March is an exciting month at Gentle Giant. The flowers are blooming, the snow shovels are (almost) ready for retirement, and the recruiting team is in full swing. While summer is still a long way off, preparation for the busy period begins many months earlier for our team. The highlight of March is typically a whirlwind recruiting trip across the Atlantic to the green shores of Ireland.

Gentle Giant has a long history of sourcing summer help from Ireland through the J-1 visa program. This work/travel program allows Irish university students to visit the United States for a summer and provides companies with hard working seasonal employees. It is an excellent opportunity for students to immerse themselves in a new city and for Gentle Giant to enjoy more cultural diversity and some new perspectives.

One of the great benefits of a culturally diverse work force is a good travel buddy. As our work with the J-1 program continues and foreign workers refer friends and family, the Gentle Giant global network grows. Employees often find themselves meeting up with former Gentle Giant friends, and getting expert local tips on travel spots abroad. 

The opportunity to reconnect over shared experiences in a new, exotic environment is exciting. These open doors to family homes and meals with friends is the Gentle Giant way both at home and abroad. The recruiting team experienced firsthand the Gentle Giant network as they traveled to Ireland and were greeted with true and generous hospitality from former and current employees.

The trip began with a personalized walking tour through the streets of Dublin, complete with a bit of architectural education, some museum guidance, and of course a few local watering holes. There were cliff walks along coastal towns, a seaside pub lunch, and an overnight stay with a few Gentle Giant parents. No trip to Ireland would be complete without a Six Nations rugby match. Our rugby enthusiast recruiter was excited for the chance to see the women of Ireland and France go head-to-head, joined by a few local Gentle Giant friends who made good chaperones.

Don’t worry, it wasn’t all fun and games! The team is returning to Boston with 30 job offers to the newest group of enthusiastic J-1 visa holders. It was an excellent trip that reinforced the excitement of working for a company with deep and cherished international ties. Come join our Gentle Giant movers this summer and meet your next great travel buddy.