QUESTIONNAIRE about school companies - SOIZ TIME from Poland

1.     Are you satisfied with your cooperation between members of  your school company? Why?

We are satisfied with the relations between workers in our company. They are based on partner relations and mutual respect. We cooperate with each other by planning and taking decisions together. We try to share the tasks fairly.

2.     Did you have any problems with running your school companies? How did you cope with them?

There were minor misunderstandings which we tried to solve together by talking to each other. Sometimes we couldn’t do some tasks in our company by ourselves so we had to ask vocational subject teachers to help us.

3.     To what extend did you manage to accomplish  all plans and activities which you had set  in your business plan?

We managed to organize a few interesting events:

·       a city rally for SOiZ students

·       a city rally for Erasmus + partners

·       class trips to Warsaw and Krakow

·       conducting a game ‘Communication in a team’ in other classes by using Lego blocks

·       St Valentine’s Day contest

·       we also run a FB profile

4.     To what extend did you accomplish your business plan?

We accomplished it successfully in all points.

5.     What was the strength of your school company?

Mutual respect, acceptance, friendly relations, tourism hobbies, eagerness to work and determination in doing the tasks are our strengths.

6.     What was the weakness of your company?

Low financial possibilities and no profit earned from the events were our weaknesses. Sometimes we also lacked enough time to work together.

7.     How successful was the school company and what are you proud of?

Our biggest success was preparing and realization of the school trips to Warsaw and Krakow. We prepared the itineraries, calculated the trips and booked the hotel, all tickets and admissions. We played the roles of tour guides by ourselves.

8.     What knowledge did you acquire while running the school company

Running our company we learned how to run business. All the vocational subject classes taught us a lot. Thanks to them nothing surprised us. We learned how to prepare itineraries, organize events and prepare calculations.

9.     What skills did you get while running the school company?

While running the school company we learned how to monitor organizing trips, how to run a travel agency and how to cooperate in a team which consisted  of students from our class- different personalities. We learned that in order to run a business we need to be determined and eager to do it.

10.  Can you see any opportunities for development of your company as ‘real’ entrepreneurs in the future?

There is a big opportunity for our company to become a big real company because the basis for success is our self-denial, creative people and integrated team. We believe that running the company as a big real one is a big challenge for us but also an adventure, because we all truly love tourism.

11.  What opportunities and threats can you see?

Our age, knowledge of tourism and the market, ability to speak three languages( English, German and Italian) are our big advantages. We are aware of the threats that are waiting for us in current world. Cieszyn is a small town with a lot of travel agencies competing with each other. However,  self-discipline is most important, which we know we can make it!!!