Four fun things to do this Bank Holiday Weekend

Brixham Pirate Festival 2016

This weekend thousands will descend on the small and friendly fishing town of Brixham. It’s a great place to visit and the added mixture of pirates, live music and market stalls make it a must this Bank Holiday.

Regular buses run to Brixham, but the best and cheapest way of getting there is by boat from Torquay. Western Lady runs a regular ferry service – the 35-minute journey is a great way to see the bay and a return journey costs £3. More info can be found here: http://www.westernladyferry.com/

The festival takes place 30th April – 2nd May

http://brixhampirates.com/

BMAD Paignton Bike Festival

This weekend, Bikers Make a Difference (BMAD) will transform Paignton Green into an adrenaline junkie’s dream! In addition to the masses of motorbikes, there will be displays, rides, live music and the infamous Wall of Death!

The festival takes place 29th April – 1st May

http://www.bmad.co.uk/festival.html

Firework Display at Goodrington Sands

To celebrate the start of the 2016 season at Splashdown Waterpark, there will be a free firework display at the beachfront on Saturday evening. If you haven’t been to Goodrington before, the sandy stretch of beach is a pretty place to spend some time.

Fireworks start at around 9:15 p.m.

More information can be found here: http://www.englishriviera.co.uk/whats-on/fireworks-splashdown-quaywest-p1866183

Exe Estuary Trail

If you’re living in Exeter and fancy getting out of the city for the day, then the Exe Estuary Trail is a great way to do so. Bicycles can be rented from various places around Exeter Quay – from there you can pick up the trail along the canal. If you fancy a short ride then a 2-3 mile round trip to Turf Locks is a great option. The pub has a large beer garden overlooking the Exe Estuary, perfect for a hard-earned halfway drink!

If you’re feeling very energetic, then the trail leads right to Powderham Castle – about a 12 mile round-trip from Exeter Quay. On Saturday 30th April Powderham will also be holding a Garden Festival. Tickets are £7.50 on the day and includes admission to the garden festival, speaker programme and Powderham Castle.

Cycle Hire: http://www.sadpad.com/

Estuary Trail: http://www.heartofdevon.com/dbimgs/The%20exe%20estuary%20trail%20pdf(2).pdf

Powderham Garden Festival: http://www.tobygardenfest.co.uk/pages/finding-us

Five amazing places for an overseas work programme

In 2016, TTPL has launched a fantastic range of global programmes. From ranch stays in America to internships in China - there’s lots to get excited about. Here’s a pick of the most amazing places to live, work and discover who you are…

Mauritius

From powder-white beaches and sapphire waters, to waterfalls and luscious green rainforest – the word paradise springs to mind. 

Professional internships are available in sectors such as hospitality, finance, engineering, marketing and tourism. What a brilliant way to experience the amazing culture of this unique island in the Indian Ocean!

South Africa

Few places have a more beautiful location than the energetic and diverse Cape Town. The South African city finds itself between stunning coastline and the incredible Table Mountain. 

Popular internships on offer in Cape Town include business and entrepreneurship, medical and health care, human rights and social work.

China

Shanghai, China’s biggest city, is futuristic-looking and fast-paced. It’s also a global financial hub, making it an ideal place for internships in finance and business. 

Other programmes include teaching and healthcare – the city is an urban metropolis of opportunity.

Malta

The small Mediterranean island of Malta boasts some beautiful coastline, is packed with historical sites and home to some of the most welcoming people you could ever wish to meet. An ideal place to head for an internship if you’re new to travelling.

Italy

From the wonderful mountains of Piedmont, to the beautiful historic city of Torino, the north of Italy is simply stunning. Soak up the Italian city culture while teaching in Torino, or perhaps the title of ‘Mountain Camp Counsellor’ is too tempting to turn down!

Click here for our Global Programmes brochure

Dino Rhino is born!

After lots of planning and preparation, work on TTPL's Dino Rhino has begun.

The name may sound like a bad B movie, but it's actually part of Paignton Zoo's Great Big Rhino Project. Be sure to look out for the 30 life-size rhinos that will be scattered around the streets, parks and open spaces of the English Riviera and Exeter this summer. The fantastic project is raising funds for the conservation of endangered Javan and Sumatran rhinos.

If you can't wait until the summer, the TTPL-sponsored Dino Rhino is on display as it comes to life at the Spanish Barn in Torquay. Local artist Jess Miller has the slightly daunting task of intricately painting the life-size rhino and is already doing a stunning job.

Jess is currently studying at Plymouth College of Art and specialises in wildlife portraits. Having already painted a life-size gorilla as part a previous Paignton Zoo project, we are all confident that Dino Rhino is going to be brilliant!

More information on the project can be found here: http://www.greatbigrhinos.org.uk/

TTPL Student Ambassadors - One Year On!

Our ‘Student Ambassador’ scheme has been running for a whole year now and has been even more successful than we dared hope.   The role was created to act as a link between us and our students; to offer a more inclusive approach to our welfare and support.

