Sarawak Tourism Board

Placement organization

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

Name of student: Luiza Carpentieri Rona

Specialist area: ITMC
Placement period: 2014-2015

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Tourism Board
Organization’s activities: Stimulate and promote tourism to and within Sawarak.
Target group of the organization: mostly Malaysia, Singapore, China, Australia,UK
Company culture: informal, but the formality depends on their hierarchy, which is well defined.
Number of employees: 35
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? no

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? Event Unit
Brief description of your daily activities: My tasks depended on my department’s activities. My supervisor would assign me daily, when she needed something
Brief description of your company assignment: Immigration procedures for all bands for RWMF, coordinate operational activities for the festivals(BJ and RWMF). At the RWMF my assignment will be at the Secretariat team.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: Mostly I had to be patient and wait STB to give me tasks. Sometimes the guidance wasn’t clear enough. The supervision improved once they were busy with the festivals.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? flexible, patient
Additional company requirements for this placement? MS Office, Communication 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? one staff suggested me some accommodations.
How did you go to work every day? walking

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? tourist visa with work permit
Do you need a work permit? yes, permission to work for 5 months
How did you arrange the necessary documents: First I went to Malaysian embassy in Brazill and then once I arrived in Kuching I had to go arrange my working permit. STB emmits a letter that you take to the immigration office. Make sure they aslk for a MULTIPLE entry visa, otherwise you cannot live the country.(if they ask for a Single Entry you can still ask them to change it for you)
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents? 2 month before travelling
Did you need certain vaccinations? Yes
How long in advance? 1 month

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? Only if they teach you the Malay english 😉

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 1000
Accommodation (monthly): € 300
Local transport (monthly): € –
General costs of living (monthly): € 200
Costs of visa: € 40
Costs of work permit: € –
What did the company pay for/to you? 100 euro monthly(or 20 ringgit per working day) and the tickets for the Festivals and other Events plus accommodation/meals

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
I read about it online.
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? somehow.My motivation varied depending on the challenges I faced.

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: 122261@edu.nhtv.nl

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: To enjoy the best of Kuching it is better if you have a drive license, otherwise you will always depend on someone to drive you around.
Regarding the work environment, just accept that it is a different culture and that they have a different work pace.
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: Kuching has many Shopping Malls(read: airconditioned spots.Seriously, you will want it).There is a nice public swimming pool as well, and the Damai Beach is aprox. 1hour drive away from the city center. There are a couple of bars that are worth a try,even though the nightlife is not what sarawak is known for.
Sawarak offers a lot for nature lovers and adventure seekers. There are many national parks with caves,waterfalls, and wildlife. Culturally, Sawarak has a lot to offer as well, there are several tribes and you can visit some longhouses.Oh, I can’t forget to mention the food. There are a lot of options, Indian, Chinese, Malay, Sarawakian… But ignore the Western ones because it is quite disappointing.(p.s. Vegetarians may find it difficult/impossible to find food without meat/fish)

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link