prise them away for a quick chat, click the link below to read more.
Jenny, Travel Co-ordinator, Etherton Education 2019
Can you tell us something about your career / study so far? I started working at Etherton Education four years ago as a Student Host. That same summer I was accepted by the University of Nottingham to complete a four-year degree in English and American Studies with International Study. Since then, I have worked at Etherton as the Junior Coordinator for two years. I absolutely loved this job as it meant I saw our youngest students grow in confidence every week. I have just completed my third year of university, which I spent at the College of Charleston, South Carolina. Whilst I was there, I studied with a mix of international and American students. I loved meeting people from many different cultures and I made some amazing friends who live all over the world.
What is your personal philosophy? I live by my grandmother’s philosophy which is: “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing properly.” I think this phrase really encapsulates how much I value hard work, dedication and effort.
What is the best place you have travelled to and why? This is a really tricky one! I would have to say moving to America this year has been a travelling highlight of mine. Living in Charleston for a year, knowing nobody and submerging myself into a new culture was very scary at first, but I am so glad that I made the most of my time living in a totally new place with new people. I have definitely matured and proved to myself that I can do anything I put my mind to.
What is the weirdest job you have ever had? I’ve only ever worked at Etherton Education! However, two years ago, whilst working as the Junior Course Coordinator, I asked a nurse to come into one of the Life Skills classes to teach our juniors some basic first aid. It was very surreal watching all the students wrapping themselves with bandages and walking around the classroom like zombies.
What is the one food you cannot resist? There are many foods that I could choose, but ice cream is my real weakness. A tub of Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked might contain 5 portions, but I could definitely finish one by myself in a single sitting!
What sports do you participate in? I play hockey for a club called Beeston whilst I’m at university in Nottingham. I began playing hockey when I started studying at Wellington School in year 7 and have enjoyed it ever since. I love that it is a team sport and also a fantastic form of exercise.
What are you most looking forward to over the summer with Etherton Education as Travel Co-ordinator? I’m really looking forward to greeting all of our students at the airports when they arrive. I will be really excited for them because I know that they will have a lot of fun at whichever Etherton Education course they will attend.
Can you give us one piece of advice for students travelling from your own experience / work? From my experience moving to America last year, I know that spending time in a totally new country is very daunting. However, I am convinced that keeping an open mind and making the most of all the opportunities available to me was the key to one of the best experiences of my life so far! I encourage all of the students arriving for our summer courses to try really hard in class and to get involved in all of the activities we organize.
Ollie, Travel Co-ordinator, Etherton Education 2019
Can you tell us something about your career / study so far? I’ve just finished my second year of university studying Electronic Music Production. Music production and Dj’ing has taken me on a unique and interesting journey from playing at kids parties, to playing at clubs, to playing in the deep wilderness.
What is your personal philosophy? It’s not what you do, it’s who you do it with.
What is the best place you have travelled to and why? I’m very lucky to have travelled to so many great places. One of the best experiences was traveling to Monaco via a cruise ship. There’s something quite nice about traveling past everyone’s private yacht in a boat 10 times the size.
What is the weirdest job you have ever had? I once did a gig in a shutdown prison that the organizers somehow managed to hire out. It was a very odd experience playing in a huge room full of cells and people locking themselves up in said cells. I think I even saw some guards having a boogie.
What is the one food you cannot resist? Sushi.
What sports do you participate in? I used to play rugby but unfortunately my university is too small to have a rugby (or any sports) team. I have found an interest in chess in recent years. It may not be a physical sport but it is mental exhausting and defiantly gets the heart pumping.
What are you most looking forward to over the summer with Etherton Education as Travel Co-ordinator? As I mentioned, my personal philosophy is ‘it’s not what you do, it’s who you do it with’, and with such an amazing team here at Etherton Education I just know the summer will be great.
Can you give us one piece of advice for students travelling from your own experience / work? Make friends! Sharing an experience with good friends is amazing, the right people can make the experience even better.
