When did you start working at RareJob Philippines, Inc?

I started working at RareJob in January 2019.

What made you choose RareJob as your company?

I heard about RareJob a few years before I started working here. I knew that the company was already credible and established in the ESL industry. What made me choose RareJob as my employer, though, is the support and career-building opportunities they have for their employees. It’s as if the universe aligned and served my wishes right there because that was exactly what I was looking for.

As Trainer, how has the experience been so far?

If you asked me what a Trainer does four years ago, I would have said that this is someone who simply stands in front of a lot of people, has a PowerPoint presentation on the screen, and just talks, really. In the spotlight. In control. In front of the scenes.

I have never been more wrong. It’s SO MUCH MORE than that.

My experience so far has been a steady climb, although it didn’t fall short of the struggles. Each year is filled with more challenging targets and more opportunities to push me out of my comfort zone.

I learned to manage training projects, making sure that our program development follows the right steps. We talk to stakeholders. We collaborate with neighboring departments and operators. We create modules and activities. We lay out plans to measure training effectiveness. We boost our learners’ motivation and build rapport.

All of these just so we could achieve one goal: to ensure that our learners have the right tools and opportunities to be competent in their roles – may it be as a tutor, a trainer, a coach, an evaluator, etc.

I realized that I’ve grown far and beyond this “trainer” image I had four years ago. And that, to me, means I’ve come a long way.

Being in the Training Team, what effects did the work-from-home setup have on your tasks and responsibilities?

The beginning is always the hardest. In 2020, when we were adjusting to this so-called work-from-home, we had to think quickly about how we can convert our offline training programs to an online setup, and we needed to implement them FAST. If not, well, it could have cost us some operational troubles along the way.

It was a concept we didn’t anticipate – training online. How can you connect — really connect — with people online? The first-time adjustment is always uncomfortable, but we managed through. We changed with the times.

And now, almost three years later, we’ve adapted modern strategies to deliver quality training programs to our operators—planning and designing this from the comforts of our homes. We learned how to tap into asynchronous, learner-independent instructional strategies, giving the full authority to learn back to the learner, and less so to the trainer.

This allowed us to shift our perspective from being the trainer who stands in front, to the trainer who plans, designs, and guides their learner’s journey towards acquiring a new skill. A trainer behind the scenes, so to speak.

Being part of this “evolution” of learning is always one of my highlights as a trainer. I’m excited to see what else is in store.

Share with us what a typical day is like in Training Team.

My day always starts with a team check-in, making sure that everyone is doing okay and is in the right headspace for the tasks at hand. It’s our way of building that foundation, and of course, getting a little bonding time to start the day right.

Afterward, it’s off to work. Our main role as trainers is to design, develop, and implement training programs for tutors, trainers from different operators, coaches, evaluators, etc. As simple as it may sound, there’s a lot of planning and collaboration involved. A lot of thought comes into the modules we create to make sure they’re tailored fit to the learner’s needs.

All these are written down in a “master plan.” Each step has an allotted time, and each day we complete our tasks as designed, one at a time.

What do you think are the highlights of your job, as well as the most important aspects?

Aside from the opportunities I get from the job, I’ll always be thankful for the department and the team I am in. You’ll find that your interests here will always be celebrated. You’ll always find something in common with the people from our department. And if you don’t, well, we’re curious enough to get to know your interest nevertheless.

Our superiors also take the time to know our work or personal goals and tailor that to the projects assigned to us. And if things get a little bit hard, they’re always there to support and uplift us.

What techniques do you implement in your day-to-day work to ensure that you meet your deadlines and provide quality service?

I apply two simple principles at work: (1) “Believe” the end in mind and (2) celebrate achievements working towards that goal. I think that’s simple enough.

How did you and your team/department maintain good working relationships in spite of the work-from-home setup?

We take our time to build our relationships. It’s also the intention of knowing your team members as individuals with their own aspirations, desires, quirks and all. From here, we open our conversations to explore topics beyond work.

We’re very open to discussing our vulnerabilities, our add-to-carts, our mental health, because we believe it’s always better to work with people you understand and know than to just merely get the job done.

While working remotely, what are some things that you do to keep yourself from being burnt out?

I work hard and I play hard. 😀

At work, managing my time is always a vital skill. To have that control over big projects can sometimes be overwhelming. And so, when I’m off work, I try to spend my free time as free as possible. This gives me time to breathe and step out of control.

My usual “brain break” activities are video games, reading, playing guitar, cleaning (believe it or not), writing, and just simply engaging in conversations with my loved ones.

With the increasing interest in the ESL field, specifically in being a Trainer, what tips can you give those who are currently in this career path, or those who are considering opportunities in this field?

Always be a LEARNER. In this time and age, it’s always exciting to adapt to new things, and try new approaches, especially in the Training Development and ESL industry. As our ESL students find different ways to learn the English language, so too must the teachers, the trainers, and the developers of these ESL programs.