Madeline Rehm

During a six-month span of time spent in Madrid, Spain, I worked for this company to teach English. I traveled to individual residences to teach EFL classes to students ranging in age from two-and-a-half years old to twenty-seven years old. I evaluated the students' English competency levels, determined their strengths and weaknesses, and implemented lesson plans designed specifically based on the students' needs as well as their age. For young children, I utilized fun lesson plans, which incorporated games, singing, acting, and learning, to keep the students engaged despite the length of the classes and the lesson content. The lessons I constructed for the older students typically revolved around grammar, literacy, and test preparation. Activity sections of review books, worksheets, essay assignments, and prompted conversations were used to practice the content of the lessons.

In this small family-owned business, I was in charge of customer service and interaction as well as monitoring the grocery shopping areas. I greeted and interacted with customers, managed product sales, answered phones, and kept the store clean and orderly. As the only employee managing sales at a time, I rapidly honed my ability to do mental arithmetic. Additionally, I became the primary babysitter for the children in the owner's immediate family. Taking care of these children is a position that I continue to fill today.

I have been twice-promoted in this business during my ten-plus years as an employee here. I started this job as a busgirl, then was promoted to waitress, and finally was moved into a managerial position. As the manager, I am responsible for supervising 18 employees, greeting and seating customers, problem-solving and facilitating conflict resolution among dissatisfied customers, answering phones, and handling all payment transactions. As a waitress, I served customers in a fast-paced and highly-pressurized environment, ensured an enjoyable fine-dining experience, and maintained a professional, friendly, and approachable demeanor under duress.