Caribbean Tourism Organization

Placement organization

Name of organization: Caribbean Tourism Organization
Town/city: New York City
Country: United States of America
Website: http://www.onecaribbean.org/

Name of student: Demi Koot

Specialist area: MT
Placement period: 2016-2017

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Tourism board
Organization’s activities: The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), with headquarters in Barbados and offices in New York and London, is the Caribbean’s tourism development agency comprising membership of 28 countries and territories including Dutch, English, French and Spanish, as well as a myriad of private sector allied members.
Target group of the organization: USA&Canada
Company culture: The atmosphere is very friendly and casual with your colleagues, but the dress code and work ethic is still formal! The staff is all very interested in your opinion and ideas and everyone will try to help you, if you need help.

Number of employees: 8
Dress code: formal
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? I was working as assistant for the event planning, marketing and project administration. .
Brief description of your daily activities: – Updating CTO databases

– Organizing the Christmas Party (answering emails, calling, researching)

– Working on the planning process of Caribbean Goes Road Shows (answering emails, calling, researching)

– Working on NHTV assignments;
Brief description of your company assignment: My main company assignment was about the affects of the hurricanes for the travel agents and how CTO can assist the target group when there is happening a natural disaster.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: My supervisor was the Internet and Conference Administrator. She was really friendly and if I have a question or a problem, she would help me out. There were also many times I did tasks for other colleagues who asked for assistance.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? independent, sociable, stress-proof, team player
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? I lived at a women residence: The Webster Apartments. I have found this via internet. It is a great place to stay for girls!
How did you go to work every day? Public transport

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? Yes, J-1
Do you need a work permit? No
How did you arrange the necessary documents: IO USA
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents? 3 months
Did you need certain vaccinations? No
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, if you speak advanced English it would be fine!

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 800
Accommodation (monthly): € 1400
Local transport (monthly): € 0
General costs of living (monthly): € 900
Costs of visa: € 1200
Costs of work permit: € 0
What did the company pay for/to you? Metrocard USD 112,= per month

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
Reading on the internet.
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? No, Dutch working culture is very similar as the American/Caribbean

Future students on placement

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

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Dont wear flipflops, jeans, sneakers or t-shirts to your work! Be kind and friendly from the beginning and you are very soon in their family work environment.
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: New York is an amazing city. It is definitely the city that never sleeps! It is a good idea to buy a travel guide, so you learn a lot about the city. Besides that, it is nice to visit Top of the Rock, Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, Times Square etc. New York has a lot to offer and you will never get bored!

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link