African Ample Assistance

Placement organization

Name of organization: African Ample Assistance
Town/city: Hout Bay, Cape Town
Country: Zuid-Afrika
Website: http://aaatravel.co.za/

Name of student: Jonas Splitthoff

Specialist area: ITMC
Placement period: 2016-2017

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Inbound Tour operator
Organization’s activities: – Bus tours: groups consisting of 8-60 people, accompanied by a professional guide.
– Self-drives: for those who want to be independent, a hired car with a detailed route description is available at the airport.
– Incentives: involves corporate travel.
– Special interest travel: providing niche markets, like exploring the wine lands on a bicycle or go on a photographic course in the Drakensberg.
– Excursions: various excursions, from adventure trips to cultural highlights.

Target group of the organization: Mainly Dutch, German. Secondary markets are the Latin market as well as the British.
Company culture: The company culture is a hierarchy with the owners being the highest authority. Followed my the managers and the managers of each department. The departments are seperated into different working “pools” in the open space office.
Number of employees: 50 +/-
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? I have mainly been working in the Marketing and Contracting department, but I know that other interns have worked in different departments.
Brief description of your daily activities: My daily activities have included translations of route descritions and mainly the enquiry and checking of rates of our supplier network.
Brief description of your company assignment: My company assignment dealt with the portuguese target market. Researching which routes and activities they are interested in as well as how to target them.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: My supervision has been escellent. My company supervisor Soné is a very carrying women and makes you feel very welcome in the country and company. Additionaly she gives you the freedom and trust to collect your experiences.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? independent, flexible, sociable and stress-proof
Additional company requirements for this placement? English writing skills, language skills
English: Advanced
Spanish:
French:
German:
Italian:
Other languages: Dutch, German helpful

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? Myself
How did you go to work every day? bicycle

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? Yes, exchange Visa
Do you need a work permit? No
How did you arrange the necessary documents: On my own account at the embassy
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents? min. 2 months
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? Not necessary if English skills

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 800
Accommodation (monthly): € 300
Local transport (monthly): € 50
General costs of living (monthly): € 800
Costs of visa: € Visa 35€, with all expenses 200€
Costs of work permit: €
What did the company pay for/to you? Nothing

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
No specific preparation, just collecting information of the country in general.
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: 142051@edu.nhtv.nl

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Try not to walk alone at Night or in specific areas.
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: There are an enormous number of possible leisure activities. Some of them are hiking, Wine tasting, cycling, Whale watching, Quad biking, partying and various kinds of excursions as well as boat cruises.

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link