A Pleasant Discovery…

It’s always amazing to discover new charitable organizations that do so much good work in the homeland. One of these discoveries was through a friend’s FB post if I’m not mistaken, leading me to a video called “A Bloom in the Desert”, a trailer about the work the Children of Armenia Fund does in villages like Karakert.

The trailer led me to the success stories and then to the interview with a friend of mine, surprisingly, and that led my to their website, to like their Facebook page and subscribe to their updates and newsletters. I have been pleasantly surprised with everything I see and definitely endorse the charity organization. It gives more than what the villages physically need. COAF provides hope in places where the darkness following the Soviet collapse never lifted.

Videos such as this give the diaspora’s Armenians a new outlook and hopefully instill a desire to join hands with those giving so much to the homeland.

The children are our future. I applaud Children of Armenia Fund for directing their attention to where it’s vital.

General Manager at Sidon Travel- Job Posting in Yerevan

DURATION:  Long term

LOCATION:  Yerevan, Armenia

JOB DESCRIPTION: The candidate should manage on a daily basis a travel agency in Yerevan, should establish plans and strategies to expand the customer base as well as implement and manage sales strategy to ensure efforts to meet ambitious goals and objectives. This position will require direct contact with customer base in person, over the phone, through e mail.

 

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

·        Forecast sales of key accounts/clients and monitoring against performance;

·        Develop sales strategy to support forecast plans;

·        Build and manage effective relationships with key customers;

·        Ensure dominant positions on the shelves of accounts;

·        Build and maintain a customer profile database;

·        Provide weekly status reports for accounts/clients; feedback received from accounts and take steps to ensure product satisfaction;

·        Prepare action plans for effective search of sales leads and prospects;

·        Manage company web site;

·        Provide timely feedback to senior management regarding performance;

·        Provide timely, accurate, competitive pricing on all completed prospect applications submitted for pricing and approval, while striving to maintain maximum profit margin;

·        Maintain accurate records of all pricings, sales, and activity reports submitted by Key Accounts;

·        Maintain contact with all clients in the market area to ensure high levels of client satisfaction;

·        Develop/implement marketing strategy;

·        Perform other duties as may be assigned from time to time.

 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

·        Should have at least 5 years of experience in a well known travel agency.

·        Should have intensive knowledge of International Holiday Destinations

·        Should know how to create, design and plan an International Itineraries for clients.

·        Should be capable of being in touch with suppliers to get the best possible deals for clients

·        Should also be able to get in touch with suppliers for negotiating and contracting rates and offers.

·        Should be Capable to handle clients directly

·        Should have the complete skills and know how of Sales and Operations and Team Leading

·        Should be able to get new clients for the company   may it be Corporate or individuals

·        Should be completely capable of Leading a Team and Managing the entire division on day to day basis.

·        Should be absolutely fluent in English and Armenian

·        Should have excellent knowledge of MS office, Amadeus, Gabriel and other relevant travel software

·        Will be Reporting to the managing partners

·        Should have an undergraduate degree

·        Should be self motivated and have a capable personality, ability to work independently and in a team

·        Should have effective problem solving, decision making, written and verbal communication skills

·        Ability to work under pressure

·        High sense of responsibility

 

APPLICATION PROCEDURES:  please send your resume to: sam@midas.am

APPLICATION DEADLINE:  January 30, 2012

ABOUT COMPANY:  Sidon Travel & Tourism LLC is based in the US and Yerevan dealing in ticketing, tours and travel both to and from Armenia.

Remuneration: based on prior experience

 

Scholarships for study in Germany

Scholarships for Undergraduates, Graduates and PhD Students to Study in Germany in 2012

The Heinrich Boll Foundation grants scholarships to approximately 1,000 undergraduates, graduates, and PhD students of all subjects andnationalities per year. Undergraduates, graduates, and PhD students interested in obtaining a scholarship can apply directly to the Heinrich Böll Foundation. They should be able to demonstrate an excellent academic record and show that they are socially and politically active. In the case of PhD students, the quality of their research project will also be considered.

Next application deadline is March 1, 2012.

For more information or to apply, please follow this link: http://www.boell.de/scholarships/scholarships.html

[ARMACAD] Tercentenary International PhD Scholarships at University of Edinburgh, UK‏

In 2013, the School of Chemistry will celebrate the 300th anniversary of the first chair in Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh. As part of these celebrations the School has introduced the Tercentenary International Scholarships Scheme.

The Tercentenary International Scholarships Scheme helps outstanding research students from outside the United Kingdom and European Community to study in the School of Chemistry by providing for some of the costs of their training and supervision.

The scholarships are offered to overseas applicants starting full-time PhD programmes in the School of Chemistry in 2012-2013, with start dates between 1 September 2012 and 1 June 2013.

A minimum of ten scholarships will be available in session 2012-2013. The scholarships worth £5,000 each pa will be offered for a period of three years.

The awards will be used towards tuition fees or general living costs.

These awards cannot be held concurrently with fully-funded scholarships such as a Dorothy Hodgkins Postgraduate Award, Commonwealth Scholarship or a School Studentship. They can, however, be combined with other partial funding.

Eligibility

Please note that to be eligible to apply for a Tercentenary International Scholarship;

• you must be liable for the overseas fee
• you must be of outstanding merit and research potential
• the Supervisor with which you wish to study must support your application

Criteria

The studentships will be awarded on the basis of academic merit with candidates requiring the equivalent of a first-class honours degree or upper second-class honours degree from a recognised university or institution. Non-native English Language speakers must meet the University entry requirements of IELTS 6.5 or equivalent.

• Postgraduate English language requirements

Application Procedure

Applicants should apply online through EUCLID for PhD admission to the University of Edinburgh by 1 February 2012. Applicants must also notify the School of Chemistry by emailingannette.burgess@ed.ac.uk of their intention to apply for a Tercentenary International Scholarship, also by 1 February 2012. In this email, applicants should give full details of their EUCLID application, nominate up to four supervisors and include a description of their preferred areas of research. Applicants must also indicate how they will fund the difference between the value of the award and the actual annual cost of studying and living at the University of Edinburgh.

Selection Procedure

The School Scholarships Allocation Committee will meet in February 2012 to select the studentship holders. The winners will be announced thereafter.

For more info click HERE

Armenian Queens: Rusaina

The son and successor of Sarduri II, King Rusa I of Van, reigned from 735 to 713 BC. His wife was named Rusaina and legends speak of her beauty being akin to that of the goddesses. As such, Rusa loved and worshiped his wife as a sacred woman. The wife of Assyria’s King Sargon was said to have been so envious of Rusaina’s beauty that she extracted a promise from her husband not only to capture, but to kill the exquisitely beautiful queen of the Armenians. Sargon fulfilled his promise to his wife and in the summer of 714 BC he captured and plundered the temple of Musasir, took as prisoners all the members of King Rusa’s family and ordered Rusaina killed upon entering the temple. Learning about these events and feeling the loss of his adored wife heavily, King Rusa committed suicide not long after.