Julian telling us about this internship and thesis

After finishing secondary school in Aruba, Julian moved to the Netherlands and completed a vocational study in accountancy. Having always aspired to be a businessman, he applied to the IBMS programme and began his studies at the Amsterdam School of International Business (AMSIB). Although his mother’s native language is Spanish, Julian had never had the opportunity to learn to speak it properly. For this reason, he chose Spanish as his language elective.

Julian was able to hone his Spanish skills during his exchange semester in San Sebastian, Spain. He was able to study a wide variety of marketing subjects, which had always piqued his interest throughout the first years in the IBMS programme. Most of all, Julian enjoyed the Spanish culture and people, and so he decided to stay for his internship. Julian moved to Madrid, where he worked as an online-marketing intern for the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Convention (NBTC).

Now back in the Netherlands, Julian is working on his thesis research for a company called Claustrophobia. Claustrophobia is an ‘escape room’ game that challenges participants in small groups to solve puzzles and find clues that help them to escape to freedom within an hour. The company is originally from Russia, but now has many franchises throughout the world, including the recently opened Amsterdam location.

Julian was interested in Claustrophobia because he knew he would have the opportunity to play an important role in the company’s growth. As a newcomer on the Dutch market, the company is lacking the proper knowledge they need for success. That is where Julian comes in. In his role as a consultant, Julian’s research will explore the possibilities for the company’s future marketing activities in the Netherlands.

As his graduation approaches, Julian is looking forward to gaining more work experience, and hopes to find a traineeship in the tourist sector. His advice for fellow students is to be perseverant and to stay focused on your goals. Work hard during the first years of your study because it will help to prepare you for your internship and the business world. Furthermore, Julian believes that the best way to succeed is to do your internship and thesis with a company, or in a sector, which you really enjoy.