Placement overview
Tutor’s name: Angeligi
College: Barking & Dagenham College
Vocational area: Hair & Beauty
Location: Crete, Greece
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“Even though the experience could be quite challenging at times, it gave me the opportunity to support my group on deeper level than I could have back in the college. I had a greater involvement in the development of the students’ life skills, confidence and work experience.”
The motivation
I felt it would be a good opportunity to see how hair & beauty salons and employers operated in another country. I wanted to know more about how students are educated in hair & beauty colleges and how training is undertaken compared to the college that I work at.
The best thing about working internationally is the diversity of people that you meet and work with, gaining unique knowledge and skills through them.
The placement
Professionalism and customer service was something that I felt that my group could improve on after visiting some of the five star spa resorts. Customer service and standards were very high there. The students learned how to raise their standards and make the client experience as pleasurable as possible. I will show future students how to do this also.
The destination was stunningly beautiful! It was fantastic to have the opportunity to visit the Fortezza castle with my students, walk through the old town and have a delicious meal at the harbour.
Advice for colleagues planning a placement
Students will try and stick to what they know but I would advise all accompanying tutors to stretch and challenge them, to allow them to experience and gain the maximum benefits of living in another country.
The impact
Erasmus is a very worthwhile programme that allowed me to develop my skills as a teacher via a memorable shared experience with my students that I will never forget. Even though the experience was challenging at times, it gave me the opportunity to support my group on deeper level than I could have back in the college. I had a greater involvement in the development of the students’ life skills, confidence and work experience.
I would like to work in Europe as a teacher one day and I am taking Spanish lessons to learn a new language so that I can communicate better with a wider population. This is a goal that I have set for myself for my future career.
My Erasmus+ journey has helped me in many ways and opened my eyes to a whole new world. I will use the knowledge that I gained in Crete to make me a better teacher by sharing them with my students and encouraging them to set high standards, challenge themselves and have a goal in life.
Outcomes
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Improved language skills
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Exposure to cultural experience
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Confidence building
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Improved people skills
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