3 questions to Stephanie, sailing and water ski instructor

Hi Stéphanie, you are a sailing and water ski instructor. Tell us about your professional background.

I started waterskiing when I was a little girl. At that time, I took courses with a person who worked in Club Med and when I was 20, he suggested that I apply as a Water Skiing Instructor. That is how I started working in the Kemer resort in 2009.

After several seasons, Club Med offered me the opportunity to get a sailing and water ski BP JEPS training. This professional certificate is a major asset; I could discover sailing which I hadn’t yet mastered. It is a one-year training included 6 months of theoretical courses and 6 months of practical internship. At the end, I obtained my certificate andI am now a sailing and water ski graduate which allow me to begin the new season as a Sailing G.O!

What are the required skills to succeed in that position?

In order to succeed, we have need basic skills: we usually teach to beginners, who don’t know the sport at all. However, we also have to be able to teach people who are more advanced in the sport.

Friendliness, patience and open-mindedness are essential qualities. We are working with different people: children, adults… from all kind of cultures. All G.Ms should be warm welcome when they come to us. For that purpose, G.Os have to stay disciplined and to treat each G.M as a unique person and never put someone aside.

What does “working in Club Med” mean to you?

As a sailing G.O, I have the opportunity to travel and work while being in an idyllic place. According to me, working in Club Med is on the one hand, meeting people and sharing: while we are meeting people during our activities, it is always a pleasure to join them in the evening for dinner. On the other hand, it is a varied job: the resort’s life is an important place in our daily routine and it is really fun, especially when we take part in the shows, even if it is not our job. We learn a lot: dancing, choreography… All G.Os meet together in the costume room and get ready: it is always a friendly moment. Usually we have a lot of fun doing the shows and I spontaneously ask to participate in all of them!

The Club Med experience has an impact on my life, on my way of being, on my way of thinking: I was shy, Club Med pushed me to reach out to others, opened my mind and taught me to take it upon myself to win self-control and pay more attention to details. Meeting other cultures and characters gives me the power to adapt myself depending on the person with whoI am speaking. Working in a team makes you learn a lot.

Professionally, thanks to Club Med, I have learned and I have improved my skills from a technical and pedagogical point of view. Working in Club Med is an experience I will never forget and I definitely recommend it to everyone: What you live here, you won’t live it anywhere else.