Wildplaces Africa

Placement organization

Name of organization: Wildplaces Africa
Town/city: Kampala
Country: Uganda
Website: http://www.wildplacesafrica.com

Student

Name of student: Marvin Meys

Specialist area: ITTI
Placement period: 2014-2015

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Tour Operator and Accommodation Supplier
Organization’s activities: Wildplaces Africa owns and operates four high-end lodges all over Uganda.
Target group of the organization: High income traveler
Company culture: The compnay culture is very low as it is a small company. Communication is done via e-mail although informal meetings between colleagues of different departments are common. Everybody is easy going in the office and interactions between senior management and lower rank employees is frequently.
Number of employees: 20
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? Marketing and Sales Department
Brief description of your daily activities: Next to the normal administrative tasks, I am involved with the updating of the socila media pages of the company, set up a online video library of the lodges and its activities, writing of the company assignment, writing of the NHTV assignment, discussing marketing strategies with my colleagues.
Brief description of your company assignment: Setting up a customer relationship management system which includes all necessary customer information and is able to track enquiries.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: The supervision at Wildplaces Africa is great. Although, I have one company supervisor, all employees support me and help me in case of any questions. I receive all the needed support and am allowed to use all company facilities needed to complete my assignments.

My company supervisor is also concerned about my personal live here in Kampala and is available 24/7 in case I encounter any difficult situations during the weekends or after office hours.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Independent, flexible
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? Company
How did you go to work every day? Public Transport

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? Yes, tourist visa
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? Yes
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? No, unless English skills are not sufficient

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 550
Accommodation (monthly): € 200
Local transport (monthly): € 40
General costs of living (monthly): € 200
Costs of visa: € 50
Costs of work permit: €
What did the company pay for/to you? 50% of the airplane ticket, financial compensation, tourist visa, travel expenses when travelling for the company.

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
No preparation needed
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? Yes

Future students on placement

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

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Always watch your belongings in Uganda and be cautious when going out.
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: Travel, Outdoor activities (camping safaris, hiking, roadtrips, climbing, game drives, rafting), Gym, Nightclubs, Bars, Restaurants.

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link