Mona:
Hello Tom, sorry I'm late.
Tom:
Hi Mona, no problem.
Tom:
I heard you finished the essay for the management course.
Tom:
Which company did you focus on?
Mona:
It was finished last week.
Mona:
I chose the hotel where I interned last summer and mainly concentrated on my work experience there.
Tom:
Could you give me some details?
Mona:
Well, during my three-month internship, I observed every part of the hotel carefully each day and also talked with some of my colleagues.
Mona:
I found some problems in different parts of the hotel and made a conclusion in the essay.
Mona:
Let me start from the reception desk.
Mona:
I noticed the staff there kept doing the same thing every day, like answering the phone, helping guests with check-in and check-out, etc.
Mona:
There was nothing special for them.
Tom:
That must be very boring.
Mona:
And in the restaurant, the employees told me that they must obey the rules exactly.
Mona:
For example, if they don't wear uniforms during working hours, 20% of their daily wages will be deducted.
Mona:
And then, about the coffee bar.
Mona:
During peak hours, I was asked to help in the coffee bar several times, as a shortage of hands always made many customers wait long for ordering, eating or paying the bills.
Mona:
Their own staff could not control customer flow.
Tom:
Oh, that seems a little messy.
Mona:
And the place where I worked was a shop selling towels and pajamas, as well as souvenirs.
Mona:
Every day, I had to be there from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. My duty was to set up the window display and serve the customers.
Mona:
At first, it seemed interesting, but later I found this work was a bit tough.
Mona:
Every night when I got off work, I was nearly exhausted.
Mona:
What I wanted was just a good rest and sleep.
Tom:
Doesn't sound like an easy job.
Mona:
It definitely wasn't.
Mona:
Then there was the personnel office.
Mona:
I went there on the first day when I arrived at the hotel.
Mona:
As I was not familiar with everything, I asked the staff several questions.
Mona:
But the employee of the personnel office seemed a bit annoyed and started complaining, which gave me a very bad impression.
Mona:
Lastly, as regards cleaning, it wasn't too bad compared with other parts of the hotel, except the vacuum cleaners, which were probably bought such a long time ago that the sound seemed too loud when they were working.
Mona:
But fortunately, the hotel hasn't received any complaint from the customers so far.
Tom:
I think you've benefited a lot from the internship.
Mona:
In the beginning, I just wanted to complete the essay for the course, but in the end, I found it has given me some practical examples which are helpful to what I intend to do after graduation.
Mona:
As you know, I've always wanted to do something related to hotel management.
Mona:
Due to the time limitation, I still haven't got a clear idea of some specific work positions.
Tom:
Well, I heard you're going to give us a presentation of your essay next time in class.
Mona:
Actually, I'm not so good at giving a presentation, but the tutor says that's just what he wants me to do, to know what is important when doing a presentation, like how to attract the audience, make eye contact and make gestures, etc.
Mona:
And other students can learn from my presentation.
Tom:
I'm looking forward to it.
Tom:
You know, now I'm only in the second year of the course and I have to write an essay next semester, but I have no idea about where I can do an internship.
Tom:
There are several hotels which I'm interested in.
Tom:
Do you think I should call their managers?
Mona:
Well, I suggest you'd better not because you're more likely to be rejected by them.
Mona:
There is a career office on campus that has got a list of companies offering internship opportunities to students.
Mona:
The office will help you contact where you want to go.
Mona:
You just have to prepare your personal information, like the CV.
Mona:
Oh, don't forget to provide a reference from the tutor.
Mona:
So, have you got any plans for your essay?
Tom:
I've noticed that the hotel industry is developing at a high speed.
Tom:
People are more and more concerned about the quality of accommodation.
Tom:
What I'm struck by is numerous statistics showing the ever-increasing number of five-star hotels, so I intend to carry out extensive research on this aspect.
Tom:
I'm thinking about using video as a research method, but I haven't decided yet.
Mona:
I think it's an interesting topic.
Mona:
Anyway, if you have any questions later, I will be happy to help.
