Travel, opportunity, connection: Sabrina’s EF journey

In the spring of 2022, Sabrina was finishing her master's degree in international management and working for a startup in Switzerland when she first came across EF Education First's flagship trainee program, the EF360 Global Management Trainee Program . The one-year management trainee program gives recent graduates a chance to be mentored by an EF senior leader and have firsthand experience in multiple facets of the business. At the end of the year, trainees earn a position at EF that best suits their unique talents and strengths.

Sabrina knew applying meant facing significant competition—there are only 11 spots available in the program with applicants from across the world. Nonetheless, she applied, and her decision was twofold. First, the program perfectly captured what she was looking for in a professional career. "All my life, tourism, education, and languages have been some of my biggest passions," Sabrina notes.

The second reason she applied was that she knew EF well—the organization is part of her family history. "I am an EF baby! My parents met in 1988 on an EF language program in San Diego, California,” Sabrina says. “A year later, they were married and are still together to this day."

Sabrina embarked on an EF language program herself, spending a summer in Santa Barbara, California when she was 16. Sabrina’s experience was transformative, and she was able to form a lasting bond with her host family. She says, "I became a part of their family. I visited them almost every year after that trip."

When Sabrina was accepted into the EF360 Global Management Trainee Program, she was excited to officially be part of EF, saying "I felt like I was coming home. That is what is so great about EF—it is such a good community, and I get a sense of belonging here working with so many different people from all around the world. When you walk into any of our offices, whether in Hong Kong, Nigeria, London, Zurich, or Boston, you have people you are connected with."

Sabrina's year as an EF360 has been a whirlwind filled with travel, opportunity, and connection. She notes that “as an EF360, you get a great grasp of the business. I've traveled to nearly ten different places in the last year and worked on about 20 different projects!”

Sabrina's year has been special because she has worked with two different businesses in the EF family of companies. “My mentor was in EF High School Exchange Year when I started,” she reflects. “He moved over to EF Academy during the year, so I moved with him. It was a huge learning curve, seeing two businesses within such a short time at EF is unique. Not many 360s can work with two EF businesses within one year."

Her favorite work trip was the mid-year EF360 summit in Austin, Texas, saying “It was so cool to connect with all the other 360s worldwide. And Austin itself is so vibrant!"

As for what she loves most about working here so far, her answer is classic EF: "My favorite part is the people. There are so many different people here who have so many different experiences and cultural backgrounds. Working with a diverse team helps you open your mind and see different points of view."

Sabrina has two pieces of advice for future applicants: "First and foremost, be authentic. When you come here, you realize you are encouraged to be yourself at work. And most importantly, ask questions! ‘Why do we do this? How do we do this?' Is there a more efficient way to do this?’ That will help you succeed and make an impact."

Sabrina's connection to EF is unique, which extends to her passion for EF's mission: to open the world through education. She believes working towards that mission will create a better world and future.

"For me, opening the world through education means working towards true globalization and helping people understand each other. My world has opened through education—I have been lucky enough to study abroad in Singapore, Sweden, London, and the US, which ultimately helped me get outside my comfort zone. And I think in the world we live in now, it has never been more needed to understand other people, cultures, and languages to create a better global future."