We are continuing our #Goodbye series for you and start in this article with two students from the Bachelor's degree programme in IT Infrastructure Management, who completed their internships in Australia and the Netherlands in their 5th semester.
;)
Student Maria Jessica Wiesinger proves that Amsterdam doesn't just attract the usual tourists. It was clear to her from the outset that she wanted to complete her work placement in Amsterdam.
I simply feel at home here. But I also chose to go abroad because I couldn't find a company in Austria that suited me. I would recommend an internship abroad at any time, as you develop a lot personally during this period.
Maria Jessica Wiesinger, student on the IT Infrastructure Management bachelor's degree programme
Maria completed her four-month internship at the company M2mobi. Her tasks were to automate regression tests of various apps to make the work of the Quality Assurance Department team easier.
Maria's brother, who himself completed his internship at the company eleven years ago and still works there today, organised an interview for her with the HR manager. This took place a year before she started her internship. Around two months before the start of her internship, she had a video call with her future supervisor and the HR manager to discuss the details and area of work. The time had finally come on 1 July 2019.
Maria didn't have to look for accommodation as her brother currently lives in Amsterdam and had a room available for her. Her stay was therefore very easy and enjoyable, as she only had to worry about food. Apart from that, the student was able to fill her free time with things she enjoyed.
There were so many special moments during the four months that I can't even list them all.
"I would say the highlights from this time are, for example, Friday evenings together with my colleagues or the Company Weekend, where workshops and various team building activities took place."
Maria is also very proud of the fact that the test automation she created during the awarding phase of a project helped to secure the project for the company.
However, there were also low points for Maria during her time abroad.
"In the first month and a half, I felt very lonely and I wanted to go back home. It helped me to take my mind off things, do lots of things and talk to my friends in Austria on the phone."
Maria would do the internship again in a heartbeat.
Amsterdam is beautiful and has many things to offer. On the one hand there are the advantages of a city, on the other hand you can be in the countryside in a short time and enjoy the peace and quiet. All my colleagues at M2mobi were very nice and always helpful and I felt like I belonged right from the start. I also enjoyed the work.
You shouldn't give up just because the initial period abroad is difficult.
Over time, you get used to the new situation and later these months are some of the happiest in your life," Maria continues. "You should enjoy this time as much as you can, because it goes by far too quickly and at the end you wish it wasn't over yet.
The distance from Austria to Australia is exactly 14,287.81 kilometres as the crow flies. This meant a long journey for student Fabian Haas to start his work placement in Brisbane. But it was definitely worth it.
I wanted to do an internship abroad and see whether it would be conceivable for me to work and live in an English-speaking country later on if the opportunity arose.
Fabian Haas, student on the IT Infrastructure Management bachelor's degree programme
Fabian gained his first practical experience at Frequentis Australasia in Brisbane for a whole four months. His tasks included requirements engineering, hardware configuration and ordering and despatching goods.
Fabian came across his internship by chance during a conversation with his uncle. He has worked for Frequentis for over 20 years and has lived in Brisbane for several years. When the two of them talked about Fabian's studies, he immediately took the opportunity to ask whether it would be possible to do the internship at their company in Australia. After those responsible had looked at the curriculum and the course content matched the areas, nothing more stood in the way.
Frequentis is headquartered in Vienna and is a provider of information and communication systems for safety-critical tasks in the fields of air traffic control, public transport, public safety and the military. The company has around 1,800 employees worldwide and is represented at other locations in Canada, Germany, Norway, Romania and America. A total of 35 people work in the Australian branch in Brisbane and other offices in Sydney, Melbourne & Perth.
Fabian also had less stress when looking for accommodation. He lived with his uncle for the first week to settle in. He then moved into a student residence in the city centre. Finding a furnished flat turned out to be impossible after all.
Fabian would definitely recommend an internship abroad, regardless of the country.
It can only help you for your linguistic and personal development. I would definitely do it again.
You should definitely try out an internship abroad and see it through.
You are usually even more flexible during your studies. Above all, it is important to send out applications as early as possible and to plan in advance how, what, when and where.
# Gepostet in:
Internship,
Stays abroad
