A professional career is an important part of our lives. It is safe to say that each of us wants to do it today. However, not everything goes our way, and it often turns out that the completed studies do not guarantee our work in the profession. Good work is the result of our actions already while studying. 

David and Paula from Spain are examples of making the most of your time and gaining professional experience. They focused on their interests and talents, which they combined with their field of study, i.e., tourism. Thanks to this, they have the opportunity to acquire new skills during an internship at Hotel Ragusa 360.

They start their day at 7.40, take a shower, get dressed, and go to work. There is one bike in the hostel, and the bus connection is terrible, so the best option for them is to walk. The journey takes fifteen to twenty minutes. David and Paula always work the same hours. There are two shifts in the hotel daily. “I prefer to work in the morning because I have more free time in the afternoon that can be used to explore Macedonia,” says David. “According to the schedule, we should work from 9 am to 3 pm, but most days our supervisors make us finish work at 1 pm, so we only work 4 hours,” he adds. 

The place where they work used to be a hotel. Now it is an event room. Ragusa 360 is located on Kiril and Metodij Street, in a six-story building whose facade attracts the attention of passers-by. The facility is located on the top floor, thanks to which it has a beautiful panorama of the city. The interior, in turn, looks very luxurious. Interestingly, on other floors in the middle of the building, there are only parking lots. “The area around the hotel is crowded. Next to it is the main street leading to the southern part of the city, so there are traffic jams all the time during the day”, says David. 

Upon arriving at work, David and Paula can go to the staff room where they change, eat the breakfast provided by the hotel, and leave their belongings. “When an event takes place in a hotel, we have to put on a shirt and a mask with the Ragusa logo, but most of the time we clean and prepare events, then we put on comfortable clothes,” says David. The main job is waiting and organizing events, i.e., arranging tables or arranging dishes. The biggest obstacle is communicating with people who don’t speak English or Spanish. But even in these situations, there will always be someone willing to help. “We had one event where we could speak English and even Spanish. Then we were able to get to know these people better and help in every situation. The rest of the events were organized exclusively for Macedonian residents; sometimes, it is troublesome. I had such a situation during one event where I was called by one of the guests who spoke only Macedonian, and I didn’t understand anything, so I had to call someone from the staff. It turned out that the Lord only wanted a glass of water”.

This is his first experience in tourism, but he has already worked in other places where he had contact with other people. “This job is not different from my expectations, but it is a unique experience. Planning events is not my dream thing, so I do not see myself working in such a company again, but I know that it is a new experience for me, which will teach me a lot and will also help me prepare for my dream job as a tourist guide in Catalonia.”, says David. One of the things that surprised him during his Skopje internship is that people are often late. “Sometimes they tell us to come by nine o’clock, and when we’re there, the first person doesn’t come until an hour and a half later. However, it doesn’t matter in the end because everyone carries out their duties.”.he adds. The internship at Ragusa 360 is undoubtedly an opportunity to learn about a new culture, acquire new skills and make a strong entry in your CV. David claims he has come to love Macedonia. It is an exciting personal experience for him. He also hopes to be able to come back here in the future.

Kacper Krol