TEAN: Study Abroad in Dunedin, New Zealand

Go out of your comfort zone. Of course, it will be uncomfortable at first, but it will add so much to your experience as a whole. Going out on a limb and meeting new people is what Study Abroad is all about, and it is what makes it the experience of a lifetime. I mean, when is the next time you're going to be on the opposite side of the planet for that long?!

An average day/week in this program is pretty typical. During the week, you're going to classes and writing papers that are due, and maybe studying early for your final exam. My weekends normally consisted of either hiking locally or anywhere along the South Island. On the weekends I didn't feel like travelling, I explore the city I was living in by going to the beach, finding a new place to eat, or walking down the shopping strips.

My biggest fear was the fear of missing out. I have a close group of friends back home, and it seemed as though they were going out everyday, and I hated that I wasn't a part of it. I overcame it by seeing things I could never see at home and going on adventures. I eventually came to realize that it doesn't matter that my friends at home are going to dinner for the 10th time this month, I'm out in New Zealand and living my best life! I did things I could never do at home, and that experience easily replaces any party I could ever go to.

My greatest memory from going abroad is hiking Roy's Peak. It was very challenging for me because it was two and a half hours up at a steep angle, carrying 10-15 pounds of camping gear. Nearly the whole way up, I didn't think I was going to make it. The friends I had with me encouraged me to keep going and reminded me "it's about the journey, not the destination." The view was so breathtaking and worth the struggle of getting there. I was so proud of myself for doing it that I looked forward to the next time I’ll be able to do it again. That realization was what my whole abroad experience was centered around.

I have grown substantially since working for TEAN, both personally and in my career. I started out at TEAN managing both the Australia & New Zealand Internship Program and am now managing the Internship Programs across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kyoto, Shanghai & Bangkok.

My TEAN journey has developed quickly yet I am continuing to love and grow my role within this organization more and more every day. Personally, I have changed in terms of some of the approaches I have adopted due to TEAN’s sustainable ethos – for example, I no longer use plastic bags at the grocery store and am taking more and more steps each day to contribute to helping save our planet.

I have also developed even more of a bucket list of travel locations, which is almost impossible not to do when you work in this industry.

Just recently, one of my return students shared the extremely exciting news with me that he had been accepted into the internship program for the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, the largest independent film festival in the United States!

The work that he completed during his TEAN internship in Australia allowed him to be published in multiple national media platforms and I am so excited that his experiences in Australia are now able to take him to such exciting places to now learn from the best of the best in the United States.

Films from Sundance include Boyhood, Donnie Darko, Saw, Little Miss Sunshine, Napoleon Dynamite, The Blair Witch Project, and more. I couldn’t be more proud and delighted for him that his experience in Australia has got him to this place in his career and I can’t wait to see some of the films that he will be responsible for in years to come.

If I could go on any program that TEAN offers I would go to Massey University in Wellington to study Visual Arts & Design. I fell in love with Wellington and its atmosphere earlier this year and it felt like home to me.

For anyone who is artistic, there is so much inspiration in every street that it’s not surprising some of the world’s most famous cinematography, film crews, fashion designers, and costumers have stemmed from this location.

Having been fortunate enough to work closely with Massey University throughout my career, I have seen the outstanding facilities that they have on offer for their students. If I could turn back the clock, I would have told myself to study abroad in this location.

TEAN is like a family to me. TEAN is unique in its approach to so many different things such as its sustainable ethos and choosing the earth to the unique student approach. Being a part of the TEAN family has encouraged me to make lifestyle changes to ensure we are taking care of this planet and it’s wonderful to know that everyone shares these same values.

Everyone in the organization is so passionate about what they do that we achieve some incredible & innovative results for our students. I love that our students are a name and not a number at TEAN and that we can get to know them on a personal level and establish what they want to achieve from their time studying or interning abroad from the outset.

My team is consistently making me proud and on a daily basis are accepting new challenges and striving towards having the best possible opportunities available for our students.

I believe that the biggest factor in being a successful company is in the staff that are a part of that company. When your employer invests in your development and your growth as an employee, it speaks volumes and allows staff to excel. Peer support is essential to growth and success of a company and opportunities for staff to explore your creativity as well as your skillset to complete tasks can be very inspiring and can lead to new and exciting developments.

This is one of the main reasons I find internships to be of such value to our students as well – by being able to grow with a company, you contribute to their success and learn a lot along that journey as well as taking away essential strategies for your future career.

I also think that company success stems from staff success which can be seen through passion and dedication to a role whilst having & developing expertise in the work that you are doing.