Alumni Profile: Neva Hay

Degree: Music/Arts 2001 Current Position: Managing Director, Académie de français Crans-Montana Sàrl, Switzerland Neva Hay lives and works in the kind of location most of us can only dream about - the picturesque resort town of Crans-Montana in the Swiss Alps. In her earlier career as a concert promoter, Neva learned first-hand the immense importance of languages to successfully doing business in Europe. Her quest for the ideal language learning experience eventually led her to move to Switzerland where she established her own French academy.

After graduating with a combined Music/Arts degree in 2001, I worked for a number of years in the arts industry. My company, Music Connections International, presented concerts featuring world-renowned artists. I was involved in the promotion of the Australian Philharmonic/Pops Orchestra, and had the honour of working with artists such as the late Luciano Pavarotti, Richard Bonynge and Marina Pryor.

Meanwhile, I was searching for a French language course for mature and like-minded students. I had a firm idea of what I was looking for, but struggled to find the ideal language experience. This was the catalyst for my career change and from there a chain of events culminated in the establishment of the Académie de français Crans-Montana (www.swissfrenchacademy.com) in Switzerland in 2007.

Many people have learned French at school, but when it comes to speaking the language, words fail due to a lack of practice and confidence. It’s often hard to put together a sentence when it counts. So my aim was to make learning French relevant and practical in a relaxed, fun and inspirational environment.

What has been your most difficult career decision?
My most difficult career decision was moving to Switzerland to set up my school. There has been an enormous amount of bureaucracy involved in setting up the business in a foreign country with so many procedures to follow.

What does a standard day involve?
There is nothing standard about my day! It might be delivering a promotional presentation in Geneva one day, and overseeing employment issues the next. There are many facets to this business, such as curriculum development, marketing, promotion, administration and management. I also run professional development courses for the teachers.

Because it is a full immersion course, our students take part in a variety of afternoon activities such as golf, skiing, hiking and cultural activities. This adds another interesting dimension to a day’s work.

What has been the most enjoyable part of your experience?
Crans-Montana must be one of the most beautiful locations in Europe. It is very rewarding to be able to operate a business and work in such idyllic surroundings. It’s also a pleasure to entice people to come to this part of the world knowing that they are always so wonderfully surprised and to witness the progress of students during our courses.

What memories do you have of Melbourne University?
I have been associated with Melbourne University in a variety of different capacities – not just as a student. Even when I was studying I was heavily involved in music and was either performing myself, or organising concerts for local and international artists.

Melbourne University offered me an incredible variety of experiences. For example, some of my professional skills were developed at the University, where I was the tour manager for the Alumni Asian Tour in 2002, the concert administrator for the Contemporary Menu and 30th Anniversary Maggs Concert and the promoter/administrator for the International Music Medicine Symposium ‑ all of which gave me experience in administration, promotion and marketing, as well as working with people.

My degree has broadened my horizons in so many ways. Looking back, I was hesitant about taking up German in my Arts degree, not knowing whether it would benefit me. However, learning German at Melbourne gave me a very firm foundation and I pursued my studies courtesy of a scholarship from the Goethe-Institut in Germany. Personally, it was very gratifying.

At the time, I couldn’t have imagined how important German would be professionally. It not only fuelled my desire to master a foreign language, but it was very useful when I was in Europe investigating options to promote international artists as part of my music company, which at that time, was organising Australian concert tours. It was for this reason that I also decided to learn French.

What advice would you give to students?
If you intend to work in Europe, it is vital to be almost fluent in another language other than English – if not two. A lot more opportunities will arise. We often don’t realise, because of our isolation in Australia, the importance of European languages. It is a prerequisite if you wish to do well at your job and even more importantly attracts a higher salary.