Life @ Kaplan: A Chat with a Student Advisor
Karen, a team leader of educational consultants, works in London and wanted to share her experiences working at Kaplan and speaking to students every day. She and a team from around the world, are around to answer questions and advise future students!
I am one of the team leaders in the direct sales team at Kaplan. There are 4 of us and together we coordinate a team of more than 20 educational consultants.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of this job is to be able to work with people from all parts of the globe. I have colleagues from Poland, Italy, Russia, Turkey, Brazil, Spain, Thailand, France and many other countries. I hear them speaking to students from all over the world and manage to pick a few words in each language here and there. As we are so multicultural, the banter is always really fun and the atmosphere in the department is constantly loud and cheerful.
A large portion of my day is spent talking to students on the phone or via email. I have been a student myself, as I first came to the UK to learn English. Therefore, I can advise my customers on what to expect from their trip, from the booking journey and visa issues to accommodation and academics, based on my own experiences.
It is extremely rewarding to help someone make their dreams come true. I know how nerve-racking it can be to organise a trip like that, especially for someone who has never traveled abroad by themselves before.
But this is all part of the experience, and whoever decides to embark on a journey like this has to be prepared to embrace all the aspects of the adventure, the good, bad, funny and even sad moments (farewells are terrible!) I am still in contact with friends I met over 10 years ago through my English course!
I work very long hours, and it can be quite stressful at times, but the good things about the job make it worthwhile. I have traveled around the USA and Canada to visit the schools, a trip I would probably never have done if it wasn't for Kaplan.
We also have our own awards ceremony that happens every
quarter in which everyone who stands out in a category (best sales person, best customer service, best team player and even funniest person) wins a trophy and prizes. It is great to have our hard work recognized by the company.
I have been with Kaplan for a little over 2 years and have met some amazing people here. I am fortunate enough to have some of my best friends working with me, which makes it all a bit more fun. Our Kaplan experience as employees can be as great as our students'!
All my students in London are more than welcome to come visit us here and see it for themselves!