SIS Spa In Spain

Placement organization

Name of organization: SIS Spa In Spain
Town/city: Alaró
Country: Spanje
Website: http://www.spa-in-spain.com

Student

Name of student: Celia Tieman

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

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Travel agency
Organization’s activities: They sell organized wellness breaks at different hotels spread over Spain and Portugal
Target group of the organization: Dutch/Spanish/English wellness lovers with an income higher than general
Company culture: There is a difference of cultures, as the two founders are Dutch, one employee is Spanish and the other employee British. They are all close friends which makes the working environment cosy and informal.
Number of employees: 4
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working?

All-round. As the company is so small, I got to work in every department where they needed my help.

Brief description of your daily activities: Processing enquiries/bookings, organizing airport transfers, forwarding bookings to hotels, creating booking confirmations, writing invoices, writing blogs, posting on social media, creating goodie bags for clients
Brief description of your company assignment: SIS found out that their website visitors consist of 58% mobile phone users, while their conversion rate of this group is much lower. I researched what SIS should do to either increase the conversion rate, or focus on their mobile website as just an inspiration platform.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: At SIS you don’t have just one supervisor, but two. Femke and Neeltje (founders and sisters) are both very friendly and helpful and guide you in everything you do.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Teamplayer, sociable, independent, perseverance
Additional company requirements for this placement? None, but they prefer Microsoft Office
English: Advanced
Spanish: Basic
French:
German:
Italian:
Other languages: Dutch: advanced

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? Myself
How did you go to work every day? Train and bus

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? No
Do you need a work permit? No
How did you arrange the necessary documents: N.a.
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents? N.a.
Did you need certain vaccinations? No
How long in advance? N.a.

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 you want to speak Spanish during your placement, yes

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 100-300
Accommodation (monthly): € 850 (shared apartment)
Local transport (monthly): € 40
General costs of living (monthly): € 250
Costs of visa: € N.a.
Costs of work permit: € N.a.
What did the company pay for/to you? They paid lunch

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
I did not
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? Yes

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: celiadora@live.nl

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: I recommend to live in Palma. The travelling distance to the placement company is around 50 minutes from Palma and the city is just amazing. Also, if your placement is between September and March: bring sweaters! (I underestimated the cold)
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: The ‘horeca’ is really amazing in Palma. Also, you should visit the famous cathedral, it is stunning!

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