Luca from Italy, studying his second year of the Master Course Wellness Hospitality Management has been an intern at Park Inn by Radisson in Malmö. The assistant Manager, Hilma, was his mentor.
Luca, why did you decide to apply for an internship in Sweden?
I decided to apply for Sweden because of its high reputation regarding environmental sustainability, technology as well as multiculturalism and social integration. These are key elements involved in Tourism, my study course.
Was the experience as you expected?
I had high expectations about Sweden and I can definitely tell that most of them were met.
Anything that surprised you?
Out of all the things I experienced, two of them surprised me the most:
how easy the connections between places with the public transportation; how many people from different countries I was able to meet and how easy is to communicate with them, even without knowing a single word in Swedish!
What is your best memory?
The welcoming and caring environment in which I lived, especially in my workplace.
Has the experience changed you?
Definitely. I got in touch with the everyday life of a country that has much to teach and to offer. I returned home with many more teachings that I will apply in my life.
Any tips for people who are thinking about applying for an internship abroad?
Be open-minded, that's all you need. Take advantage of every opportunity you are given.
Hilda, have you previously had English speaking interns?
No we have never worked with English speaking interns before at the Front Desk. In other positions, we did.
Why did you decide to welcome an intern from Italy to work at Park inn by Radisson Malmö?
We decided that we wanted to try. Most of our guests speaks English anyway so we didn't think that there would be any problems.
Was the experience as you expected?
It was better than expected. It was interesting to see how Luca adapted to the Swedish culture and also showed us a bit of how it works in Italy. We have a lot of good memories with Luca and he gave us many laughs. We wish him all the best in the future and he is more than welcome back to us!
Any advice for companies who are thinking about welcoming an intern?
Just do it 😊