FCM Travel Solutions

Placement organization

Name of organization: FCM Travel Solutions
Town/city: San Gwann
Country: Malta
Website: http://www.fcm.com.mt/

Name of student: Susanne Karalic

Specialist area: MT
Placement period: 2016-2017

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Travel agent
Organization’s activities:
FCM Travel Solutions is one of the leading corporate travel management providers. The goal is to provide clients with better travel ideas for greater savings. They are active on different markets: corporate, leisure, conference and incentive market. FCM Travel has a lot of affiliations and therefore they are in a position to serve customers all over the globe. They offer outgoing and incoming travel related services for their customers.

Products: Packages(Tucan, Cosmos, Exodus. Trips for young people), deals, honeymoons and cruises.

Destinations: Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America
Target group of the organization: No specific target group.
Company culture:
There is a hierarchy in the company, however the company’s culture is quite relaxed. Written communication is formal. The communication in the office was informal and relaxed.

Number of employees: > 25
Dress code: formal
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? Marketing / digital marketing
Brief description of your daily activities:
Brief description of your company assignment:
To conduct an analysis of FCM Travel Solution’s social media presence and present a detailed SWOT analysis. Identify good social media practices that are being implemented by our competitors locally and also identify some emerging trends that are being used by foreign leisure travel agencies.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: My supervisor was really helpful during my internship. He was really concerned about my well-being and that I would learn something. He was flexible, so if I didn’t liked a task I could tell him and he changed it.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Independent, but at the same time a teamplayer. You have to be social, flexible, creative and it is important to take initiative/responsibility.
Additional company requirements for this placement? MS Office, writing skills, Social media channels(Facebook, Twitter, Youtube).
English: Advanced
Spanish:
French:
German:
Italian:
Other languages:

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? A Dutch real-estate agent on Malta helped me to find an apartment.
How did you go to work every day? Public transport or I get a lift from my supervisor.

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? No
Do you need a work permit? No
How did you arrange the necessary documents:
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents?
Did you need certain vaccinations? No
How long in advance?

Language course

Did you take a language course before you started your placement? No
Would you recommend to have a language course prior to this placement? No, only if your English level is low.

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 300 (return)
Accommodation (monthly): € 420
Local transport (monthly): € 20
General costs of living (monthly): € 400
Costs of visa: €
Costs of work permit: €
What did the company pay for/to you? –

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?

I didn’t prepare for the country’s culture, because it is pretty similar to the Netherlands. The local people are a bit relaxed(laid back culture) which I think is the only difference between Malta and the Netherlands.
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? no

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: 140508@edu.nhtv.nl

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do:
Enjoy your internship, because 20 weeks just flies by. The weather is good during the whole year, so enjoy your weekends and visit as much as possible.

Recommendations:
– Get a bus pass, because it is a lot cheaper that paying for it every time. Tip: Order your bus pass beforehand, because it takes two weeks before you get it.
– Search for an accommodation close to your working place, because the buses are not reliable.
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place:
Malta is a really small island, so it is possible to do and see a lot of things.
– Comino Island, Blue Lagoon.
– Gozo Island
– Valletta (capital city)
– Mdina (old city)
– Blue grotto
– Dingli cliffs
– Popeye Village
– Café del Mar
– Paceville (for the nightlife)
– Beaches like: Golden Bay, Tuffieha Bay, Paradise Bay.

And a lot more to discover

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link