Evergreen Tours International

Placement organization

Name of organization: Evergreen Tours International
Town/city: Kathmandu
Country: Nepal
Website: http://egtours.com

Name of student: Marjolein Jorissen

Specialist area: MTT
Placement period: 2016-2017

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Touroperator
Organization’s activities: Tours & Treks beyond Himalayas including Nepal, Tibet, India and Bhutan.
Target group of the organization: European market as well as the American market. Cultural addicted and/or active people.
Company culture: There is an informal culture. You can give your advice; they like to hear your thoughts of something. Also guides / friends like to have an informal talk too, while drinking a cup of tea/coffee. Evergreen Tours like to work like a family.

You do not have to dress formal or something like that (just gentle clothing), but too short clothing is not recommended. They are making T-shirts and jackets, that coming soon.

But working is very professional and responsible
Number of employees: 2 in office (exclusive you) next to that there are guides
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? Sales & Tours
Brief description of your daily activities: Tour escorting / Tour leading, making tour programs, (online) marketing and sales, website design, going on business trips and all other activities related to tour operation

Brief description of your company assignment: You have a lot of time to do your company assignment. Also if you need help you can always ask, also if you need advice.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: Chitra B. Gurung – He gives you a lot of freedom to work independently. If you need help you can ask him always. He always asks if you finish your task just to be sure it is done. First he will explain something and then you have to do it by yourself. So if something is not clear during the explanation, please do not hesitate to ask him.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Independent, teamplayer, flexible, responsible
Additional company requirements for this placement? MS Office, WordPress. computer knowledge with web design, email and online marketing
English: Advanced
Spanish:
French: Basic
German: Basic
Italian:
Other languages: Dutch advanced/mother tongue if you are from Holland

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? Company. You can ask the owner of the company to help you
How did you go to work every day? by foot (20 minutes) or by scooter with my colleague

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? First tourist visa for 90 days than extend with 60 days
Do you need a work permit? no
How did you arrange the necessary documents: Visa you can get in Amsterdam
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents? 10 minutes waiting
Did you need certain vaccinations? Yes
How long in advance? 1 month, but it is better to go earlier

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? not neccesary

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 900
Accommodation (monthly): € 350
Local transport (monthly): € 0
General costs of living (monthly): € 200
Costs of visa: € 114,50 for 90 days (you have to extend your visa for 60 days) maximum stay is 150 days. Extending your visa cost $2 per day
Costs of work permit: € 0
What did the company pay for/to you? Accommodation, transport and meals during business trips.
And sometimes they will pay your lunch if you are going to eat together

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
My sister, aunts and uncles told me a lot about the country and the culture. But the most I learned from locals that stayed at our home in Holland for a couple of days. .
Reading information is very important to prepare for your placement. Then you will know a little more about the products Evergreen Tours sells.

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: marjoleinjorissen@gmail.com

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Only drink water from bottles.
Always have toilet paper with you, haha.
Don’t wear too short clothing, respect the culture.
Kathmandu is very dusty, so cover your mound otherwise you get lung problems
You must be careful while walking the streets, I prefer walking on the edge of the walkways, because Kathmandu is a very busy city and drivers do not follow or obey rules.
Make friends!

Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: There are so many places to go. Durbar Square, Patan, Baktapur, Boudhanath, Swayambhunath, monastries, Garden of Dreams, Pasupatinath, Kirtipur etc. Also Pokhara and Lumle you must visit! but i’m sure you will go with the company during your placement, because the owner of Evergreen Tours is also owner of the Kalsee EcoLodge (www.kalseeecolodge.com) that is situated in Lumle.

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link