Internship at Kläppen Ski Resort

After graduating from Dalarna University in May 2014 I wanted to put my knowledge into practice and have an internship in my area of studies. I graduated with a master’s degree in Tourism Destination Development. The program has prepared me not only theoretically, but also gave me opportunities to get in direct contact with tourism companies in Sweden. As a result, I found an internship at Kläppen Ski Resort after graduation.

I first visited Kläppen during our university study trip. You can read about the trip here: http://www.mydalarna.com/sweden-norway-study-trip/  Therefore, I was glad to come back to a familiar place and work with the people I had met before.

The goal of my internship was establishing cooperation with the Russian and Baltic tour operators. In the beginning I was preparing material and offers in Russian. Then I called the tour operators and sent them the offers. The interest of the Russian market in Kläppen has increased since then and will hopefully grow further. After connecting with the tour operators I was translating the website into Russian. Two weeks before the internship was over I was helping in Kläppen sports shop to prepare it for the beginning of the season.

The internship has given me an opportunity to be part of a Swedish organization and experience its environment. I have also improved my communication skills not only by calling the Russian tour operators, but also while cooperating with the other employees in performing my tasks. I worked in a few different countries in the past, and the main difference I’ve noticed is equality between the employees in Sweden, regardless of their position. People have freedom to use their own judgment and decision making in performing tasks and reaching the goals. Besides the work, I remember all the warm conversations with my colleagues during the “fika” breaks. It was great to connect with the people and get new friends. One recommendation I would give to students considering an internship or a job in Sweden after graduation is to learn the language, because it makes it much easier to communicate and improves the experience on the whole.

Below are some pictures from Kläppen. I had a chance to enjoy different seasons and activities here: sunbathing on top of the mountain in summer, picking lingonberries in the fall, and skiing in winter. Kläppen has become a special place for me and I hope to come back here for vacations in the future.