The Last Frontiers

Placement organization

Name of organization: The Last Frontiers
Town/city: Shanghai
Country: China
Website: http://www.TheLastFrontiers.com

Student

Name of student: Martha Larndorfer

Specialist area: ITMC
Placement period: 2011-2012

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Travel consulting
Organization’s activities: Travel consulting
Target group of the organization: Expatriates in Shanghai (German and international)
Company culture: The work atmosphere is good. All the colleagues are very nice, however, it is very important to communicate and point out important tasks or events. Please be aware that the Chinese culture is very different. You have to show initiative and ask yourself for more information. Currently, the intern is the only German speaking / western person at the office, therefore it is important to oversee the situation and maintain ‘German’ standards in order to successfully do business with the German community in Shanghai
Number of employees: 7
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? Main office in Shanghai. Due to the small size the company is not divided into different departments, but each employee performs different activities. Travel Consulting, Accounting, Marketing, etc.
I focussed on Marketing, Sales

Brief description of your daily activities: Customer consulting, Marketing activities (creating newsletters, newspaper adverts), PR (attending events of the German Club), Supporting the Team in Shanghai (language and cultural difference)
Brief description of your company assignment: Company assignment: The change of the Tourism Product
The company assignment focuses on the change of the Tourism product since founding The Last Frontiers*. It elaborates on external forces, the overall change of the Tourism industry and the influence of the economic situation on travel businesses in Shanghai.

Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: Supervision takes place via mail and telephone. The owner Sigrid Seel visits Shanghai at least twice a year for about a month. Martin Botz and Sigrid Seel are very supportive and if there is a question it is always possible to contact them.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Independent, flexible, self-managed, stress-proof, pro-active, creative, communicative, customer friendly, sociable, open-minded for new cultures
Additional company requirements for this placement? Word, Excel, Photoshop, Office Publisher, HTML, Supermailer (very easy to learn – manual is online)
English: Advanced
Spanish:
French:
German: Advanced
Italian:
Other languages: Mandarin sufficient. not necessary for the internship, but highly recommended in order to have a good time in Shanghai. Please be aware, that people outside of the office (restaurants, taxis, stores, etc.) are not able to speak English.

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane. There is a daily direct flight from Amsterdam, operated by KLM

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? I rent the same room the previous intern at The Last Frontiers used to rent. This was quite easy and of mutual benefit (deposit – in China it is common that you have to find a replacement, when terminating a rental contract)
How did you go to work every day? By bus

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? Yes
Do you need a work permit? No
How did you arrange the necessary documents: I arrived on a tourist visa. After 30 days I had to exit the country (go to HK) to apply for an F visa. The visa requirements are complicated, I can give you more detailed information on that.
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents?
Did you need certain vaccinations? Yes
How long in advance? I had all relevant vaccinations before arriving to Shanghai. Please see yourself what you might need.

Language course

Did you take a language course before you started your placement? Yes
Would you recommend to have a language course prior to this placement? Yes as well as during the placement, see previous remark

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 600,00
Accommodation (monthly): € 320,00
Local transport (monthly): € 10,00
General costs of living (monthly): € 400,00
Costs of visa: € 45,00
Costs of work permit: €
What did the company pay for/to you? EUR 360,= per month and costs for changing the tourist visa to an F visa.

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
Reading
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? China is very different, hence interesting. It is important to be healthy. Be careful with what you eat.Also, take into account that Shanghai is a densely populated city. Leave early in order to be on time for work.

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: martha.larndorfer@hotmail.com

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Show respect for a different culture. Many people, when coming to China have a problem when people stare at them. People should be aware that we ‘look’ different and exotic, especially when you happen to be blond. \
Communication is very important. You have to develop a sense of seeing when people do not agree with you or maybe feel uncomfortable. Your colleagues might not tell you everything right away. Do not be surprised that your colleagues speak Chinese very often. See the positive aspect. You will create a sense of Mandarin Chinese much faster.

Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: Shanghai offers a great variety of activities, especially for young people. From the Bund area, with the great skyline of the Pudong district (financial district), the Former French concession, with small cafes and terraces in the summer, to different parks, e.g. Century park and Zhongshan park, where you find some nature and semi-fresh air in such a cosmopolitan and fast moving city.

If you feel the desire to go outside of Shanghai for a weekend or a daytrip, you can visit different water towns in the area, go to Hangzhou (World heritage site for its lake and ancient buildings), Suzhou (famous for its gardens), Nanjing or take the speed train to Beijing.

However, there is a lot to do, see and experience. Feel free to ask me for recommendation. While being in Shanghai, you will have the great benefit of having all the travel information at the office and it is part of your job to learn about the destinations. Also, the team in Shanghai is very knowledgeable and they can definitely give you some tips for leisure activities.

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link