Small World Journeys

Placement organization

Name of organization: Small World Journeys
Town/city: Cairns
Country: Australië
Website: http://www.smallworldjourneys.com.au

Name of student: Rose Baremans

Specialist area: ITTI
Placement period: 2017-2018

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Tour operator
Organization’s activities: Small World Journeys is a small tour operator in Cairns, Australia. The company organises educational adventures for Australian and American schools (sometimes they are from other parts of the world). The trips are matched to the curriculum and subject and are mostly custom made.
Target group of the organization: Australian and American schools
Company culture: Laurie is the managing director and has three employees: one tour specialist and two group coordinators. There are also multiple land and marine guides, but you will not see them often. The company culture is very informal, everyone is friendly and open. They like to dance and have a lot of fun, also after working hours.
Number of employees: 3
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working?

You will get to choose your own subject to focus on. I chose marketing.

Brief description of your daily activities: -making videos
-updating the website
-posting on social media
-looking for new marketing methods
-making proposals
-preparing for trips
-designing marketing materials
-helping on trips
-cleaning gear
-contacting guides and suppliers
-making new trips
-make newsletters
-make photos and videos
-helping with budgets
Brief description of your company assignment: Writing a social media marketing plan to integrate into the operations of Small World Journeys to reach a bigger audience in 12 months.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: Because the company is so small, you'll spend a lot of time with Laurie. She is open to explain you everything about every part of the company and wants to learn you a lot. She is also very passionate about her business and has a busy life.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? independent, sociable, open and a high level of English is appreciated
Additional company requirements for this placement? Preferably MS Office, writing skills, video editing skills, MailChimp
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? Company helps with finding accommodation
How did you go to work every day? Bicycle

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? Yes, working holiday visa
Do you need a work permit? No
How did you arrange the necessary documents: Online
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents? 1 hour
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? If your English is not good, probably yes

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 1000
Accommodation (monthly): € 450
Local transport (monthly): € 0
General costs of living (monthly): € 350
Costs of visa: € 290
Costs of work permit: € 0
What did the company pay for/to you? -You get a bike to use during your stay
-You get to join trips and activities for free
-Sometimes gift for hard work

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
Not, the culture is very easy-going and informal.
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: rjbaremans@hotmail.com

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: -Expect really hot weather all year round. It is very humid and during summer it will rain for days.
-The city is small and mostly focused on backpackers. If you like going out every day of the week, this is the place for you!
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: -Lots of waterfalls
-Nice beaches with blue water, but with jellyfish and crocodiles most are not suitable for swimming.
-Daintree rainforest
-Mountains/Tablelands
-Townsville and Magnetic Island are pretty close
-Camping

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link