Amauta Elebaires Spanish School

Placement organization

Name of organization: Amauta Elebaires Spanish School
Town/city: Buenos Aires
Country: Nederland
Website: http://www.amauta-elebaires.com/

Student

Name of student: Anne Smit

Specialist area: ITMC
Placement period: 2014-2015

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Language School
Organization’s activities: The school offers Spanish language courses, volunteer work and internships. They also offer afterschool activities to help students getting to know Buenos Aires.
Target group of the organization: All ages but mostly students between 18-25
Company culture: The culture at Amauta Elebaires Spanish School is quite informal. Everyone’s attitude is postive and optimistic and this is what the staff has to express to the outside as well. All staff and teachers are so friendly and want to help you with everything! You can wear what’s comfortable for you. Laura is the owner of Elebaires and Jose is the owner of Amauta.
Number of employees: 13
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? During my placement, I am responsible for the volunteer projects and internships. My job is to find suitable projects for the students and to help them during their stay. I have an introduction meeting with the students to prepare them for their project, I take them to their projects and I make sure that everything is going well. Additionally, I search for new projects and internships.
Brief description of your daily activities: I start my day by checking and answering my email. I post pictures and other interesting things (blogs, news items) on Facebook and Twitter. I write at least one blog and a news item every week. Since I am searching for new projects and companies, I have to make many phone calls and send emails all day. I do not only work at the office. One time per week, I join one of the afternoon activities and I also visit volunteers at their projects. I hand out certificates when volunteers are finished working. I also have to take many pictures (and videos) to share on social media. I have to re-write website content and translate blogs. At the end of a student’s course, I ask them to write a testimonial.

Brief description of your company assignment: I could choose my own company assignment and since I am in charge of the volunteer projects I decided to focus my assignment on this. I am doing a satisfaction survey amongst the volunteer projects focused on the local perspective to see how the relationship between Amauta Elebaires Spanish School and the projects can be improved. I am visiting the projects and do interviews (in Spanish) to find out more about their perspective.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: Amauta Elebaires Spanish School consists of two Spanish Schools: Amauta Spanish School and ElebairesSpanish School. This means that I have one company supervisor who is working in The Netherlands (Jose from Amauta). We only have contact via mail. My other supervisor (Laura from Elebaires) works in the same office. We are in very close contact.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Teamplayer, sociable, communicative
Additional company requirements for this placement? Writing skills , social media
English: Advanced
Spanish: Advanced
French:
German:
Italian:
Other languages:

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? Internet
How did you go to work every day? Bus (20 min depends on the traffic) or Metro (30 min)

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? No, tourist visa (90 days)
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? 2 months

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

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 900
Accommodation (monthly): € 220
Local transport (monthly): € 25
General costs of living (monthly): € 600
Costs of visa: € 0
Costs of work permit: € 0
What did the company pay for/to you? A Spanish language course of one month.

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
I read articles on the internet and blogs, but honestly, you can never totally prepare yourself for a country’s culture. You have to just go with it.
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? Yes! The customer service in Argentina is way different than we’re used to. Expect to make phone calls at least 10 times before getting something. It is definitely important to be persistant for this placement.

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: Anneflorine.smit@live.nl

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Enjoy yourself! Buenos Aires is full of bars, restaurants and fun sights.There is always something nice to do! Try to find an apartment in Recoleta or Palermo (best neighbourhoods and most fun). Make sure the apartment is close to busy places for when you come home late. Be careful with your belongings in the bus/metro/streets. Always keep an eye on your bag!
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: I don’t even know where to start!

– Have dinner at Las Cabras and Don Julio for some delicious meat (both located in Palermo)
– Have lunch at Chan Chan or Las medialunes del Abuelo (both located next to the school)
– Visit Plaza Francia on a Sunday afternoon (they have shows, good food and a relaxed vibe)
– Go to a game of Boca Juniors!
– Visit the San Telmo market (great souvenirs, historic neighbourhood)
– Do a street art tour (Buenos Aires is full of beautiful street art)
– Enjoy an easy sunday at Tigre (one hour by train)
– Visit other places in Argentina (Salta & Jujuy, Iguazu, Bariloche, Mendoza, Cordoba, Mar de Plata)

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link