Heritage Expeditions

Placement organization

Name of organization: Heritage Expeditions
Town/city: Christchurch
Country: Nieuw Zeeland
Website: https://www.heritage-expeditions.com/

Name of student: Guy van Marrewijk

Specialist area: ITMC
Placement period: 2017-2018

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Responsible expedition travel company
Organization’s activities: Small vessel expeditions, Antarctica (Ross Sea), Far East Russia, Sub Antarctic Islands, South Pacific Islands (PNG, Solomon Islands)
Target group of the organization: Aged Expeditioners, Nature/Culture Lovers
Company culture: Our CEO's names are Nathan and Aaron Russ, after them we have our GM Dave Bowen. The general manager is leading the company together with the marketing, financial and reservations manager; Cassia, Lynn and Heinrich.

The reservations team exists of Natalia, Emma, Lorna and Robin. I share the office together with them. The operations team which is led by Nathan Russ exists of Heidi and Lynn they sit in the so called "Back Office".

Just like the country there is a very open and relaxed work atmosphere. Everyone is busy with their tasks, but always open for a chat or catch up. There is an informal atmosphere which makes it very pleasant to work in.
Number of employees: 9
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working?

Marketing department mainly, but got an insight in all departments of the company

Brief description of your daily activities: Marketing:
– Organizing the web (company server, dropbox)
– Back end updates of the website (Ship logs, new trips)
– Social Media content
– Organizing images
– Analyzing marketing results

Operations:
– Warehouse stock take
– Preparation of ship for departure (in port)
Brief description of your company assignment: My company assignment is a combination of the destination analysis and an additional assignment. For Heritage I am analyzing a new destination for a new potential trip combined with a competitor analysis for that specific region.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: Really laid back supervision from all the people in the company. There is always room for questions and colleagues are willing to explain everything. So far it has been a very informative placement with insights from all different departments. Supervisor (Cassia) is very kind and tries to involve me in most of her marketing tasks.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Team player, sociable
Additional company requirements for this placement? Writing Skills, SEO, Photoshop
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? Internet, Facebook and help from Supervisor
How did you go to work every day? By foot

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? Student Work Visa
Do you need a work permit? The work permit is included in the Visa
How did you arrange the necessary documents: Online
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents? It took me around two weeks, no difficulties
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, it is all in English

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 1500
Accommodation (monthly): € 450
Local transport (monthly): € 0
General costs of living (monthly): € 600
Costs of visa: € 170
Costs of work permit: €
What did the company pay for/to you? Nothing

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
The Kiwi culture is a very laid back culture, there wasn't much to prepare for. Just be interested in them and it all goes automatically.
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: Guy_marrewijk@hotmail.com

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Go travelling, amazing country!
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: In the city there isn't too much to do (earthquake aftermath). Of course there are some bars and clubs, but nightlife isn't massive here. However, geographically it is very central in the Southern Island so easy to travel to all the hot spots. Loads of natural sceneries and national parks good for a hike or camping.

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link