What motivated you to go abroad?

In the first year of my apprenticeship, my vocational school held an informative event and one of the presenters was the “Bildung im Ausland - Education Abroad” organization, which arranges internships to European countries. I knew immediately that this was something I wanted to do. I have always wanted to go to another country and experience everyday life there. I wanted to get to know a different culture and a different way of working, and take a break from my routine.

Why did you select Malta?

First of all, because of the language. I wanted to improve my knowledge of English, which is the official language there. I had also heard many positive things about the country from previous interns. My visit confirmed these reports – the people there are very open and friendly, relaxed, and upbeat. The beautiful landscape also played a role in my decision, of course.

How did you get the internship?

The first step was to write an application in which I described my motivation, expectations, and wishes for the internship. Afterwards, I was invited to an interview with the partner organization from Bremen. I then received an offer for Malta with the name of the company I would be working with. In my case, it was an event company that organizes big events such as food festivals for tourists. One of the best things was that the partner organizations in Germany and Malta took care of securing the internship placement as well as my accommodation and health insurance. So all I had to do was pay for my flights and local expenses. I also had a small meal allowance, which made my costs quite manageable.

What was your internship in Malta like?

After landing in Malta, I was picked up directly and taken to the accommodation. I had a local contact person at all times. I shared the apartment with another intern from Germany. Of course, this made it easy to manage everyday life there. Local transportation there is not as reliable as I was used to from Bremen, which was sometimes rather challenging. We received a very warm welcome at the company. As the big events had already taken place in late summer, we spent most of our time researching and learning about the planning process. I had never done research on sustainable merchandise before, and I really enjoyed this new task. The relaxed nature of the people there and the great weather made it feel like a vacation. After work, I enjoyed going to go to the city or the beach with the other interns, and we took weekend trips to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

How did you coordinate the internship with your training in Bremen?

I received a lot of support with my plans to go abroad. Of course, I chose the time so that I could be in Bremen for our own big events. Otherwise, it was no problem to work in Malta for three weeks. What did you take back to your daily work? I have learned that if you have language and professional skills, doors are open to you abroad. At the beginning of my apprenticeship, I was very shy. Going abroad on my own showed me how much personal growth I have experienced since I began my training. It was nice to start the internship alone, with no friends by my side. I would have liked to speak more English in Malta and not have any other German interns with me – that would have been even more challenging. We had a lot of fun together, though.

What advice would you give to others who want to go abroad?

Be open to the experience. I had concrete ideas of how the stay should be, but they didn’t quite pan out. For example, all the big events were over and there was less to do than I expected. But I then accepted the situation as it was and was happy to be able to take advantage of this great opportunity. I can only advise everyone to take the opportunity to do an internship abroad. It is better to do it without friends by your side, because it makes you independent and gets you out of your comfort zone.

Advice on Internships Abroad

Apprentices and trainers can seek advice from Barbara Hasenmüller at the International Office if they are interested in a stay abroad as part of the university apprenticeship. If you have any questions or would like advice on internships at the University of Bremen, please contact coordinator Silke Heinrich.