"It has always been my dream to do an internship in Hong Kong, and I did my utmost to achieve that", says Misha, who studies Hotel and Event Management. "I approached all the big, luxurious hotels in Hong Kong and now I am working at the Ritz-Carlton."
Tough application
The ambitious Misha studies Hotel and Event Management at Tio Eindhoven. "I wanted a challenging internship at a respectable hotel in Hong Kong," says Misha. Initially, I emailed all the big, luxurious hotels and at a later stage I took a day off to call them personally." And so, step by step, she came closer to her goal. Misha tells us, that the application procedure at the Ritz-Carlton was quite tough: "I had to attend three interviews via Skype for the internship." The Ritz-Carlton in Hong Kong is the highest hotel in the world.
Responsibilities
Misha works in the public relations department and enjoys her work there. "I had to start working independently fairly quickly and more responsibilities were added to my workload daily," she says. "I specifically asked for that, after I found my first workday a little boring. Among other things, I am now coordinating a photoshoot of the hotel." In addition, the student is also responsible for the marketing via social media.
Cultural differences
"My colleagues are really nice and helpful," says Misha. "I have a lot of contact with the other interns in my department. They are all from Hong Kong and that is really nice. I have come here to learn more about the culture and the language." The student is Chinese, but she grew up in the Netherlands. "I have family in Hong Kong and I can speak the language, which makes a huge difference. But, I am well aware of the cultural differences. Sometimes I have to slow myself down because the culture here is less open. It is therefore an advantage that Tio students have the subject Cross Cultural Communication, which is very important if you do not know the Asian culture."
Follow Misha on LinkedIn.