Get Together

Placement organization

Name of organization: Get Together
Town/city: Stockholm
Country: Zweden
Website: https://www.gtogether.com

Student

Name of student: Julinka Unterstell

Specialist area: Tourism Management (EN)
Placement period: 2019-2020

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Destination Management Company
Organization’s activities: The company does all kinds of business trips (team building, incentives, congresses, meetings etc.)
Target group of the organization: Business
Company culture: as the company is very small, there is not really a hierarchy. Everyone is very informal with each other and on the same level. We as interns were also seen as part of the team and were given a lot of responsibility.
Number of employees: 3 + 2 interns
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? yes, i had to ask many times to get one day of the week to work on my research assignment though. You should make the agreement about that before you start the internship.

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working?

As the company is so small, I was involved in every step of the event/travel production and I learned a lot. I was unsure about working in such a small company at first, but I would highly recommend it because I really got insights in every part of the organization.

Brief description of your daily activities:
– Looking for suitable suppliers and venues for the clients wishes
– Creating offers incl a power point and price calculations (I was scared of doing the calculations at first because I was never good at finance but it was doable)
– Contacting suppliers, making bookings
– Site inspections of restaurants and hotels
– Sales: Sales calls, sending out newsletters, teasers…
– Creating power points and teasers about the hotels, destinations, activities etc. that the company offers
Brief description of your company assignment: Research about why the company does not have any domestic clients/how get domestic clients
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: As there are not many people working at the company, the office is just one room. I could always ask everyone for help.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? independency. The company gives a lot of freedom and responsibility so I also had to organise myself a lot.
Additional company requirements for this placement? Basic word, excel, pp, outlook knowlege
English: Advanced

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? I stayed in an airbnb for the first two weeks and then found a place very quickly once I was there. It is a lot easier to find accommodation when you are in Stockholm already and you can come to the houses in person to introduce yourself etc.
How did you go to work every day? public transport

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? no
Do you need a work permit? no
How did you arrange the necessary documents:
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents?
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, everyone speaks English in Stockholm. I had to do some things in Swedish at work but it was more or less copy and pasting things.

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € ca. 200
Accommodation (monthly): € 450
Local transport (monthly): € company paid for this
General costs of living (monthly): € 500
Costs of visa: €
Costs of work permit: €
What did the company pay for/to you? – Public transportation
– we were invited for dinner/lunch a few times
– The company has cards that give you free entrance to most boats, museums, attractions, hop on of hop off tours etc. I could use them almost as much as I wanted to

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
Compared to the Dutch, Swedes are less open and more to themselves. I was in Sweden during Winter so that might also have an influence on how outgoing people are. Stockholm is a very international city, I found it easier to make connections with other foreigners .
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: julinka.unterstell@yahoo.de

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do:
Short:
– Best is to start the internship in August and finish before Christmas. Winter is low season and very quiet so better spend more time in Stockholm during summer (probably everywhere in Scandinavia)
– Fix one day off per week to work on your company assignment before you start the internship
– Looking for a room is a lot easier when you are in Stockholm already, just book a hotel/airbnb for the first weeks
– Public transport is very good in Stockholm, it doesn’t matter if you live outside of the city centre. You can reach everything easily
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: As the capital of Sweden there are endless leisure possibilities. The office is in the city centre, which is nice because you can meet friends/do leisure activities straight after work

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