i-to-i now owned by major player

Well known work and travel company, i-to-i, is the latest company in the sector to have been sold to a major travel conglomerate. The company, set up in the UK over a decade ago by Deirdre Bounds, was sold earlier this year to the UK’s First Choice Holidays, which also bought two other companies, iExplore and WesternXposure, in a deal that saw the operator pay UK£21.7 million (US$44.1 million) for all three companies.

Since then, First Choice Holidays has merged with its biggest European rival, Germany-based TUI AG, to create the biggest tour operator in Europe. The company has signalled that adventure travel is a sector it is keen to expand further in, as well as Asia-Pacific interests, online firms and companies that book trips for US students.

Speaking in September, Chairperson Michael Frenzel said TUI was on track to hit its trading expectations for the year and added, “Not only will our shareholders benefit from efficiencies but we are also well positioned to deliver strong organic and acquisition-led growth.”

Last year, Dutch company TravelWorks, which specialised in Work and Travel programmes, sold to mainstream tour operator Holidaybreak along with language travel agency Carpe Diem (see Language Travel Magazine, December 2006, page 10).

i-to-i organises volunteer travel and “meaningful tours” as well as short-term Tefl courses, a teaching jobs abroad service and internships. According to the company website, it sends 5,000 people a year on volunteer trips and trains 15,000 people to teach English as a foreign language, 500 of whom are placed in jobs abroad.

Clarity for internship rules in Australia

The Australian government has clarified its rules for visa entry for students intending to take an unpaid internship while in the country. A number of visa classes allow for unpaid work, such as the Working Holiday visa, Special Program 416 and the Occupational Training Visa, as well as the student visa, and the government advises that professional migration agents can advise on various options available.

Di Pilling of the Australian Internships Industry Association (AIIA) told Work Wise, “AIIA is very pleased that there is now clarity for the unpaid intern who is seeking professional training related to their career and academic studies.”

She explained that as a result of governmental acknowledgement of the value of unpaid internships being available to international students, and with the more transparent visa rules now in place, “We are seeing a greater number of students keen to complete relevant and structured training [in Australia].”

Global school chain EC has launched a range of new programmes aimed at ambitious students keen to undertake either paid or unpaid work experience in another country to enhance their cv.

Unpaid internships in the UK, South Africa and Malta are available and advertised in the school’s new 2008 brochure as are paid programmes in the UK.

Marie Montanaro at the school said EC realised it needed to provide a complete range of services for its clients. “We know that work experience or internships in an English speaking country can make a person’s cv more attractive to employers,” she said. “We are offering our students the opportunity to get one step closer to their dream jobs.”

All programmes require a minimum English language course of four weeks prior to placement. In many cases, accommodation is not provided although EC is happy to help students find suitable provision.

Kaplan Aspect’s Opus programme offering paid work experience scooped the prize of LTM Star Innovation in the annual industry awards this year, beating three other contenders. Joe Solomon from the company explained, “We offer part-time and full-time work in retail and hospitality in cities all over the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.”

In a bid to resolve a current skills shortage in the country, Germany has announced new rules for graduates in the country to enable them to stay and work for three years upon completing their undergraduate degree.

Liden & Denz Language Centre in Russia has launched two new work & travel programmes, becoming one of the first organisations to do so in Russia, it claims. A volunteer programme, working with disadvantaged children and an internship programme, offering placement in a host company, is available.