Years before becoming an educational advisor, Mark Viser had heard of Global Education Sports Partners (GESP) when he was a Spanish teacher and coach at Christchurch School.

During his five-year tenure at the school, he noticed a larger influx of international students. One day, he asked a friend of his in the admissions office where all the international students were coming from and his friend told him the connection was through GESP.

Viser didn’t think much about it at the time and he ultimately left the school to pursue his Master’s degree in Spanish. After he received his degree, he began looking for a job. At the time, Viser wasn’t quite ready to re-enter the classroom. He wanted a job that allowed him to work more directly with native speakers, but also allowed him to develop relationships with students and make an impact, as he found that to be one of the most gratifying aspects of working at Christchurch School. He reached out to the same friend in admissions who had told him about GESP and his friend told him that they were hiring and he should explore the opportunity.

After a couple interviews with Founder and Owner Matt Kokoszka and co-owners John Chiavaroli and Jose Manuel Díaz Tendero, Viser accepted a position as an educational advisor with the company.

Today Viser’s main responsibilities include recruiting, processing of applications and enrolling students from Spain and Guatemala. Viser also serves as the point person for the families of GESP students from those countries as well as the schools that GESP students from those countries attend.

Once he has recruited the students, Viser not only helps process their applications, but recommends the schools that are the best fit for them. In addition to the four key factors that the company takes into consideration when placing students, Viser also considers some of the intangible factors that come from conducting interviews with the students. As an example, if a student shared that they wanted to become a pilot, Viser might suggest a school within the company’s network that has a pilot program where the student can begin taking courses.

Once the students are enrolled, Viser then serves as a liaison between the schools and the families for the duration of time that they are attending boarding school.

“I had some time abroad and it meant so much to me, so it’s rewarding to give back and provide similar experiences to people who want to come check out our country,” said Viser. “I love my interviews with the kids. … I love that interaction with the kid. That’s why we do all of this is to help provide them with those experiences.”

In addition to recruiting the students and helping them and the families through the process, Viser also attends all the showcases that the company hosts in Spain and Guatemala and helps with the company’s main conference that is held once a year.

It is at some of these showcases that Viser gets to see the impact he and the company have had on people’s lives.

“When we do these showcases in Spain and in Guatemala a lot of the parents will come back to these showcases just to see everybody and talk to us and give testimonials sometimes for prospective families,” Viser said. “It’s really great catching back up with them and hearing about how everything is going well.”