Spirit of Queenstown Orientation and Internships

Work Experience in Queenstown's Tourism and Hospitality Industries

Queenstown Resort College offers a student internship service for paid work placements in the tourism and hospitality industry. All student internships are with tourism, hospitality and hotel operators to help students prepare for their hospitality career. All placements are in Queenstown, New Zealand’s premier tourist destination and adventure capital of the world, so they are ideal for persons seeking exciting study internships abroad.

Who Should Apply?
Spirit of Queenstown Orientation
Internship Work Placement
Highlights
Fast Facts
Visa Information
How to Apply

Who Should Apply?

QRC internship placements are exclusively for:

  1. Tourism, hospitality and hotel management students who need to undertake an industry work placement to fulfill course requirements (this includes intern abroad and study abroad program students)
  2. Tourism, hospitality and hotel management graduates seeking further work experience to enhance their CVs
  3. Tourism and hospitality industry professionals looking for further work experience

Interns complete a five-day Spirit of Queenstown Orientation programme. This is followed by a minimum 12-week work placement.

Spirit of Queenstown Orientation (5 days)

QRC will prepare you for your internship with five days orientation, where you will be taken on tours of the region, learn local knowledge and history, customer service, cultural differences and employment relations.

On completion of the orientation you will have a comprehensive knowledge of the Southern Lakes district and a thorough understanding of the expectations of your employer and tourists visiting Queenstown.

Internship Work Placement (12 weeks minimum)

All placements are entry level positions with Queenstown tourism, hospitality and hotel operators.

Common placements include hotel internships where you get to work in the front office, housekeeping, bar or food and beverage in a hotel, or customer service positions for a tourism operator.

Your placement will depend on your employment and/or educational background. So the more experience and interest you have in the tourism and hospitality industry, the better your placement will be.

Highlights

• QRC specialises in tourism and hotel management studies

• All internship placements are paid

• All internship placements are in Queenstown, an international tourism resort and adventure capital of the world

• You will receive detailed employer feedback on completion of your internship

• You will receive 24/7 support from Queenstown Resort College during your internship.

Fast Facts

Start Dates:

2008:

June: 9,23
July: 14
September: 29
October: 6,20
November: 3,17
December: 1

2009:

January: 12
May: 12
June: 15
September: 28
October 12
November: 3
November: 23
December: 7

NB: Plan to come in the May - June intakes if you want to work in Queenstown during the ski season
Course Length: 5 days training and orientation, followed by a minimum 12-week paid work placement
Entry Requirements:

At least 18 years of age, with intermediate English language ability (equivalent to IELTS 5.5);
Skills and experience in tourism and hospitality are an advantage
Cost:

Spirit of Queenstown Orientation = $550
Internship = $1,500 (of which $500 is paid immediately to find your placement and $1,000 is paid later to secure it).

* Participants may enrol in English for Tourism before they commence their work placements, or during their work placement if they need to improve their English language level.

student profile

Manuela Zehm, Internship studentGerman student, Manuela Zehm, came to Queenstown to work as a Food & Beverage Attendant at the Mercure Resort for her Internship.

Human Resources Manager, Helen Sinclair, says the hotel was so impressed with Manuela's performance that she was promoted to Food and Beverage Supervisor within 3 months.

Here Manuela receives her certificate of completion with QRC chief executive Jan Fitz-Gerald and Mecure HR Manager, Helen Sinclair.

Visa Information for International Students

International students will need to qualify for the Working Holiday Visa Scheme, or the Student and Trainee Visa:

Working Holiday Visa: The Working Holiday Scheme allows you to work and holiday in New Zealand and is available for 18 - 30 year olds from select countries.

Student and Trainee Visa: The Student and Trainee Visa or Permit (section WE1b) is available for students who wish to fulfill a course requirement by undertaking practical work experience in New Zealand.

You should refer to the New Zealand Immigration website for further Visa information.

How to Apply

We recommend you apply at least three months prior to your intended start date to ensure we can secure the best work placement for you.

Read the Internship Rules and Regulations, then complete and return the QRC Application Form. You can download both documents here [PDF DOWNLOAD 77 KB]

Please read the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment before completing your application, as well as the Spirit of Queenstown Orientation and Internship Rules and Regulations (the Rules and Regulations can be downloaded here).

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.