Mischa’s story

My work experience days at Jungfrau Region Tourism

So you want to do a commercial apprenticeship. But where? In which industry? With which company? For students in the middle of choosing a career, work experience days are a great way to find out. We, too, regularly give interested young people the chance to take a look behind the scenes. That’s how 14-year-old Mischa Jost from Unterseen came to spend two days with us. Here’s what he experienced.

“On the first day, I was at Haslital Tourism. I was welcomed in Meiringen. First, the staff showed me the break room and the offices. The first thing I did was help answer emails. We filed them in the right folders in Outlook. After that, I helped the marketing team design slides – I really enjoyed that. They also told me how they organised everything for a Dutch schlager band to shoot a video on the Hasliberg. I learned that this is another way to promote the region. At the information desk, they showed me how to enter the 20 percent discount into the till, so that people pay less when the weather is bad. Then I learned what tourist taxes actually are. After that, I was given the job of entering the tourist tax data from the accommodation providers. I learned that hotel operators have to pay tourist tax every month, while holiday apartment owners only pay it four times a year. After lunch, I got to design a sheet called ‘What’s on’ for the Haslital. I put the most important events on it, as well as a tip for bad weather. That was fun. At the end, I got some feedback and made a few notes. I really enjoyed my first day in Meiringen and was already looking forward to the second day.

From finance to sales

I spent the second day at the head office in Interlaken. First, they told me everything I’d be doing. Among other things, I spent time in the finance department, where I learned what accounts payable and accounts receivable are. After that, I had to fetch the post and hand it out to the right people. That was the least fun part. Next, I joined the sales department. I got to put together a programme for a journalist who will be visiting the Jungfrau Region. That was the most fun, because I know the region really well. I also got to know the marketing department and was able to do a bit of work there too. I really enjoyed the two days. I got a very varied insight into the job, and the staff were really friendly and funny. I’d definitely recommend doing work experience at Jungfrau Region Tourism.