Life after college is stressful when it comes to job hunting. I felt like I had to get a job that was related to my field of study, so I was applying for jobs in the NGO sector. The graduate job market in Malawi is really tough. I felt so helpless and hopeless. So I started thinking outside the box and applying for jobs that were not necessarily directly related to my field. To cut a long story short, when I was applying for the Sales Assistant job at The Responsible Safari Company I never thought they would employ me because I thought they would want an experienced person and someone who had already worked in the tourism industry. To my surprise I was offered the job.
When I got the job I had mixed feelings, I was excited that I have secured a job and at the same time worried and afraid; how are the other staff going to see me, will they be friendly or make my life miserable? How will I work in an office with just one other lady who also happens to be a mzungu (a white person from abroad)? Will I be able to impress my bosses and meet their standards? These were some of the questions that were playing on my mind and made me restless.
My first day turned out to be so different, it turned out to be the most interesting day, my colleagues were so nice and friendly, something I did not expect. It went on and on, until three months down the line, I reached the end of my trial period. In my first three months at RSC I have not only made new friends but I’ve also found myself a family. My colleagues are so wonderful, friendly and helpful. I am glad to be part of the team. I have learnt so much in the past three months because the team has been patient with me and they have all been willing to help me with my professional development.
My day to day job is to manage the bookings that come through the Explore Malawi system. I make sure that client’s enquiries are attended to before the end of business each day, suggest tours to clients and book their accommodation. In addition, I meet people of different backgrounds and race, so my job has helped me improve my communication skills because of the different people I meet each day. My writing skills have also really improved, the emails I write now are so different to those I used to write in my first days of work. I appreciate the team work at RSC, because without the help of my workmates it would have been hard to cope with the workload. Lastly, the thing I enjoy most about my work is meeting different people, I learn a lot from them, for example their beliefs, culture etc.
Being employed in the tourism industry I have been privileged to explore Malawi, my most memorable moment of the past three months was my first visit to Mulanje Mountain. I have lived in Malawi the whole of my life but never had an opportunity to go up Mulanje Mountain to appreciate the wilderness. I’ve now realised that working with RSC means I’m not so far away from my original idea of working in Community Development as I’ve also been directly involved in RSC’s impressive partnership with their community projects. This really inspires and motivates me to #bepartofsomething in my community. I know there is still so much to explore, I can’t wait for more adventures during my job at The Responsible Safari Company.
Ivy chat about the power of women coming together on our Skills Sharing Expeditions. 'If women are capable of doing everything that men are capable of doing, then we have a universe of double work force, a universe full of people that can work together in a better and faster way.'
Maggie goes behind the scenes of RSC's Community Project links and chats about how we are trying to empower communities through sustainable tourism and practice Trade Not Aid where possible.
Our Malawi team chat about The Orbis Challenge, Orbis Skills Sharing and our 2020 School Expeditions. What a year it will be!
