EF Education First (Cultural Tours)

Placement organization

Name of organization: EF Education First (Cultural Tours)
Town/city: Sydney
Country: Australië
Website: https://www.eftours.com

Student

Name of student: Muriel de Korte

Specialist area: ITTI
Placement period: 2018-2019

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Tour Operator
Organization’s activities: Education First provides educational tours for high-school students in the United States and Canada. The students book a tour via their teacher and they can travel on itineraries to Australia, New-Zealand and Fiji to be educated in these places and learn more about the culture and its surroundings. Furthermore, EF organizes cultural tours for millennials and adults from North-America.
Target group of the organization: American/Canadian High School Students – Millenials – Adults
Company culture: You will have two supervisors, the regional- and area manager. They are both highly knowledgeable and really nice! They give you a lot of responsibility and try to learn you as much as possible.You will get treated equally.
Number of employees: 12
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working?

EF Cultural Tours

Brief description of your daily activities: – Sending out updates to Tour Directors
– Function as a point of contact in case any tour directors have any questions regarding their tour
– Sending out updates to suppliers
– Answering questions suppliers might have
– Negotiations
– Join meetings with suppliers and Tour Directors.
– Pay invoices
– Finding new suppliers
Brief description of your company assignment: I’m writing about the impact of educational travel on students. (Research paper)
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: You will closely work together with Kathrin and Martina. They are both highly knowledgeable, competent, professional, sociable women with a good sense of humor.
They will always try to answer your questions and help you as much as possible if necessary.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? team player, sociable, flexible, responsible
Additional company requirements for this placement? Writing skills, Excel
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? Individually (but they can help you if needed)
How did you go to work every day? by foot

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: Internet (Australian Government website)
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents? 2 hours
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 are already studying in English at the NHTV, your english should be fine!

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 1200 (The company paid for my return ticket)
Accommodation (monthly): € 550
Local transport (monthly): € 30
General costs of living (monthly): € 400
Costs of visa: € 280
Costs of work permit: €
What did the company pay for/to you? The company paid for my return flight. Furthermore, I got the opportunity to join many activities in Sydney as well as a tour to New Zealand for 5 days.

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
I traveled the east coast before starting my internship. I think this was very useful and fun, especially because I already experienced some activities EF is using in their itineraries.

Furthermore, I didn’t really prepare for the country’s culture. I don’t think the differences are that big. However, the Australian people are more laid back and open, which I really liked.
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: 153167@edu.nhtv.nl

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Please note that living in Australia is really expensive, especially the rent in Sydney. EF is situated in the city center, which is awesome, but also expensive. In Sydney, it is common to share your room with someone else.

Also, don’t be afraid to go to the other side of the world! It’s a one in a life time opportunity and you are really gonna enjoy it! There are many international people in Sydney, so it is really easy to meet new people.

Try to travel a couple of weeks before or after your internship!
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: Try to do as much as possible during your weekends and day offs. Do not only stay in Sydney but also try to discover the surroundings.

– Blue Mountains
– Port Stephens
– Royal National Park
– Beaches
– Jervis Bay
– Walks (Bondi to Coogee walk, Manly to Spit walk)

And many more things! You will never get bored here!

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link