Ministry of Tourism – National Committee for Tourism Professionals

Placement organization

Name of organization: Ministry of Tourism – National Committee for Tourism Professionals
Town/city: Phnom Penh

Country: Cambodia
Website: http://cambodiatourismprofessionals.gov.kh

Student

Name of student: Eveline Keus

Specialist area: ITMC
Placement period: 2013-2014

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Ministry – Government
Organization’s activities: The NCTP (National Committee for Tourism Professionals) organises activities and official certification for people who work in the Cambodian Tourism sector. Examples are Food Hygiene & safety and hospitality trainings in the lesser developed provinces.
Target group of the organization: Tourism professionals
Company culture: The hierarchy in this company is very high, this is all over Cambodia, not only in this company.
Number of employees: 10
Dress code: formal
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? mostly

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? National Committee for Tourism Professionals (NCTP)
Brief description of your daily activities: Researching mostly about the assignments given to me. Furthermore, developing training presentations and going on training missions to the provinces.
Brief description of your company assignment: I need to find the gap in competency/skill training level in hotels, which skill trainings are available now for hospitality and what is needed for the future.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: For this placement you need to be able to work very independently. Supervision is low. Sometimes update via a presentation on what you are doing. There are deadlines though to make sure you finish your work in time, but you are left quite freely to divide your time.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? indepentdent worker, flexible
Additional company requirements for this placement? researching
English: Intermediate
Spanish:
French:
German:
Italian:
Other languages:

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? supervisor arranged this for me
How did you go to work every day? by tuktuk

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? business visa, available on arrival, extension later via company
Do you need a work permit? no
How did you arrange the necessary documents: on arrival at the airport
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents? 30 minutes, depending on how busy the small airport of phnom penh is
Did you need certain vaccinations? Yes
How long in advance? Rabies is strongly advised when staying this long, this requires several shots with a certain amount of time in between. +/- 6 weeks

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

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 700/800
Accommodation (monthly): € 200
Local transport (monthly): € 80
General costs of living (monthly): € 200/300 depending on trips you make
Costs of visa: € 125 in total
Costs of work permit: € 0
What did the company pay for/to you? nothing. only when on mission outside phnom penh they provide accommodation and transportation.

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
I was in Cambodia before. This was as a tourist though, you will learn a lot more about Cambodia when you stay here for a longer period. Half way it was more difficult to understand the culture than in the beginning.
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? somewhat, it is not allowed to give your direct opinion or go against the directors ideas.

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: eveline.keus88@gmail.com

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Be aware of the fact that 95% of this countries believe is Buddhism. This means, no bare shoulders or knees. Do not have a strong opinion to the people who are positioned higher than you, this is not appreciated.
Talk to the local people, show interest, this way they will tell you a lot about their daily lives and the difficulties they face in this country.
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: Phnom Penh might seem like a boring city at first, but has a lot to offer. Many tourist places when you look carefully, and daytrips right outside the vibrant hart of the city. I like Phnom Penh even though it a slightly chaotic city.

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link