Nqobile Tours & Safaris

Placement organization

Name of organization: Nqobile Tours & Safaris
Town/city: Blantyre
Country: Malawi
Website: http://www.nqobile-tours-safaris.com

Student

Name of student: Alexandra Fahl

Specialist area: ITMC
Placement period: 2012-2013

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Tour operator
Organization’s activities: Planning tailor made tours for clients. In near future there will be a foundation involved.
Target group of the organization: Mainly people from Europe
Company culture: – very open and friendly
– I had an equal position and great trust from the manager

Number of employees: 30
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? There are no real different departements, everybody is responsible for everything since it is a small company.
Brief description of your daily activities: In the morning the first task was to check new e-mails and answer them immediately.
Every day was therefore different.
My tasks have been the updating of the Facebook page from time to time, writing inquiries for clients as well as the balance sheet, thinking about new marketing possibilities, and so on….

Brief description of your company assignment: My company assignment was about “Accessible Tourism for wheelchair users in Malawi”. Therefore I did research about the topic as well contacted involved parties.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: I had very much freedom of working but also very much responsible since my supervisor and manager of the company is currently in Finland to finish her studies. Nevertheless we have been in daily contact.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Independence but also teamwork, good personal skills since you are in touch with clients, able to make small talk, creative
Additional company requirements for this placement? simple basic computer knowledge
English: Advanced
Spanish:
French:
German:
Italian:
Other languages: Germany may be necessary in the future

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: -Train to Munich since the flights from there were cheaper, then airplane from Munich to Johannesburg and from Johannesburg to Blantyre (South African Airways)

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? Arranged by my company supervisor’s family
How did you go to work every day? With the entire family since all of them have their own business in the same building.

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? Yes
Do you need a work permit? No
How did you arrange the necessary documents: Once I have been in Malawi I went to the immigration center. It took about 3 weeks. In the end I got a receipt that I paid but I still did not get the official visa document.
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents? 3 weeks
Did you need certain vaccinations? Yes

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? n/a

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 1260,00
Accommodation (monthly): € 100,00
Local transport (monthly): € 0,00
General costs of living (monthly): € 100,00
Costs of visa: € 80,00
Costs of work permit: €
What did the company pay for/to you? Nothing

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
–
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? Yes. During my internship I recognized how “much German I am”. Regarding to work attitude but also sometimes with my pre-education. I was the one who was working the hardest and it was sometimes hard to fit in the Malawian working attitude especially regarding delays and the working tempo.

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: a-fahl@gmx.net

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: If you are female: Bring clothing which covers your knees as well as patient and a lot of opening towards a different culture.
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: There is not much to do. But there are still a few places to go for a drink or to go at a “park” – meaning a gras area.
At night time there are possibilities to go out but it is not recommended to do this alone or to go home alone – especially as a girl.
Nearby Blantyre there are very nice places for day- or weekend trips such as hiking and game drives.
I would strongly advise to travel around this beautiful country before, during and/or after your placement since there is a great diversity between the places as well cities and rural areas.

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link