Sarawak Tourism Board

Placement organization

Name of organization: Sarawak Tourism Board
Town/city: Kuching
Country: Maleisië
Website: http://www.sarawaktourism.com

Student

Name of student: Alecha Thenu

Specialist area: ITMC
Placement period: 2013-2014

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Tourism Board
Organization’s activities: Stimulate, promote and market Sarawak as a tourist destination
Target group of the organization: There are 11 key markets: Malaysia/Singapore, then you have Europe/UK, followed by North Asia (China/Taiwan/Japan/Korea) and lastly Australia/Indonesia/Brunei
Company culture: The working environment is informal, however the company has a clear hierachy
Number of employees: 40
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? No

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? Procurment & Program Management Office (PPMO)
Brief description of your daily activities: Tasks depending on their activities were given on a daily basis.
Brief description of your company assignment: Conducting surveys at RWMF and analyzing the data.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: The first month I felt like the supervision was not that strict, as they did not notice I did not have much to do. After this first month it improved, because I had much more to do and thus was supervised better.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? independent, sociable, flexible, patient
Additional company requirements for this placement? MS Office, writing skills
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? Myself with tips from colleagues
How did you go to work every day? By foot

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? Yes, student visa
Do you need a work permit? Yes, in combination with the student visa
How did you arrange the necessary documents: A colleague took me to the immigration in Kuching
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents? Within one day
Did you need certain vaccinations? Yes
How long in advance? About 3 months

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, just try to learn a few words in Malay

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € €850
Accommodation (monthly): € €300
Local transport (monthly): € €10
General costs of living (monthly): € €100
Costs of visa: € €40
Costs of work permit: € In combination with the student visa
What did the company pay for/to you? I got financial compensation of RM20 per working day (€5 a day). Furthermore, whenever there was a festival, the company would pay transportation (car/airplane), accommodation and meals.

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
I did some research on the internet and my dad who’s been to Malaysia before has told me some things.
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: 111517@edu.nhtv.nl

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Realize that it is a different culture and thus a different working environment/culture. The work tempo is not the same in the Netherlands, so be patient. You will learn a lot about organizational behavior and communication skills.Furthermore, your colleagues are very friendly and will make you feel welcome.

ENJOY ! And try as much local food as you can!
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: – Sarawak Cultural Village
– Cinema
– Shopping malls
– Longhouses
– National Parks
– Beach
– Orang Utan Centres
– Bowling
– Cafes/Bars

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link