Moving on: Interview with Elene Koridze, Departing Front Desk/Program Officer at the JVI

Elene Koridze has worked as a Front Desk/Program Officer at the JVI for a year. On the occasion of her departure, she spoke with JVI Newsletter staff about her experience here.

Elene, you have worked as a Front Desk/Program Officer at the JVI over the past year. Can you give an overview of your role and key activities during this period?

I worked at the JVI as a Front Desk/ Program Officer. As a program officer I ensured the smooth running of assigned courses, responded to needs and requests to the participants, course directors and lecturers and organized social events related to courses. In 2023, I was assigned to 10 courses in total. Among others, my duties and responsibilities as a program officer included: providing visa support to participants, requesting medical insurance, ensuring timely payment of participants allowances, scheduling appointments and organizing course events, managing course evaluation and the budget for the course.

How would you describe your work experience here? 

Working at the JVI was a wonderful experience, as I grew professionally, made new contacts and friends and met new people.

What was your most memorable part during this period? Any anecdote you would like to share?

I have many fond memories of interactions with course participants and JVI colleagues. With the latter, a particularly memorable experience was the staff retreat we had a few months after I joined. This was the first such event in my professional career. The day was split in two: we brainstormed in the morning on how to further improve our practices and processes, while the afternoon was spent on team-bonding activities in the Prater, a big park in the middle of Vienna. It was both a highly productive and lovely day with my colleagues, which I got to know much better this way. 

What are your plans after the JVI?

After the JVI, I will return to Georgia, where I will pursue my career path. I am convinced that if I stayed in Vienna, the JVI is the place where I would like to work for a longer time.

Rilind Kabashi, Economist, Joint Vienna Institute