Rafael, a 3rd year student, answers our questions about his internship in Dubai last year, with a nice reward at the end: a job offer after the Bachelor!
” I did my second year internship in Dubai, in a B2B professional events company called Naseba. My mission consisted in the organization of a specialized professional conference for new technologies in the hotel industry, which took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November 2016. “
Tell us what your main missions were?
“For this conference in Riyadh, I first created a list of 450 national and international speakers who are experts in one of the topics discussed during the conferences. I then contacted them, with the objective of confirming the presence of 15 speakers in three weeks. This was my first objective and I achieved it, not without difficulty. My role was also to organize the agenda, keep in touch with the ministry that sponsored the event and find sponsors.
Tell us about the company
” Working for Naseba has been a unique experience. I don’t have a huge work history, but from what I’ve heard, you don’t find this type of atmosphere in every company. The Dubai office consists of 30 to 35 people who know each other well. I felt comfortable right away.
Concerning the hierarchy: everything is very clear, even the layout of the offices. Each department is separated, each member of that department faces another member and at the end of the table is the manager. There are 2 rooms; one with the Production, Operation and Marketing department; the other room with the Sales and Research office. The CEO’s office is on the first floor and the chairman on the top floor. The hierarchy is very well structured.
The company culture really pushes all employees to do their best every day. At Naseba, everyone has to know how to express themselves on the phone. That is to say, to have a fluid rhythm of speech, without pause, and to learn to convince anyone. “
And the adaptation to Dubai?
” Life in Dubai is different from European life. For my part, I lived there in the middle of summer, which means that we always go from one air-conditioned place to another. It’s not a city where you can get out of your house and walk for hours; everything is very much pushed towards mass consumption.
However, my choice was to move permanently to Dubai because it is a city where the opportunities for young people are enormous. “
What do you remember from your training at INSEEC Bachelor that was useful for your internship in Dubai?
” What helped me a lot was that I went to London for 4 months before my internship. Being in an English-speaking environment was essential to be able to speak professionally in English with all these experts. “
Tell us about the job offer you received?
” My 4-month internship took place between May and August 2016, in the Production department of Naseba. As the end of August approached, I met with my manager and the CEO of the company to discuss the hiring proposal he wanted to make to me. They explained to me that they were happy with my work and that they wanted me to join the team permanently at the end of my studies, that is to say in February 2017, after my Bachelor’s degree at INSEEC. A very encouraging proposal! “
Your advice to students to find a good internship?
” Today, I think more and more recruiters are focusing on personality and boldness. And don’t give up after the first refusal: “Never take no as an answer”. “
Updated 24 February 2022