Please meet Luka and Janka
Luciaand Janka are strong personalities in our team. In about one month we had the opportunity to get to know our colleagues better and discover their strengths, which they easily translate into teaching English to different levels. Likeable and cheerful, with a willingness and desire to talk and teach, they both quickly "settled" with us and boarded our train with the destination being happy learners, competent and independent, determined to walk side by side with their new tutors. If you are interested to know which part of Slovakia our colleagues are from, what they like to do and how they feel about us, read our interview😊.
1. Why did you decide to respond to the job offer at Harmony Academy? What appealed to you the most?
Lucia: I was looking for something different than what the "classical" language schools offer. I enjoy learning and have been doing it for a long time, but I want to learn, improve, grow and become the best version of myself and that's what Harmony Academy offers me. That's why I chose this company.
Janka: There were more reasons, besides financial motivation, I knew I wanted to work with a foreign language, ideally to teach. I found an offer and I responded to it because it met my criteria to teach a foreign language and, as it turned out, also the possibility to do "part time" work in the afternoons. I peeped into the company's vision in the next rounds of the interview.
2. Girls, where and how did you work with English before you knew about us?
Lucia: I've been working with English since I was 18. That was the first time I left Slovakia and went to Cyprus. I actually learned English there and since then I have been using English more than my native language, as I lived abroad for about 15 years. The most important years were my last 5 years when I moved to Australia. That was like learning English all over again, as Australian English is completely different to the English I had previously mastered. In Australia I was in contact with English every day, my closest friends were Australians, but also people from all over the world living there. I also finished two "colleges" in that country and then started teaching English to international students. This has been my biggest and most rewarding experience so far.
Janka: I already knew in primary school that I wanted to work with English. During high school and college I went abroad to work (Northern Ireland, England, USA). The authentic language solidified my progress and I decided to become a teacher. I currently teach English full-time in elementary school and again online at Harmony Academy to working adults, so it complements and overlaps so nicely.
3. You have been with us for practically one month, how would you describe Harmony Academy in one sentence?
Lucia: Harmony Academy is a company that is full of friendly, helpful people who support each other and help each other grow together as a team.
Janka: Even in one word - dynamic. 😊 Just when I think I've understood everything and mastered new skills to some extent, something new always comes up and I feel like my brain can't handle such a flood of more information, obligations and deadlines. But somehow I can endure another week and another week... 😊
4. To what extent have you identified with the values that are central to our society?
Lucia: I would say that Harmony Academy's values are very much connected to mine, and that is the main reason why I chose you for my further development. I believe that thanks to Harmony Academy I will be able to reach my full potential.
Janka: I still identify with them. But I already know what's going on. We share common values with Harmony Academy, so our cooperation works.
5. Online teaching is radically different from face-to-face teaching and requires some changes and internal adjustments. How did you identify with working "from home"?
Lucia: I see both advantages and disadvantages. Online learning is very convenient not only for the teacher but also for the students. It's great that we have the possibility to connect from the comfort of our homes or offices, to meet in an online space and be from different parts of Slovakia. However, what I miss is the face-to-face contact, I am a very social type and I like to be on the move, so to be able to stand sitting on a chair all day is really a challenge for me. 😊
Janka: I think I managed to sort of adapt during the first month. It's one thing to turn on MS Teams and another thing to keep the agenda, which is part of the job. Online teaching requires more detailed preparation for the lessons, you need to consider the choice of activities, because not all of them fit in a virtual space, while the face-to-face form offers more opportunities for improvisation and games of different nature (including movement). And here we come to the biggest problem, and that for me is the ability to sit for 90 min 😊.
6. Tell us briefly about yourself, where are you from, what do you like to do, what do you do in your free time,...
Lucia: I'm originally from Trenčín, but from there I went to the world when I was 18 to experience the world and other cultures. I have travelled to about 30 countries. America and Australia even became my home for a long time. I'm currently living in Slovakia, but I'm definitely not planning to stop travelling so soon. Apart from travelling, I love music and dancing. I used to run a modern dance club in primary school. I ended up taking English, which I definitely don't regret, because my relationship with English is beautiful and intense.
Janka: I come from the eastern Slovakia from the Tatra Mountains, so I have seen our mountains crosswise. Besides that, I ski in winter, cycle in summer and run all year round. Of the quieter activities I prefer reading, online shopping and vacuuming.
We thank Luka and Janka for the interview and wish them a lot of motivation in their work and even more happy students 😊.
