Post from Peru
Gilbert Klumpenaar, third year student International Business and Languages at the faculty of Economy and Management in Arnhem, does his work placement at a big international agrarian business in Lima, Peru. For the rest of this school year, he will describe his experiences in the country.
Take that chance!
Hi, I am the new foreign country correspondent for Sensor. For my study International Business and Languages at the faculty of Economy and Management I do a work placement abroad in Peru during my third year. I chose this country because I want to improve my Spanish. You might think, why don’t you go to Spain? Spain was definitely an option, but the chance to do a work placement in Peru offers itself only once in a lifetime. And one should take that chance!
Arrangements
It wasn’t easy to arrange a work placement in Peru. I started searching and approaching companies in June 2009 (!!!) because the HAN hadn’t got any interesting connections in Peru for me. Eventually, at the end of October I got something. After permission of the company I started the arrangements for the necessary items: work placement contract, passport, vaccinations, visa, accommodation, tickets. It cost me about six months to arrange it all. So if you intend to go abroad, don’t think too easily about it.
Market research
The company is a big player on the vegetables and fruit market. Ninety-nine per cent of their production is spread all over the world. The company possesses 300000 square metres of soil in Peru, on which they grow for example asparagus, mangos and lemons. I will do market research during my placement.
Can't wait to get in the plain!
To optimally prepare myself I do the minor Latin American Studies. Within this minor, you totally focus on Latin America and you learn a lot about the (business)culture and the history of these countries. This is all of course very important to know before starting a journey. I can’t wait to get in the plain!
