Mobility specification

Country:Germany

Institution:České centrum Berlín

City:Berlin

Program:Erasmus+ traineeship

Activity type:Traineeship

Academic year:2022/2023

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Arts / Department of German, Scandinavian and Netherland Studies - German

Study level abroad:Master

✅Check the boxes

How would you categorize your internship?Humanities
Education
Social sciences

💼How-to: Interning abroad

How did you discover this internship opportunity?External website
Recommendation from acquaintances

External website - which one?https://czechcentres.gov.cz/

What specific responsibilities and tasks did you do during your internship?Translations from German into Czech for the Centre's website, management of social networks in English and German, work with the public, information service, cooperation in organizing cultural events.

Did your tasks align with the pre-defined conditions?yes

Did the internship meet your expectations?yes

Did you apply any theory you learned at university during the internship?yes

If yes, can you provide a specific example?I definitely used theory and practice from translation seminars. Translations of various kinds were not a problem for me during my internship and my superiors were connected with them.

How well did you manage to communicate in a foreign language?neutral

Did the institution have any special requirements?Technical knowledge (e.g., specific software skills)
Specific language skills

Do you have tips on how to make a great impression on the institution?It is good not only to focus on your language and translation skills, but also to show an interest in culture and art. The Czech Centres are a cultural institute and most of the internships revolve around exhibitions, films, readings... And it's important for the staff that the interns enjoy it all.

How competitive was the selection process? Did you have to go through an application procedure?Yes, I had to do a video interview. But Katharina, who was hiring me, was very nice and helpful. She told me that for those who don't get accepted for the requested date, she tries to give them an opportunity at the next opportunity. I was in my final year of study and had the last chance to go on the internship, so she was also helpful and accepted me on the requested date.

Why would you recommend students do an internship?I don't see any reason why not. It gives you an awful lot and takes nothing away from you.

💰And how to fund it?

What were your average monthly expenses during the internship?14000 CZK/month

Did the institution provide accommodation?no

If not, how did you find it?Finding accommodation was the biggest challenge, it's not easy in Berlin. A few months before my internship I contacted the Czech Centre for advice and they gave me the contact details of the current interns I would be taking turns with. So I took over a room in a shared flat from one of them.

Did you have any unexpected expenses during the internship?no

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How difficult was it for you to adjust to life abroad?no problem at all

How well did you manage to communicate in English?almost without problems

How does public transport work in the city?runs like clockwork

And what about transport outside the city?runs like clockwork

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?Transportation company in Berlin BVG: https://www.bvg.de/
I searched for connections in the BVG app and on Google Maps.

Did you deal with any health issues during your stay?no

🤠Help create the perfect bucket list

What are the must-visit trip destinations?On weekends I liked to go for walks in the local parks - Grunewald, Tiergarten, Tempelhofer Feld, Treptower Park. Outside of Berlin, Potsdam is worth a day trip, and you can also take the train to more distant cities (Dresden, Leipzig, Cottbus).

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?no

How did you get to the place?Bus

Can you pay by card?in most places

🥳Summary

Whew, what a ride! 😮‍💨 Thanks so much for taking the time to complete our survey and for sharing your unique experience. Just one last thing. 🙏 How would you summarize your trip in one or two sentences?Thanks to my internship in Berlin, I found out that I can absolutely rely on myself and that I am much more capable than I ever thought. :) Living alone without friends and family in a completely foreign place, in a big city, is an invaluable experience that I would recommend to anyone for a few months.