Testimonies
East Stroudsburg, PA
Federica is 23 years old, she is a tourism student and she tells us about her work and travel experience in East Stroudsburg.
Name: Federica B.
Age: 23 years
Occupation: Tourism and Hospitality Student
Destination: East Stroudsburg, PA
Company and position where you work: Shawnee Mountain Ski Area, Ski Instructor.
-We would like to know how you are and how you feel, as a participant in the Work & Travel USA program
Oh really well, it is the second time that I go to this place and have a great time again!
-What was the experience for?
English I was able to improve a lot, I met many people from other countries, not only from the United States, such as Peru and Costa Rica, and I was also able to save a lot of money.
Since I was a ski instructor, I could not do overtime because my hours were from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., but due to tips I was able to earn a lot, more than if I had done overtime.
-Was the work as you imagined it?
Yes, since I had already gone to this same place, but as a lift, I had seen what the instructor job was like and I knew I wanted to do it haha, so the second time I chose to go, I was a ski instructor and I had many benefits like food and tips.
As a baby's class lasts 3 hours, at one point you take them to the break and there you eat cookies, fruit, juice or chocolate, that was very good! And for example if you had a class all day, you had lunch with the kids.
-How was the work environment? How was the relationship with other coworkers?
What the guys who worked with me were really bad, the Americans helped us and although I knew how to ski, they still stayed with you, they advised you, and the bosses luckily too!
We had no problem, they were able to be medium heavy if you wanted to have a party in the housing but with the work there was no problem.
From the ski center, they gave us some super nice and cheap houses, where we were 6 sleeping, we paid only 60 usd the week and we were close to the center so we were walking hahaha it was beautiful!
Also, they took us to the supermarket in a micro once a week and gave us 2 hours to shop there, they waited for us and took us back to the houses. The truth that everything was great, I saved a lot of money in relation to the first year I went, because they also gave us free snow jackets and they were great.
-What were the best things about your job? And the worst?
One of the best things, it was the tip haha at one point of the season you already knew how to treat parents to throw you a few pesos, but there were kids who were super heavy or fell all the time, nothing bad in itself, just this that now when I think about it I laugh.
Once I was having a snack with the boys in the break, I was giving orange juice to a girl, and when I touched her jacket I realize that she was wet and it was not juice haha she had peed on herself!
I was a half babysitter but it was a lot of fun.
-What did you do on your days off?
We were going to New York because we used to stay in an combi for 1 hour, or we stayed skiing, snowboarding that this year I could learn, we made a group of yankees that took us for walks, and we also went to an outlet to buy that was 20 min from the houses.
-Were you able to see other places?
Yes! I knew New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and since you have everything close in Pennsylvania, we had a lot to do, I also knew other ski centers that were small.
-What surprised you the most?
Perhaps I was surprised in my case, the speed that children have to learn to ski is terrible, and the people how good it is with one, they all care about you and they are there.
-Any anecdote that you take as a souvenir?
Once a girl fell silent because of the chairlift haha it was horrible, and it was not the first time that the girl got on the chairlift, but she got off earlier and was left in the middle, I wanted to send myself to help her and I almost fell myself , the lift girl was trying to help us haha very funny.
-What would you recommend to someone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
They do! It is the best, I would do it every year, it is the best experience. I love the United States and working there is unique!
All this information is very useful for us and for the boys who want to travel with the program for the next seasons, so we really appreciate your collaboration.
Para ver detalles del programa hacé click aquí
Age: 23 years
Occupation: Tourism and Hospitality Student
Destination: East Stroudsburg, PA
Company and position where you work: Shawnee Mountain Ski Area, Ski Instructor.
-We would like to know how you are and how you feel, as a participant in the Work & Travel USA program
Oh really well, it is the second time that I go to this place and have a great time again!
-What was the experience for?
English I was able to improve a lot, I met many people from other countries, not only from the United States, such as Peru and Costa Rica, and I was also able to save a lot of money.
Since I was a ski instructor, I could not do overtime because my hours were from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., but due to tips I was able to earn a lot, more than if I had done overtime.
-Was the work as you imagined it?
Yes, since I had already gone to this same place, but as a lift, I had seen what the instructor job was like and I knew I wanted to do it haha, so the second time I chose to go, I was a ski instructor and I had many benefits like food and tips.
As a baby's class lasts 3 hours, at one point you take them to the break and there you eat cookies, fruit, juice or chocolate, that was very good! And for example if you had a class all day, you had lunch with the kids.
-How was the work environment? How was the relationship with other coworkers?
What the guys who worked with me were really bad, the Americans helped us and although I knew how to ski, they still stayed with you, they advised you, and the bosses luckily too!
We had no problem, they were able to be medium heavy if you wanted to have a party in the housing but with the work there was no problem.
From the ski center, they gave us some super nice and cheap houses, where we were 6 sleeping, we paid only 60 usd the week and we were close to the center so we were walking hahaha it was beautiful!
Also, they took us to the supermarket in a micro once a week and gave us 2 hours to shop there, they waited for us and took us back to the houses. The truth that everything was great, I saved a lot of money in relation to the first year I went, because they also gave us free snow jackets and they were great.
-What were the best things about your job? And the worst?
One of the best things, it was the tip haha at one point of the season you already knew how to treat parents to throw you a few pesos, but there were kids who were super heavy or fell all the time, nothing bad in itself, just this that now when I think about it I laugh.
Once I was having a snack with the boys in the break, I was giving orange juice to a girl, and when I touched her jacket I realize that she was wet and it was not juice haha she had peed on herself!
I was a half babysitter but it was a lot of fun.
-What did you do on your days off?
We were going to New York because we used to stay in an combi for 1 hour, or we stayed skiing, snowboarding that this year I could learn, we made a group of yankees that took us for walks, and we also went to an outlet to buy that was 20 min from the houses.
-Were you able to see other places?
Yes! I knew New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and since you have everything close in Pennsylvania, we had a lot to do, I also knew other ski centers that were small.
-What surprised you the most?
Perhaps I was surprised in my case, the speed that children have to learn to ski is terrible, and the people how good it is with one, they all care about you and they are there.
-Any anecdote that you take as a souvenir?
Once a girl fell silent because of the chairlift haha it was horrible, and it was not the first time that the girl got on the chairlift, but she got off earlier and was left in the middle, I wanted to send myself to help her and I almost fell myself , the lift girl was trying to help us haha very funny.
-What would you recommend to someone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
They do! It is the best, I would do it every year, it is the best experience. I love the United States and working there is unique!
All this information is very useful for us and for the boys who want to travel with the program for the next seasons, so we really appreciate your collaboration.
Para ver detalles del programa hacé click aquí
