St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association

Placement organization

Name of organization: St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association
Town/city: Philipsburg
Country: Nederlandse Antillen
Website: https://shta.com/

Student

Name of student: Kerli Püvi
Specialist area: Tourism Management (EN)
Placement period: 2021-2022

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Trade and hospitality association, private business representor
Organization’s activities: Destination marketing, B2B activities, events, advocacy, training programs, etc.
Target group of the organization: Members of SHTA (e.g. hoteliers, restaurant and shop owners, activity providers, businesses representatives), tourists
Company culture: Every employee and intern is considered to be part of the organization, taken seriously, welcomed, and listened to during every task and activity. As the office is small and there are only about five people in the office, the communication is immediate and direct. The atmosphere is always pleasant.
Number of employees: 2
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 assigned to work for the events. However, as the office is small and there are multiple activities that interns can try out, it was not that specifically divided.

Brief description of your daily activities: Due to a lot of different moving tasks, there was a huge variety and I got to try out a lot of different things. As I was mainly involved in events management, organizing an event was my biggest task throughout the first months. Furthermore, I managed social media channels (SHTA, SMILE, VISIT) and website (VISIT), helped to organize smaller events and activities, etc. I was like an assistant, creating to-do lists of everything, finding information, and scheduling calls and meetings.
Brief description of your company assignment: My company assignment was to create a social media/communication plan for the St. Maarten Innovations, Initiatives and Industries Link-Up Event (SMILE).
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: The supervisor asks every intern to note down five goals he/she would like to focus on during the placement period and based on these points, the tasks and activities were assigned. I had always the possibility to ask and discuss tasks with my supervisor and other employees. There were also sit-down sessions with the whole office to evaluate outcomes, get feedback on the completed tasks and create new action plans.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Students should be able to work independently but also with the rest of the team. Being sociable and outgoing are as important as being outspoken and motivated to face new challenges and situations. Being flexible is important as some events took place during weekend or after working hours.
Additional company requirements for this placement? It would be better and easier for an intern to know how to use MS Office applications, how SEO plays role on a website, how to write formally, how to schedule meetings and how to edit and adjust pictures and videos. However, as the internship is a place to learn, most of it will come through practice.
English: Intermediate
Spanish: Basic
French: Basic
German: Basic
Italian:
Other languages: It is always good to know more languages in case there are internationals taking part of some events but it is not a must. As the island is part of the Netherlands Antilles, basic understanding of Dutch is handy but not required.

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? SHTA provided my with a contact of a student housing agency.
How did you go to work every day? Depending on a day, usually by bus or by car.

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? Not as an European citizen
Do you need a work permit? Not as an European citizen
How did you arrange the necessary documents: There were no additional documents needed.
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents?
Did you need certain vaccinations? Yes
How long in advance? As I was travelling Corona pandemic, I got vaccinated a month in advance my departure.

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 always good to take an English language course for formal speaking and writing but it is not a must.

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 1000
Accommodation (monthly): € 600
Local transport (monthly): € 10-50 (depends if you drive a car or use public transport)
General costs of living (monthly): € 200 (depends on the lifestyle)
Costs of visa: €
Costs of work permit: €
What did the company pay for/to you? Financial compensation of $450 per month.

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
I read more information and watched some Youtube travel videos about the country.
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? Definitely the local culture is different than the Scandinavian approach I am used to. As the island life was more relaxed and easy-going, I struggled with adjusting to it a bit but after a while, it comes naturally.

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: 194083@buas.nl

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: I suggest being active and motivating yourself during your placement period to get as much experience as possible. If your supervisor realizes that you want to get better and learn more, you will be given various tasks and challenged to learn more.

I also suggest taking more cash with you as taking out cash with a foreign card costs money and not every place accepts card payments. In addition, it is always better to be prepared for unforeseen situations and have some free cash on hand.

Also, be prepared for the local climate and the AC inside. Coming from Dutch/European weather, I got sick of the big contrast between outside and inside. Moreover, be prepared for the hotness and sun (or hurricanes and storms during the hurricane season!)
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: Nature, beach, sea, museum, shopping areas, cinema, clubs, bars, restaurants, cafes, tourist attractions (plane landing over the beach, boat tours, jet skies, etc.)

Media