From Susi and Nikolas to Jonathan and Nuria, they have all been outstanding in their attitude and commitment, they've immersed themselves in their UK experience and helped so many other students along the way.

Our nominated Ambassadors act as a link with our students,  sharing helpful hints and tips for enjoying life here in sunny Devon, keeping everyone up to date with the social scene and local events and generally ensuring all our students are happy with their whole experience, especially outside of the workplace.

As well as attending our weekly cultural and social meetings, where they help our students enjoy visits to local tourist attractions, activities such as bowling or experience a real Devon Cream Tea, they also come along to our weekly Conversation Café’s to encourage everyone  to mix and chat in English about their experiences and (more importantly) make plans for the weekends!

Last week we said goodbye to Jonathan in Exeter and welcomed Clara to the role.  

Nuria will also be leaving shortly and so the hunt is on for our next Torbay Student to take on the baton, and so it continues . . . 

Moving on…

Work Placement Manager Ian is moving on!

After 8 years, hundreds (thousands) of students, many trips abroad and so many laughs it is impossible to count, I have decided to take a huge leap of faith and take up some freelance opportunities supporting local businesses with their Social Media (among other things)! The time is right for me to join the army of self-employed, small business owners and get out there!

Thankfully, my relationship with the TTPL Directors is such that I am able to move on and still maintain a great relationship with them and the company. I will also be retaining some aspects of the role that I have enjoyed for so long; teacher and delegate visits, some of the social media activity and the occasional work placement start when needed.

Really…how could I possibly draw a final line under TTPL!

All this means that my last ‘official’ day at TTPL towers will be the 19^th February – exciting times indeed.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the entire TTPL team; Jayne, Wendy and Nadine, without their support this would not be possible. Vicky, my opposite number who keeps the office running and generally makes sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible; Jo and Aaron, ‘My’ team…it is so much easier to move on knowing that they will continue to offer the right support to the many hundreds of work placements that I have had the pleasure of working with during my time here. Not forgetting Debra, Andrea, Dan, Tanja, Shirley, Lisa and of course Gemma (currently on maternity leave), you have all played your part and helped make TTPL the amazing place it is today and given me many happy memories.
Last night we spent a few hours at the Visto Lounge; some drinks, some reminiscing and a lot more laughs...along with some very generous gifts - what can I say!

I will miss you all but am happy that I will be able continue to work alongside you.

Thank you all

Ian

x

A belated 'Thank You' to Alan & Marysa at Harbour Breezes

Marysa, Nadine, Alan and Jo

You may recall that just before Christmas we held an event at the Palace Hotel to celebrate the support we get from our many and varied Work Placements. At the end of the event Celebrating Business Partnerships we presented some special awards to employers who have stood out in the past years, based on feedback from our students..
One of those employers, Alan Freeman of Harbour Breezes, was unable to attend as he was out of the country. He is now back and came to our offices this week where we had a small celebration (with cake and coffee) to present Alan and Marysa with their Certificate, some chocolates and of course a bottle of something fizzy.
After the presentation Alan said "It has been a pleasure, it is like having a big extended family. Its amazing, I am still in contact with Florian, a Romanian student who was my  first student from back in 2004. Hosting students from TTPL has always been a great experience for us"
Thank you Alan, for your continued support, your patience and for always being there to look after our students, particularly those students who are, perhaps, a little homesick.
Nadine added "We all appreciate what you and Marysa have done for our students and are looking forward to many more years of collaboration - here's to a successful 2016."

If you would like to be part of the TTPL network of businesses please give us a call.

A new work placement officer - welcome Aaron

It was two months ago I set foot inside TTPL headquarters for my first day of work with the team, and what a great time I’ve had so far! Not only have I had the opportunity to get to know the team, but I’ve also been out and about meeting employers, host families and of course some of our awesome students! It’s great to get out and see everyone having so much fun, it really puts into perspective what an immense opportunity it is to experience one of our programmes.

Having completed a course myself in Spain during 2013, I know first-hand what it’s like to be a student in another country working away from home. And with the combination of coming from a background of varied job roles, I seem to have found my perfect vocation here at TTPL and I’m really enjoying getting to grips with work placements. Alongside Jo and Ian, I’ll be helping to find the perfect location for students to work during their stay in Devon. I’ll also be looking to monitor progress and ensure the very best work experience from start to finish.

The experience here in Devon doesn’t just end at home-time however….there’s always more places to go and there’s always more people to meet in the evenings and on weekends! If you have a spare evening free, maybe you might like to come and watch my band play at one of the many local venues which play live music most days of the week! I’ve been playing music as a local musician for over 10 years and I can definitely say that Devon is the place to be if you’re into live music with bustling atmospheres and great people.

So….after some seriously festive fun, it’s hard to believe I was a stranger to TTPL just two months ago. But now Santa has fled the building and I’ve had time to reflect on a great couple months, it’s time for us now to look forward to the exciting year ahead! I’d like to wish everyone involved with TTPL a very happy and prosperous new year and look forward to meeting you all in 2016!