Jobs and Applicants 2008

During the preparatory course Students had the chance to apply for specific jobs which they will perform during the residential stay on Achill Island. In order to be selected for the jobs, they had to customize their CVs to suit each position. They sent their applications for these real jobs to their fellow students abroad who had the responsibility of matching each CV to the job description and deciding which candidate best fulfils the criteria.

The jobs entailed real responsibilities and were carried out by the students on a very high level.

Below you find the detailed descriptons of each job.

(advertised by the German group)

to develop and maintain a friendly atmosphere during our stay on Achill and to encourage as much international mixing as possible. The manager will organize short interactive activities, multilingual games and make sure that the different groups turn in to one big group.

Tasks & responsibilities:

• creation of a casual and constructive atmosphere among the participants
• making sure that work is always done in international teams (one of the priorities of the project!)
• organization of short exercises for the evenings in Dublin and on Achill
• organizing regular Manager Meetings where managers can share their concerns and plan improvements
• making sure that nobody feels as an outsider
• inspiring cultural and linguistic exchange through games and other activities
• helping us to experience the richness of languages involved and making it visible every day with:
  • preparing multilingual stickers that you could put everywhere around during our stay (e.g. the word “milk in all languages on the milk carton in the morning)”
  • games – you can invent new ones ◦group discussions o learning songs or poems in different languages
  • make sure that every member of the group makes the effort to learn at least a few words and expressions of each foreign language!

What else are you going to do for the group to ensure language diversity and a certain feel-good factor? SURPRISE US WITH SOME CONCRETE IDEAS IN YOUR COVER LETTER! Please concentrate on simple and short (5-10 minutes) activities that can be carried out anywhere, e.g. when we are waiting for a train, or between the main dish and dessert at dinner.

Required skills:

• gift for languages, interest in several languages
• outgoing self-motivated personality
• must want to be the centre of attention
• diplomacy and good interpersonal skills for animating activities o experience in international teamwork
• imagination/creativity
• ability to handle stress and conflicts
• initiative and organizational skills to find the right moment for activities

to organise and coordinate the documentation of activities and to be responsible for coordination and distribution of equipment as necessary for the Borrowed Identities Intensive Programme.

Tasks and responsibilities:

Primary

• Coordinate the creation of a ‘Travelogue’(=Travel blog) which documents the daily activities (print and photos) of the Programme;
• Ensure daily student participation in the Travelogue;
• Update daily student- and activities-related entries to Travelogue;
• Brainstorm and implement other opportunities for documenting the Programme experience.

Secondary

• Coordinate and distribute equipment as necessary to Programme participants;
• Organise and schedule the distribution [of] above.

Required skills:

• Excellent organisational skills;
• Good computer skills, including creation/maintenance of blogs and websites;
• Good knowledge of English is desirable; •Experience working in teams;
• Enthusiasm for promoting the “ Achill experience”

(advertised by the Swedish group)

To plan, organize and manage food and beverages for the participants of the Borrowed Identities excursion. Keep in mind that this is a logistics task, the candidate does not need to cook.

Do you have what it takes to cater for the hunger pains of a culturally diverse range of students from across Europe ? Could you keep everyone happy with a varied and satisfying but inexpensive assortment of produce in their fridges? If you think you have what it takes then we want to hear from you.

Job Description:

We require an energetic, highly motivated individual with a passion for food and organizing to take charge of the daily basic supply. Typical tasks will include…

• Organization of basic food supply for breakfast and snacks
• Purchase of good quality, low cost products in large amounts
• Co-ordination of food for reception and farewell parties

While on Achill we will have our dinner every night in the Achill Cliff House, a very good restaurant, so everyone will get at least one “real” meal per day. There is a supermarket close to the cottages we will stay in, and arrangements can be made before we actually arrive on Achill Island .

Required Skills:

The ideal candidate will be highly organized and able to work off their own initiative, reliable with leadership qualities and the ability to work well under pressure.

Desirable Skills:

• Must have keen interest in food and in supply chains
• Must have knowledge of management and experience in organizing complex procedures
• Must be able to enforce rules (e.g. for economical behaviour) in a group
• Knowledge of nutrition for a healthy balanced diet

(advertised by the Hungarian group)

Organizes the accommodation on the island and in Dublin. Makes sure that different nationalities have something in common for being able to live together in the same cottage or room in Dublin. Looks after the cottages and that people from different countries do not change places.

Tasks and responsibilities:

• Getting involved in all aspects of accommodation (in Dublin and on Achill)
• Administration of room distribution * Divide the rooms and mix nationalities
• Keep contact with group leaders (is everything ok, is there a problem with the cottage)
• Make sure that all students keep their rooms tidy and leave it in a good condition
• Help create a peaceful international environment
• Able to tackle possible conflicts

Required Skills:

• Self confident
• Determined
• Reliable
• Consequent
• Open minded
• Patient
• Good organization skills
• Well-organized
• Tolerant towards different nationalities

Desirable Skills:

• Experience of organizing field trips, youth camps
• Experience of working with other cultures
• Speaking more foreign languages

(advertised by the Brighton group)

As part of the Borrowed Identities project on Achill Island, February 2008.

Do you have what it takes to organize public relations, develop effective communication mechanisms between the groups and the Achill community and design emergency plans for an international group? If you think you have what it takes then we want to hear from you.

Job Description:

We require an energetic, highly motivated communicator with strong organizational and journalistic skills and effective data management techniques to provide dynamic pr, develop and update a contact database and maintain emergency details.

Typical tasks will include:

• PR – Liaising with a diverse range of people and groups
• Organizing and writing newspaper articles to be published before and during the stay
• Working with students, staff, islanders and building and maintaining good relationships.
• Compiling and communicating emergency plans
• Co-ordination of information Required Skills: The ideal candidate will be highly organized and able to work off their own initiative, reliable with leadership qualities and the ability to work well under pressure.

Desirable Skills:

• Must be an effective communicator
• Experience with writing for newspapers/publishers
• Experience with Emergency plans (e.g. Red Cross, etc.)
• Providing information and maintaining effective relationships with a diverse range of people
• Organized and self-motivated

(advertised by the Lithuanian group)

Travel manager is required to coordinate the journey from our home institutions to Dublin - Achill - Dublin and back during the course and make sure all participants have the important information concerning travel.

Tasks and responsibilities:

• To prepare a plan, which would help to manage traveling activities for the whole Intensive Program. Making sure that everyone in the group knows what their travel arrangements are (flights, train travel, coach)
• To help find cheap connections and remind every station to book flight tickets to Dublin and back; to help them find the most convenient flights if they run into difficulties.
• Making sure that everyone has all the necessary documentation (e.g. all members will need passports, some visas, and international student cards like ISIC); Responsible for running ahead and calling taxis, head-counts before we get on trains and buses, etc.
• To hire a bus that would wait and take the participants from Westport to Achill. •To make the train and bus trips to Achill interesting (to collaborate with Social Manager and coordinate games or other activities on the train or the bus).
• To supply everyone with a detailed plan of the way from the cottages to Achill Cliff House Hotel (where we have our dinners) and its neighbourhood.

Required experience and skills:

• Being able to make yourself understood to a large group (loud voice).
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills and diplomacy.
• Strong organizational skills and energy with a desire to lead others.
• Timekeeping, self-confidence, ability to handle stress.
• A genuine interest in travel and working out complex time-tables

Desirable experience and skills:

• Good skills of some other languages, except English and the native.
• Similar work experience would be an advantage.
• Studies in the field of travel management.
• Skills in simplifying and documenting complex structures.
• Interest in history and culture