SIS – Spa in Spain

Placement organization

Name of organization: SIS – Spa in Spain
Town/city: Alaró
Country: Spanje
Website: https://www.spa-in-spain.com/

Student

Name of student: Geranne Timmermans

Specialist area: Tourism Management (NL)
Placement period: 2019-2020

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Touroperator
Organization’s activities: SIS has been organizing wellness trips to Spain and recently Portugal for 10 years. it is their mission to offer a ‘time-out’ from the often-busy life to focus a little on the “me time” and keep a client strong, focused and simply the best version of themself. For this they have selected the best ingredients for a wellness holiday: the finest ‘wellness spots’ in stunning locations, with sunshine and above all, a lot of relaxation!
Target group of the organization: The trips offered by SIS are meant for all people who would like to try a wellness trip and are somehow looking for a ‘better me’.
Company culture: Informal
Number of employees: 5
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? All-round

Brief description of your daily activities: At SIS Spa in Spain, I focus on processing bookings, sending confirmations to customers, forwarding reservations to hotels and organizing transfers to and from the airport. Searching for and approaching new hotels and retreats to work with and compiling and creating new packages and programs. In addition to these activities, I will also be involved in marketing; I will update the website, write newsletters and ‘blog posts’ and regularly upload posts on social media.

Brief description of your company assignment: developing a new and exclusive SIS travel product organized by SIS, which takes place at a wellness location/hotel selected by SIS with local professionals hired by SIS and is offered via the SIS website and other providers/channels.

Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: Femke was a good supervisor but also Neeltje, the other owner of the company often helped me. Due to the all-round tasks, a lot of independence is expected from the intern. Of course, you can always ask questions when you need it.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Independent, teamplayer, sociable, flexible, stress-proof (because it is a small office with relatively few employees)
Additional company requirements for this placement? MS Office, writing skills
English: Advanced
Spanish: Basic
Other languages: Preferably good Dutch language skills

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? Via a company with many student residences in Palma de Mallorca. Once you have been admitted to an internship in Mallorca, just send me a message via e-mail and I will send you the contact details of the manager.
How did you go to work every day? Via public transport, which is very cheap because you can apply for a student card with huge discount

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? If your English level is not advanced, I would recommend to practice your skills because the language spoken at the office is English

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 120
Accommodation (monthly): € 350
Local transport (monthly): € 33
General costs of living (monthly): € 200
Costs of visa: €
Costs of work permit: €
What did the company pay for/to you? No financial compensation

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
I have read some articles about Mallorca online, but because I often come to Spain for the holidays, I already knew the culture. However, the work culture is different from the Netherlands. A working day here often starts between 09:00 and 10:00 and lasts up to 8 hours.
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: 182718@buas.nl

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Because you get a lot of discounts on public transport, it’s really nice to explore the island during the weekend. Public transport works well so you can go almost anywhere. You could also rent a car, especially in the low season, it is very cheap. And of course, eat and drink as many tapas as possible with a fine ´cerveza´ or ´sangria´!
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: When the weather is great you can visit all the beautiful beaches and I would definitely recommend a walk or hike in the Serra de Tramuntana!

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