Macy Scouller was a participant on the 2021 Virtual Business Professional Practicum. Macy is studying a Bachelor of Business (Tourism & Hospitality) at La Trobe University. Macy received a $3,000 New Colombo Plan Mobility Grant to support her participation in this program.
Q: Why did you decide to undertake the ACICIS program?
Originally, months prior to the placement I wanted to attend this internship because it allowed me to compete up to two subjects in an intensive 6 week placement. But looking back a few weeks until the internship was going to start, I was really excited and eager to learn about the Indonesia and Australia relationship, as well as the Indonesian business culture.
Q: Did you receive a New Colombo Plan Mobility Grant? Do you think the NCP is an important initiative?
I did receive a New Colombo Mobility Grant, and personally without this grant I would not have been able to participate in this internship and gained so much from it. This grant allowed me to develop my skills further and to get a realistic understanding into Indonesian business culture.
Q: How have you found the academic components of this virtual program – i.e. the language classes/seminars?
I have absolutely loved the language classes and have learnt so much from it. Learning about their language has given me an insight into their culture and understanding on their way of thinking. Regarding the seminars, these sessions are filled with intensive material covering a range of material of Indonesian business culture.
Q: What organisation did you intern with?
I have been interning at Bhuwana Ubud Hotel during the period of the placement. While interning my responsibilities at the hotel consisted of looking at all their services and facilities and to review each one and suggest areas needing improvements. This included analysing their social media footprint and identifying areas needing improvement. For instance, their website needed a new update on their photos as well as including a gallery of their hotel facilities and activities. This is only one example of what was analysed and suggested.
Q: How have you found the work culture (albeit online) of your host organisation? How is it different to work experience in Australia?
Working in Indonesia has a different working culture compared to Australia. For instance, in Indonesia it is normal to attend a meeting or be 15 minutes late to work, were in Australia punctually is a high priority.
Q: What are the main skills you have learnt during your virtual internship?
During my placement I have learnt skills of multitasking and task management. During my placement I was continually asked to prioritise tasks with my seminars as well as managing serval tasks within my placement. This consisted of me continually needing to check in with my supervisor to ensure the priority tasks were completed on time.
Q: What did you find to be the most rewarding part of this virtual experience?
Personally, the most rewarding part of the internship was the Indonesian language classes, were I learnt so much from learning their language. Even though this was my first-time learning Indonesia, the classes were well set up for me to learn in them. Now I know the basics behind structuring Indonesian sentences and word association.
Q: Were you able to learn about the Indonesian culture from this virtual program? If yes, how was this achieved?
Yes, through participating in the internship I have gotten to work first-hand with the locals of Bali, as they are the employees of the hotel. I got to speak to them as well as teach them English and through this I got to learn more about the culture of Indonesia.
Q: How will the virtual internship benefit or influence your career?
Through participating in this internship, it has influenced my future in regard to showing me a realistic representation for what managers do in the hotel. As well as allowing an insight to what responsibilities and jobs I would be expecting if I were to progress in this field.
Q: Would you recommend this virtual program to your friends?
Although this internship does not offer as much as if I were to participate it in Bali, it has allowed me to participate in this internship during these hard time because of Covid-19. Because of this I would recommend this internship to anyone potentially thinking of taking up this internship.
Q: Favourite Indonesian word/phrase:
menjalani hidup dengan penuh
Q: Describe your experience of the virtual internship program in three words:
Intense but rewarding.