Globalrunning/Loopreizen

Placement organization

Name of organization: Globalrunning/Loopreizen
Town/city: Barendrecht
Country: NL – Zuid-Holland
Website: http://www.loopreizen.nl

Student

Name of student: Anne Kortemeyer

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

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Tour operator
Organization’s activities: Loopreizen sells all-inclusive travel packages to various running events (marathon, half marathon, 30K, etc.) around the world.
Target group of the organization: Competitive long-distance runners aged between 40 and 60
Company culture: There was no defined hierarchy among the employees, therefore it did not feel like a “too-formal” of a workplace. Everyone was kind as well as helpful to one another and it was easy to communicate with everyone.
Number of employees: 8
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working?

I was based in the research & development department, but sometimes I was also involved in the marketing as well as sales department, depending on my daily activities.

Brief description of your daily activities: The main daily activities I was focusing on during my placement were:
1. Develop extensive travel guides for each location
2. German/English translations
3. Handeling invoices
4. Updating website content
5. Backoffice administration duties

Brief description of your company assignment: My company assignment consisted of writing up a marketing communication plan for Facebook and Instagram, along with the creation of a concrete social media content calendar.

Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: Despite Corona, my supervisor was very attentive. I could contact him by text or calling concerning any questions I had, and he would give me an immediate answer. We made sure to keep in touch at least every second day, to stay up to date on what was happening in the company and other relevant information.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Independent, sociable, flexible, organized
Additional company requirements for this placement? Writing skills, fluency in English/Dutch/German preferably
English: Advanced
Spanish:
French:
German: Advanced
Italian:
Other languages: Dutch – advanced

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination:

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation?
How did you go to work every day? Car or public transport

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? N/A
Do you need a work permit? N/A
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? Not necessary

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € N/A
Accommodation (monthly): € ca. 250-450
Local transport (monthly): € ca. 200 (free for Dutch students)
General costs of living (monthly): € ca. 800
Costs of visa: € N/A
Costs of work permit: € N/A
What did the company pay for/to you? I received a monthly financial compensation of 275 EUR.

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
I already lived in the Netherlands for 1.5 years, so I did not feel like I had to prepare anything. In addition, I would say the culture is quite similar to that of the German culture, which is where I come from.
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: 183502@buas.nl

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Do not arrive late or dress too formally.
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: It is easy to travel to another city just for a day in the Netherlands by train. You also have the possibility to go to Belgium or Germany, as the borders are very close to Barendrecht.

Media