Fat Tire Tour Guide, Paris, France Reflection – Wesley Hart

During my first month of employment, I have learned a lot. The company I am working for is an American owned company that is in France so it is a very interesting mix of the 2 cultures and societies. I have noticed that they demand a better work ethic than most businesses here, which probably comes from their American roots. A full time is 35 hours here but most of their employees work more than that. However, I have noticed a great sense of comradery in the office and with all of the employees. It seems like most of the employees are not just colleagues, they are friends. They often socialize outside of work and that is very encouraged by the management as well. I feel like that is something that is more common here than in the states. As a tourism company you meet all kinds of people from all over the world and that is something I have had to learn to deal with and that the company has to specialize in. They have a large number of Dutch tourists? so they have actually recently added Dutch tours with Dutch speaking kinds to accommodate to the demand. Accommodation of the customers and adaptability for them are two massive factors for a tour guiding company, especially on bikes.?I have really enjoyed my time here so far though. It is a job where I have to do a lot of public speaking, learn to adapt to my customers, and handle adversity. All of these things have been really good for me, but my favorite part has been all of the people I have gotten to meet. Whether it is customers or my coworkers, I have been able to meet people from all over the world and I am very grateful for that.