Training and development is an important aspect of your career and it’s essential that you choose an employer that will support you every step of the way.
We spoke with four recent grads working at EF Educational Tours Canada in Toronto to find out what kinds of training and development opportunities are available to young professionals who start their careers with the company.
Training for new hires at EF
When Production Manager Beth Wipp first started at EF Educational Tours Canada after graduating, she felt intimidated and didn’t know what to expect from her first job in the “real world.”
But, she says, everyone at EF made her feel comfortable right away: “The team as a whole was really welcoming, so I knew there was always somebody I could ask about a situation – or even multiple people and get various opinions on something.”
Customer Service Manager Andy Mitchell had a similar initial experience when he started in a contract customer service role with the company: “The people who had been there a year, two years, three years, were so helpful. Any questions I needed to ask, they were there,” he says, adding that EF also has an excellent training network. “There seems to be different training going on every week. I’m learning something new every week.”
As a Trainer, Emily Devlin actually works with new hires when they first start to help make them feel comfortable and bring them up to speed in their role. “I get to give them an overall training on a lot of the different products,” she says. Maybe you’ll get to work with Emily when you start working at EF!
Sales Manager Alyssa DiGaetano says there’s a lot to know when you work at EF because the world is a big place. “We’re very fortunate to have a dedicated training team in-house,” she says.
According to Beth, there is destination training to help staff to learn about the places teachers and students might go when they travel with EF. “I haven’t been to all of the destinations that we promote, so I need to learn as much as I can about them to speak knowledgeably to a teacher or someone who’s looking to travel to that place.”
Going from entry level to management at EF
Beth, Andy and Alyssa all started with EF Educational Tours Canada in entry level sales or customer service jobs, and have worked their way up into management roles.
Andy says it was easy to take the step up into management because his own managers were behind him 100%. “Everyone was really supportive and it just makes you feel good about yourself to know that people believe in you and want to see you progress,” he says.
Before she became a Sales Manager, Alyssa got to test the management waters by becoming a Team Lead first. “It allowed me to get my feet wet and understand what becoming a manager means,” she says.
New managers aren’t just expected to know how to do everything on their own, either. They regularly participate in what is called “Management Academy” to learn from other managers about things such as how to motivate your staff and how to deliver feedback – things you wouldn’t necessarily know how to do coming from an entry level position. “Those have been so valuable to me and they’ve helped me to feel confident in the role that I’m in now,” Beth says.