My Internship in Sydney; Australia
My name is Erik, I am 19 years old and I completed an internship in Sydney through Internships Down Under. I am from Germany and graduated school in June 2015. During my internship the main focus was on Marketing and Event Management.
My Motivation
Since it had always been my dream to go to Australia for a longer period of time, I decided to make this big step and tried to make the most out of it.
I wanted to travel, learn more about the culture, improve my English skills, camp under stars, try surfing, see new animals, increase my working experience and especially I wanted to get the feeling to live far away from home. I had never been to Australia and that’s why I made the decision to come to this beautiful country because it appealed to me: The different climate zone, the Australian culture, the lifestyle in and out of Sydney, Koalas, Kangaroos, the amazing nature, beaches and the large size of Australia.
All these aspects motivated me to take the 24 hours flight from Germany to Australia and it was absolutely worth it.
My Life in Australia
I arrived in the middle of January in Sydney without any friends or family. I decided to live in a host family to get closer into the Australian lifestyle and be part of it. The host family proved themselves as very nice and made me more confident. After my arrival, I started to explore my new city and its surroundings. I was overwhelmed how huge and beautiful this city is. Sydney is really multicultural and I started liking the Australians, their manners, their accent, their open-mindedness and kindness. Immediately I felt part of this magnificent city. After four days of getting to know the city, I started my internship in Bondi Junction, a beautiful part of Sydney close to the famous Bondi Beach and surrounded by many restaurants. The supervisor of my new internship invited me to a cafe to clarify all important steps and went through my potential training.
He was really nice, willing to teach me as much as he can and gave me the feeling to be a part of the company. I met a lot of new people quickly because of different social meetings provided by Internships Down Under. Every applicant has the opportunity to attend these meetings and meet new interns from all around the world. It was absolutely stunning and interesting to get to know other young people. In addition we became an international group which included Belgians, Scandinavians, Italians, Americans, other Germans, French and Dutch. I am really grateful for these social meetings because the new friends I met, made my time in Australia the best experience of my life. We attended different beaches, events, did trips to Nelson Bay, Blue Mountains, Sunshine Coast, Noosa, Palm Beach, Melbourne and more. We had such a great time here and we did so many exciting activities. It was always sad when my new friends had to return home.
My Advice
If you are planning to come to Australia, my simple advice would be “Just Do It!”. I have to say that my Australian experience could not have been better. I have seen and done so much in my time here and take three important things with me back to Germany: New friends, advanced knowledge and unforgettable memories.
During my 24 weeks here I have learnt so much in so many different areas:
> Enjoy the night life on the weekend and visit beaches during the day
> Write down everything that you have learnt during your internship
> Use apps like ‘Opal Travel’ or ‘Next There’ to get around in Sydney
> Stay longer than eight weeks in Australia (Time is running too fast)
> Be prepared for the weather and don’t trust weather reports
> Keep a record of how much money you spend every week
> Bring enough sunscreen with you and wear sunglasses
> ‘Travel’; The only thing you buy that makes you richer
> Earn some money before you come to Australia
> Attend social meetings and make new friends
> Start preparing your internship and trip early
> Do not stress yourself about doing too much
> Travel around Australia after your internship
> Use Uber instead of Taxi (it’s much cheaper)
> Be confident to ask for some advice or tips
> Don’t stress about unimportant things
> Start living with a host family
> Be organised
Have the courage to make your Australian adventure into the best experience abroad. You will improve your English and working skills, make new friends, get more confident and will increase your chance to get a future job or placement at a university. Experience is far more valuable than money will ever be so ‘Do It’.
In one word my experience was ‘BREATHTAKING!’
