A different way to find hotel staff…

HIC Academy

Needs identified… and solved!

The solution? Our Hospitality Industry Club Academy!

Through our work as a digital agency in outsourcing for hotels and our various events throughout Europe every year, we have our ear close to the market and, especially in recent months, have been able to gain even more detailed insights into the areas in which hotel operations are lacking employees.

In the marketing and hotel tech area, we have been able to cover and support this to some extent since 2020, but our hands were tied on site and we were looking for a solution for our hotel partners.

We were able to tackle this challenge in the course of 2023 and solve it for at least some of our hotel partners.

Welcome to the Academy by Hospitality Industry Club. Click on the pictures to the right for more information!

It’s a match!

Thanks to our experience in the hotel and tourism industry in Ecuador and our local network of ministries, embassies, lawyers, universities and institutes, we were able to recruit a professional and motivated team of specialists and partners to support us in just a few months.

Our local team cooperates with the local universities, presents the possibilities of a placement at a hotel in Germany or Austria and pre-screens the profiles. What remains are the applicants who can really be placed in a meaningful way and are likely to feel comfortable in the foreign culture.

The challenges of residence, cultural integration, obtaining a visa or work permit and preparing the paperwork (tramites) are particularly overwhelming for many potential candidates. We provide guidance and accompany applicants through the lengthy and difficult process.

Winner, winner, chickendinner

Our team is led by Tania Narvaez, from Ecuador. Through her experience and network, Tania was able to put together a professional team that represents our service in Ecuador, promotes it, works with the network, selects, guides and pre-qualifies applicants.

Our team from Cologne is responsible for looking after the applicants on site in Germany, with Tania from our office taking the main responsibility, speaking Spanish for the applicants and German for our hotel partners.

We not only place the applicants with the hotels, but also accompany them during their first 12 months in Germany in all important aspects of preparation, arrival and everyday life for a successful start.

Our services…easy

The costs in Ecuador and the travel costs are borne entirely by the applicants themselves. An exception to this would be an additional German language course in preparation for the stay.

We try to bring the applicants up to a German language level of A1 on their own initiative in the run-up to the placement. We accompany the applicants from their arrival to the hotel and, if necessary, through the first few hours on site.

From the start of the employment contract, we provide continuous support for the first 12 months of the stay. Depending on the status of the visa and contract, the visa can be extended after the first 12 months and the contract can be extended by both parties. From this point onwards, we would no longer be responsible for providing support and no further costs would be incurred.

Typical Challenges

Challenge accepted

Especially at the start of the stay, but also later on, there are typical challenges to overcome, which the hotel would normally have to or would assist with.

We prepare applicants for the most important and typical processes and assist them with tax issues, legal issues, employment contracts, rental contracts, opening bank accounts, finding suitable health insurance, registering with the authorities, finding doctors, finding accommodation where necessary and possible, and much more.

If possible, we invite the applicants to a meeting in Cologne at opensmjle with other placed candidates, offer networking and intercultural exchange.

Through our online support system, we are always in contact with the applicants and can be reached if problems arise and try to solve them for the applicants together with the hotels.

Your security if it does not work?

No worries, we have your back!

Even with the best preparation and support, applicants may not feel comfortable or simply not be a good fit for the hotel.

If a placement fails prematurely due to the applicant’s fault and the applicant does not meet expectations, for example, is homesick and wants to return, falls ill permanently, etc., we will help with a new placement free of charge if interested and required; in this case, the monthly cycle of support starts again.

Placement

The Knitty Gritty… Details

We place employees from Ecuador in hotels in Germany, support applicants in preparing their profiles, all the necessary visa documents, embassy appointments, preparing for the intercultural exchange while still in Ecuador and making travel arrangements. As far as possible, we accompany the applicants from their arrival in Germany to the local hotel and help them get to know each other. We offer the hotels suitable candidate profiles and organize communication between the parties until an employment contract is signed. The employment contract between the employee and the hotel is concluded directly between the two parties.

Fees

The Knitty Gritty… Details

50% of the placement fee is due as soon as the employment contract is signed. The remaining 50% of the placement fee is due as soon as the placed person is in possession of a residence visa and work permit.

Should the cooperation with the placed person be terminated within the first 3 months, the hotel has the option of placing a second person without a new placement fee.

In this case, the support period would start again

Support for 12 months

The Knitty Gritty… Details

From the time the contract is signed, we support the hotel and employees for 12 months. We provide support with tax issues, legal issues, checking employee contracts, opening bank accounts, selecting and preparing documents for health insurance, guidelines for registering with the authorities, finding a doctor, finding accommodation (where necessary / feasible, via network and portals), help with intercultural exchange, messenger system for communication and queries, Google Drive-based access to information documents relating to the stay.

Optionally at your own expense in your free time:
Meetings in Cologne with other placed candidates. The support ends automatically after 12 months. This can be optionally extended by the hotel on request.