Africa, America, Eastern and Western Europe, Asia - the whole world is open to us these days and young people who want to pursue a career often decide to stay abroad for a longer period of time. Not only can you get to know foreign languages and cultures through these open doors, you can also gain helpful insights into other company structures - for example during an internship abroad. UNIGLOBALE met two students who had the chance to learn from their fellow global citizens in a foreign company.
Markus Müller, 25,
completed an internship in Slovakia. He is studying mechanical engineering and recently wrote his bachelor's thesis in the field of materials science. Now he wants to start his master's degree.
UNIGLOBALE: What motivated you to do an internship abroad in Slovakia?
Markus: I found the advertisement for the internship on placementslovakia.com and it sounded like it was made for me. The search for a mechanical engineer with a focus on process engineering and experience in metallography corresponded exactly to my study goals.
UNIGLOBALE: Where exactly did you work and what were your tasks?
Markus: I worked in an aluminum foundry called Finalcast sro, which employs 200 people. The Slovaks know that our training is very good and they love German products. That's why I was given great responsibility in the company. Officially my job was to reduce the rejects, unofficially I worked as a kind of “consultant”. Since there seems to be very little specialist literature in the local language in Slovakia, I set myself the goal of imparting the necessary know-how. Of course, it is very difficult to convince superiors with many years of experience. This is where I learned a lot about the structures in a company.
UNIGLOBALE: What about your interest in digital media – you wrote a blog in Slovakia. What else do you use?
Markus: I use a variety of digital media, for example I Skyped with my parents every Sunday. I met with my friends every two weeks in Teamspeak. Facebook took away my few hours of leisure and my smartphone helped me find my way around. For this I used Navigon, an app with all European maps, and I tracked my leisure activities with Endomondo and then uploaded them to Facebook when I went rafting or hiking, for example.
UNIGLOBALE: What are your plans after your studies?
Markus: I find it challenging to have technical discussions. I have in mind a job in the consulting sector. But I could also imagine a trainee program in a global company. That's why I want to finish my studies with a master's degree, which is required in many companies.
Tobias Eder, 33,
graduated from Esslingen University with a bachelor's degree in environmental and supply engineering and worked for two years as an engineer at the University of Stuttgart, where he is currently writing his master's thesis at the Institute for Vocational and Business Education. During his studies, he completed an internship at Bosch in England.
UNIGLOBALE: Why did you decide to do an internship in England?
Tobias: I really wanted to go abroad and the only options were England, Scotland or Ireland because I got to know the island on a student exchange when I was 15 and thought the country, the people and life there were great.
UNIGLOBALE: And why an internship at Bosch?
Tobias: The offer came all of a sudden when I had already applied to many other companies in various corners of Great Britain. I either got rejections or I had to finance everything myself. The internship at Bosch was perfect as they pay a very good intern salary and are based in Worcester in the West Midlands. This is a great starting point for exploring the whole island.
UNIGLOBALE: What were your tasks during the internship?
Tobias: I was in the Research & Development department and was supposed to work on converting oil-fired burners. The new prototype had to go through a number of tests, including wind tests, various temperature and emissions tests.
UNIGLOBALE: What experiences were you able to take away from the internship?
Tobias: Above all, I learned that everyone actually only cooks with water, i.e. everyone can do anything and as impressive as things often seem at first, they are actually not that difficult. It also made me realize that hard work and dedication pays off in the end.
UNIGLOBALE: And what does your professional future look like?
Tobias: I finally decided to become a vocational school teacher for technology. On the one hand, because that's what I've always had in mind, and on the other hand, because I imagine I have a pretty good connection with the young people.
Tips and contact points for your own internship abroad:
- The first point of contact for information about stays abroad should always be the very detailed website of the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service):
https://www.daad.de/ausland/praktikum/de/
- Study and internship abroad manual. Exchange programs, scholarships and language courses (available used on Amazon from 0.01 euros)
http://www.amazon.de/gp/offer-listing/382183885X/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used
- Representations of other states in Germany (contacts of the embassies and consulates of other states in Germany, the representations of the Federal Republic in other states, information on individual countries (culture, politics, economy, relationship with Germany), !!!LOTS OF FURTHER USEFUL LINKS
- Ask international companies about the possibility of an internship abroad (NB! They usually require you to do an internship with them in their country first)
- Ask your university about exchange programs and internships (International Affairs Department)
- CIM ( Center for International Migration and Development: Jobs worldwide)
http://www.cimonline.de/de/applicants/76.asp
- Federal Employment Agency, Central Foreign and Specialist Placement Service (ZAV)
- GTZ (German Society for International Cooperation)
http://www.giz.de/de/weltweit/12877.html
- http://www.praktikumsanzeigen.info/ (Good source of information about studying, internships, jobs, voluntary service, language trips and much more; further links to various programs and providers (paid/unpaid, free of charge/chargeable)
- http://www.kulturweit.de/de.html (Around voluntary service: requirements, tips, documents, important contacts, application, etc. Project of the UNESCO Commission eV Partner: The voluntary service of the Foreign Office, United Nations Organization for education, science and culture)
- Many fee-based offers (arrangement fees), e.g.:
http://www.auslandsjob.de/paid-auslandspraktika.php
http://www.studentsgoabroad.com/auslandspraktikum/praktikum-australien.html (placement fee if the placement is successful 150 euros (USA 300 euros)
Related articles:
- With Erasmus+ for an internship abroad
- Study abroad sponsored by…
- International DOs and DON'Ts
- Foreign students in Germany
- My internship in London
- Internship abroad: off to Down Under
- Study in Ukraine
- Student cities worldwide: PARIS, je T'aime!
- Is there still a foreign country today?
- The media agency: intermediary between companies and media
Africa, America, Eastern and Western Europe, Asia - the whole world is open to us these days and young people who want to pursue a career often decide to stay abroad for a longer period of time. Not only can you get to know foreign languages and cultures through these open doors, you can also gain helpful insights into other company structures - for example
