Efi, Regional Assistant in Tuscany

Ciao sun lovers! First, let me introduce myself. I am Efi Princen, 26 years old and since 2011 I have worked as a regional assistant in the regions of Tuscany and Sardinia, a beautiful area.

The Regional Assistant season starts, together with the operational manager and the regional assistant in February at the Gardalake in Italy. We start with RA training for the duration of 3 weeks given by the operations manager. During this period we get to know each other and share experiences. The training offers all aspects of the montage period from building the tents and cleaning the mobile homes and Lodgetents to the inventory in the accommodation. Its hard work but it will keep you warm in the cold winter months. It is great to work in the open air.

After the training we start working with the montage team, consisting of mainly Polish guys. The montage team also get training before the montage period starts. Privacy in this period is scarce because we do everything together; work, breakfast, lunch, dinner and shopping. One beer in the evening is enough because you want to turn in early due to all the physical and spiritual effort.

As soon as all the montage work is finished, the couriers arrive to man the campsites for the quest period. As the RA, you are the main point of contact for the courier, especially in the beginning of the season when we have to answer a lot of questions. Things like broken boilers, incomplete inventory and a safe that won’t open but eventually everybody knows exactly what to do.

I like being responsible for a great first impression of Selectamp for our guests. When a courier has a problem it is important to solve this as soon as possible and to keep the main point of contact of the campsite informed. For example, when I’m in the Florence region and there is a problem on camping Il Pini in Rome it is important the couriers are well informed because they are the representatives there and only they can carry out the solution, sometimes together with the campsite management. As RA you are on the road all the time and never bored.

For the RA it is important to have a good relationship with the maintenance team. They are responsible for repairing all technical problems we experience. I am very lucky to work with two great people, Time and Diana. Because we live together on the same campsite we’re able to help each other and catch up in the evenings with a nice glass of wine and great snacks.

It is great to be able to switch quickly between different situations, creatively solving problems and getting insights on people and their intentions. It is very nice to see the couriers being very creative with their work. My heart skips a beat when I notice the how clean the accommodation is and how our guests are enjoying themselves, thanks to the excellent service we offer. Furthermore you work with a lot of different characters from various cultures. All this makes the job busy, versatile and dynamic. Every day is different.

Ciao! Efi