Liz Caskey Culinary and Wine Experiences

Placement organization

Name of organization: Liz Caskey Culinary and Wine Experiences
Town/city: Santiago
Country: Chili
Website: http://www.lizcaskey.com/

Name of student: Diana Santos

Specialist area: ITMC
Placement period: 2014-2015

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Boutique outfiter
Organization’s activities: LCCWE creates private, authentic, high-end itineraries focused in food, wine and culture, in various countries of South America (Peru, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay). They cooperate mainly with hotels, wineries and restaurants.
The company thrives for authentic food and operates as a bridge between the clients and the locals, for example when it comes to delicious street food stands, or to local weavers, in case of Peru.

Target group of the organization: Food and wine lovers
Company culture: The environment in the company is informal. We are three girls working in an office and the owners of the company have their own office.
In our office we talk listen to music and even use our phones. The only thing that is formal is the dress code.
Number of employees: 5
Dress code: formal
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? Since the company is so small there aren’t any departments. We all work almost on the same (intern does important and less important tasks)
Brief description of your daily activities: My tasks can variate a lot. I make the itinerary documents for clients, client feedback forms, welcome bags (for clients that come to Santiago) and others.
Brief description of your company assignment: For my company assignment I have been working in different projects: social media, giving tips of improvement for different platforms; work on an accounting project (just filling text not really doing any math); and keep the description files, we use to make the itineraries, updated
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: My supervision is done mainly by one of my colleagues, since Liz has her own office. In the beginning things should have been explained better, but I learned my tasks and I always receive feedback on what I do.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Independent, sociable and flexible
Additional company requirements for this placement? MS Office and writing skills
English: Advanced
Spanish: Intermediate
French:
German:
Italian:
Other languages:

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? myself through internet
How did you go to work every day? foot, but there’s subway and buses

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? Not to get in the country but yes for a paid job
Do you need a work permit? you can get a visa that allows you to work
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? If your spanish is not good then yes

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 770
Accommodation (monthly): € 220
Local transport (monthly): € 5
General costs of living (monthly): € 150 (only food)
Costs of visa: €
Costs of work permit: €
What did the company pay for/to you? Financial compensation

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
I read books and online articles
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: disantos24@gmail.com

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Be prepared for a different world. Things here go slower (although people walk fast and go against you if you don’t pay attention), you cannot find the same daily products/food your used to and also barely anyone speaks english (even young people). Bring both warm and fresh cloths because in winter houses get very cold (no heating!) and also it is hard to find good quality clothes (all synthetics)
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: Santiago is a very cultural city. You have plenty of museums to visit. There are also many parks and hills to climb. There are localized places to go out and also good restaurants (all price ranges)

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link