Salut, I’m Adina and I work as Product Manager France at Juvigo.
How did you come to Juvigo?
I started at Juvigo as an intern, in January 2022, as part of my studies in business management, specialized in the tourism sector. All through my studies, I had been doing my internships abroad, and had wanted to come to Berlin for a long time. I discovered Juvigo while searching for internship opportunities in the German capital, and directly sent my resume and cover letter.
Do holiday camps have a special meaning to you?
In France, summer camps are very popular. I grew up by the sea, where many organizations offer summer camps. So I was able to take part in some of them when I was a child, alongside my brothers, and I loved those experiences. I think these stays helped to sharpen my curiosity and open me up to the world.
You are Product Manager France at Juvigo. Can you tell us more about your career so far?
After a first year studying English and Russian at university, I had the opportunity to be a guide on a month-long tour of Kazakhstan, as part of the 2017 World Expo. It was thanks to this experience that I decided to continue my studies in tourism. Throughout my Master’s degree, I was lucky enough to do five internships abroad: in Malta, Prague In Czech republic, Heidelberg in southern Germany, Athens in Greece and then in Berlin, at Juvigo. I think the experience I gained during my internships and studies enabled me to gain the trust of my colleagues relatively quickly, and after a while of working full-time at Juvigo, I became Product Manager.
What are your responsibilities as Product Manager France and how do you contribute to the further development of the platform?
As Product Manager France, my tasks are varied. My main goal is the successful development of our French platform. This involves managing the team, looking after everyone’s priorities, building relationships with our partners, setting targets and monitoring their progress. During the low season, I’m doing partner acquisition, in order to offer more and more camps! I’m also involved in acquisition on an international level, as I’m training our new colleagues regarding this field and I take care of the international acquisition meetings. I’m also doing customer service, especially during the high season, as we receive a lot of calls every day. I believe that the development of the French market depends first and foremost on a solid team, in which everyone has a role to play and contributes, and on good relations with our partners. That’s why I regularly try to set up actions to strengthen our relationships.
What does a typical working day look like for you?
Every day is very different. Generally, I like to arrive quite early so that I can first work on the bookings we’ve received. After that, it all depends on my tasks for the day! During the high season, I organize myself to be able to help my colleagues with customer service, while managing various tasks linked to the management of our partners. I also manage invoicing for our market. In the off-season, some days are dedicated to acquiring new partners, sometimes I will be looking for team-building ideas for the team, and other times I’m looking for workshop ideas for the company! No days are alike, and that’s how I like it. At the end of the day, around 6, we like to have one (or two) afterwork drinks, to end the day in good spirits!
You lead the French team at Juvigo. What are the tasks of your colleagues? How do you support them?
Each member of the French team has a very specific role to play in the successful development of the market. For example, SEO and marketing are mainly managed by one person, while another deals with language travel, booking flights and keeping in touch with languages schools we work with. We also have a team-member in charge of developing our Belgian platform, who also does part of the French partner management alongside me. Of course, each member of the French team also shares tasks such as content creation and customer service. We also welcome trainees every year, who support us in various tasks such as customer service, partner acquisition and communication.
In order to support my colleagues, I organize our days as well as possible, check everyone’s progress through regular meetings and help them with tasks when I can. Of course, I’m always available to listen to them if they need anything. It’s really important to me that my team-members are happy to come to work.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
Juvigo has offered me great and many responsibilities and I’m pleased with the trust they’ve placed in me. If Juvigo spots potential in a person, a chance we’ll be given, even if they’re just graduated, which was the case for me. They allow me to keep track of developments in the French market and in the company in general. Also, every day is different, and I can organize myself in a quite flexible way. Finally, I get on very well with my colleagues and the general atmosphere at Juvigo is a real motivation every day.
What do you enjoy least about your work?
Some situations can be stressful, particularly during the high season. However, I’ve learnt to deal with these situations and control them better. Some tasks are also less thrilling than others, but that’s part of the job, and they remain minimal! The positive wins over the negative, and I’m a very positive person. Also, even though I love Berlin, I do miss the coastline and the sea sometimes. But thanks to the home office opportunities at Juvigo, I can go back to France from time to time!
How would you like to develop as Product Manager France and what are your goals for your future career?
I’d like to work in a stable and relaxed environment, alongside a dynamic and motivated team. It’s in these conditions that I’ll be able to personally develop my expertise as Product Manager, not only for Juvigo’s French market, but also on an international level, by participating in the successful development of Juvigo’s 8 other markets, in terms of acquiring new partners, for example, but also in terms of new ideas that will enable us to evolve. My main goal for my future at Juvigo is to enable children and teenagers to experience holiday camps and language trips full of memories, while ensuring the smooth running of the company’s internal process, through quality partners, a wide choice of holidays, email and call support to offer the best holiday to children and their parents, and excellent visibility for the holiday organizers we work with, who grow alongside us every day.
How would you describe the company culture at Juvigo?
Juvigo is a very young and dynamic company. I particularly like the fact that I work in a team of around ten different nationalities. Most of my professional experience has been abroad. I really enjoy noticing cultural differences, I think it’s really interesting in terms of opening up my mind and I regularly learn new things about a country, a culture or a new word in a language for example. In addition, at the moment there are around fifty employees and we all know each other. Events are also regularly organized to bring us together, at spring, at the end of the summer or for Christmas, for example. What’s more, our office has a lovely courtyard, perfect for getting together after a day out for a drink and a chat, or even some karaoke!
What advice would you give to potential candidates considering a career at Juvigo?
In my opinion, it’s important to understand that Juvigo is a young company, but one with a high level of professionalism. Future candidates will learn a lot during an internship, a dual-study or a long-term contract with Juvigo, so it’s important to be organized. Also, it’s always good to have some knowledge of the market, and therefore to have already taken part in a holiday camp as a child, or even as a supervisor! Apart from that, Juvigo gives students a chance even if they’ve just left school, so I don’t think future applicants should put too much pressure on themselves and just be themselves, without doubting their own abilities.
What is Juvigo for you?
Juvigo is my first long-term contract in my field of study. It’s really nice to come and work every day alongside the French team, in a lively city full of culture like Berlin. Juvigo allows me to evolve and understand the whole functioning of a company and the development of a market, and I learn both on a professional level, thanks to the expertise of my colleagues, and on a personal level, thanks to the multi-cultural environment in which I evolve.
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