Authentic Europe AS

Placement organization

Name of organization: Authentic Europe AS
Town/city: Oslo
Country: Noorwegen
Website: https://authentic-europe.com

Student

Name of student: Eva Hagemeijer

Specialist area: Tourism Management (NL)
Placement period: 2021-2022

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Touroperator
Organization’s activities: The company sells tours online through Europe that they have set up themselves with different suppliers in the destinations. Their customers are mainly from English-speaking countries.
Target group of the organization: FIT
Company culture: The atmosphere in the office is very casual and informal. You can address everyone with their first name and there is no dress-code. There is a hierarchy, but you don’t really notice the difference as everyone treats each other equally.
Number of employees: 3 employees & 1 intern
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes.

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working?

In the booking department for FIT.

Brief description of your daily activities: Even tough I was in the booking department, I have not worked a lot with bookings. There will be more bookings in the future, then you receive bookings via the website and you will need to contact suppliers in order to confirm the reservation back to the customer. There is client contact (mainly via email), supplier contact (via phone and email) and you need to book additional services. Furthermore, have worked a lot behind the scenes. I have made travel documents for the customers, I needed to add a lot of information in their online systems and worked on social media posts for their social media channels.
Brief description of your company assignment: As company assignment, I developed a product (a tour idea) for the target group in the Netherlands. By means of a competitor analysis, market analysis and desk research, I spent 20 weeks developing a new and matching product within the existing range of Authentic Europe.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: I was the only intern at the time I did my internship. I had Emmanuel as supervisor and he was great to work with. He was always happy to help me and I learned a lot from him during my internship. Everyone was open to questions and wanted to help with a realistic development and growth as professional in the tourism sector.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? team player, sociable, independent, initiative, flexible, creative thinking, eager to learn new things
Additional company requirements for this placement? Basic knowledge of Microsoft Word & Excel
English: Advanced
Spanish:
French:
German:
Italian:
Other languages:

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? Via Internet on Facebook, Finn.no or Hybel.no
How did you go to work every day? Public Transport (the company pays your monthly transport card)

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? No.
Do you need a work permit? No, but you need to get your Norwegian D-number.
How did you arrange the necessary documents: Via the company and the institution that deals with these taxes.
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents? It took a couple of appointment during working hours.
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? It is important that you feel comfortable enough to speak English all day, so if you want to gain more confident I would recommend. It is not necessary in general.

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € €100-€200
Accommodation (monthly): € €600-€700
Local transport (monthly): € €80, -, but the company will cover these costs
General costs of living (monthly): € €1000-€1500
Costs of visa: €
Costs of work permit: €
What did the company pay for/to you? The company pays for your monthly public transport card. The company pays you a salary (internship fee) of NOK 5000 each month, which is about 500 euro. There is free fruit and coffee/tea and the basics to make a lunch.

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
I did not prepare myself for the culture differences before I started my internship. The cultures of the Netherlands and Norway are very similar and therefore I did not feel the need to prepare myself for this. There are some culture differences, but nothing that influenced the work or my stay. There are many nationalities in the company, so there are certainly many cultures, but that makes working in the tourism industry as fun as it is!
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: 190640@buas.nl

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: First of all, Norway is extremely expensive. It is really different prices than what we are used to in the Netherlands, so make sure you have enough money on your bank or savings account before you move here. Second, in Norway you need to be 20 for many activities where alcohol can be consumed. Besides going out and drinking hard liquor (beer and wine is allowed from 18), are activities such as bowling, minigolf and arcades in the evening also 20+. Furthermore, it can get cold during the winter months, so make sure you have the right clothes with you. Think of gloves, a hat, scarf but also thermo clothes and spikes for the slippery days. Be sure to bring these along, and get a good balance between winter and summer clothing (if you get the chance to explore the country during both seasons). Finally, pack good walking shoes and go out into the incredibly nature of Norway.
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: Norway has so much to offer. Besides exploring Oslo, what you also should do, go and see the rest of this beautiful country. Go on different trips to Tromsø, Stavanger, Kristiansand, Trondheim, Bergen… It is easy to get to the other bigger cities by airplane or train. Furthermore, go on different hikes in the wonderful nature just outside the city center of Oslo. The nature is insanely beautiful and even not nature lovers are going to love it (I speak from experiences). In Oslo are also many different sightseeings, museums and activities to do during your stay.

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