Hi, My name is Laurie, I am from France and want to tell you about my time as an intern at LGS!

I am in my second year of Business school and needed to do an internship, so after months of intensive research, I decided to go to Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia! I have been welcomed by Lets Go Surfing (LGS) over their Summer, the busiest and most exciting time to be at a Surf School.

Why Bondi Beach? 

This choice was obvious for me, Bondi beach is the most famous beach in the world. It was “ the place to be” and a perfect spot to start with. Not only because of the amazing surfing conditions, golden sands and crystal waters, but also because of the funky beach vibe, fun bars and restaurants, urban-style shops and excellent markets. 

My Internship 

I spent the first week getting to know the staff, where I would be working and what I would be doing.. It wasn’t long before I realized that surfing in Bondi isn’t only an outdoor activity but also a way of life! One of the first people I met was an ex intern who was lucky enough to get a job working in the LGS shop, Julie. She gave me a piece of advice that I will never forget: “dive in” at first I didn’t understand but it didn’t take me long to understand what she meant. 

At the start of my internship I thought LGS only provided beginner surfing lessons, however it didn’t take long to realize they provide sooo much more, including but not limited to; kids lessons, women only courses, intermediate lessons, corporate team building activities, day tours, walking tours, tours including history about Bondi that include lunch and so much more! It was a lot to learn, but exciting also. 

Some of my roles and responsibilities were: taking photos, walking customers to their lessons, working in the check in center.  At the start it was really challenging due to my limited surfing knowledge and it was so busy. I was getting frustrated that I couldn’t answer all of the customers’ questions however I took Julie’s advice and “dived in”… I did what I knew I could do and helped out the LGS staff as much as possible, watched what they did and did the same. Marty (my internship director) saw the initiative I was taking and started to give me more responsibility. I was learning everyday and everything was becoming a lot easier, I started being able to answer a lot of the customer questions and felt really happy with what I had achieved.  

In my second month of the internship, I had the opportunity to be involved in the Marketing department. I attended a 2 day sales event at a local university, which at first was a little uncomfortable, but I once again ‘dived in’ and had a great experience talking to students about surfing and encouraging them to buy a lesson. I also worked with the Marketing Manager on some blogs that were published on the website. I really enjoyed this type of work.

Reflection:

Leaving France in order to work abroad for three months is not a common adventure: I needed to be prepared to live in an unknown place. But I have to say this adventure was the best according to my other professional experiences. It was great to practise my English, also being able to work with colleagues from different countries and learn their way of life was so wonderful. My colleagues and internship director helped me feel at home very quickly. 

I did notice that in Australia, the working method is very different than in France. In fact, it is frequent to feel like we are a “family” with the team work. My colleagues gave me little nicknames like “buddy and mate”. A positive and chilled mood is present every day. It doesn’t mean that they didn’t work with motivation: Australian people grant a big importance to working and they never will be shocked or upset to work more than five days a week. What I notice again is the fact that my colleagues always stayed calm at work: They prefer to take their time in order to perfect their tasks. They are not shy people and there was a sense of high team spirit, I loved this type of atmosphere !

After spending three months at LGS I have learnt a lot. I acquired new professional experience, improved my self confidence, improved my English skills and experienced a new way of life, one that is by the beach! This internship was more than enriching on the professional point but on the personal point too. I do think I would work in a surf school in the future because employees are living their job as a part of their life. 

Thank you LGS!

Finally, I would like to thank the LGS team, showing me a new way of life, teaching me to surf and welcoming me into the LGS family. I really appreciate it and it was an experience that will enrich my life! Looking forward to coming back to visit.