African Ample Assistance (AAA Travel)

Placement organization

Name of organization: African Ample Assistance (AAA Travel)
Town/city: Hout Bay
Country: Zuid-Afrika
Website: http://www.aaatravel.co.za

Student

Name of student: Nadine van Heijst

Specialist area: ITMC
Placement period: 2012-2013

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Incoming tour operator (B2B)
Organization’s activities: – developing itineraries
– implementing payments of clients
– site inspections at existing and new properties
– carry out bookings
– availability checks
– attend Trade Shows
– marketing tasks; social media, PR, etc.
Target group of the organization: Mostly the Dutch market, but also tourists from Germany, Scandinavia, Brazil, Belgium, England and recently India.
Company culture: Employees of AAA are very open regarding communication to each other. One can just walk in and ask for help. The layout of the office supports this by putting everyone in one space. Also the manager sits in the same room which contributes to a very open environment. As a student you will not have many problems to get in contact with your colleagues. People just come by to ask you for assistance and they are always in for a little chat with you. You will also have your own desk in the same room as everyone else.
Number of employees: approx. 25
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? Marketing, finance, contracts & product development, reservations.
I worked in the Marketing department
Brief description of your daily activities: Market research, availability checks, translations, internet research, social media, preparing trade shows, some other tasks for colleagues
Brief description of your company assignment: Carrying out a public relation plan and make sure they have a clear overview of the monthly responsibilities.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: Very professional! The supervisor of the company already has a lot of experience in assisting students, which makes collaboration very easy.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Independent, teamplayer, sociable, flexible, convenient with computers (Microsoft Office), perseverance, knowing priorities, take initiative, good planning skills (school assignments), service-oriented.
Additional company requirements for this placement? Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet, TourPlan (company’s program)
English: Advanced
Spanish:
French:
German: Intermediate
Italian:

Other languages:

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? Company
How did you go to work every day? By foot (living upstairs)

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? Yes
Do you need a work permit? No
How did you arrange the necessary documents:  Concerning the visa for Dutch students; it isn’t allowed anymore for interns staying longer than 3 months, to enter South Africa with a tourist visa. You have to make sure the visa for South Africa is arranged beforehand. As a Dutch student to work at AAATravel you need the ‘visitor’s Visa’. Go to the embassy of South Africa in the Netherlands and ask them for the package where all documents needed is in. Keep in mind it will cost you a lot of time to arrange it, so start early (min. 2 months). For the application of a visa, for Dutch students, next documents are required:

• –      ‘Verklaring Omtrent Gedrag”
  – Invitation letter of your company, briefmarked.
  – A contract created by the university and confirmed by your company.

– A letter of recommendation, signed by your university. – A lung picture (can be taken at the Tuberculosis department of the “GGD”)
– A medical description from your doctor, confirming you don’t have any diseases
– Bank statements of the last 3 months
Furthermore you have to show Home Affairs on the last bank statement you are in possession of min. 1000 euro’s. In addition 2 biometric photos are required. The cost of the visa will be 50 euro. So, as you can already imagine, it will take you some time and will cost some money to actually get all the documents together.
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents?
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): € 800,00
Accommodation (monthly): € 135,00
Local transport (monthly): € 20,00
General costs of living (monthly): € 300,00
How long in advance did you apply for visa 2 months
Costs of visa: € 150,00
Costs of work permit: €
What did the company pay for/to you? They provided a reduced rate for the apartment upstairs

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, the office has often service problems which keep you from working with some programs or even the entire computer.

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: Nadinevanheyst@hotmail.com

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: I would recommend to rent a car somewhere cheaply, because you will be bored staying in Hout Bay all the time.
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: A lot to do in- and around Cape Town, so you will not be disappointed!

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link