FU-BEST Internship Program in Berlin

I really enjoyed my internship with the FU-BEST program. I was placed working with a nonprofit that houses refugees in Berlin and I got to spend my time with children each day. I learned a lot about my needs, my desires for my future, and how I can incorporate social change into all of that. It was a really unique experience and opportunity to work alongside some amazing people and organizations who work hard to integrate and assist the many refugees in Berlin.

I gained a lot of cultural knowledge from the course that goes alongside the internship and it helped me contextualize my experience and prompt me to ask myself many personal questions about my career and personality. It was a good space to really explore those themes and it pushed me to focus on being present and engaged while abroad in an unfamiliar job setting.

I chose to do a personal photo project in my last few weeks with my internship which was super fun and rewarding for the refugee families, children, colleagues, and for myself. I took portraits of children and documented summer party events that allowed me to be involved but still observe the situations. I got to display them in the refugee shelter and give copies to the families to keep. It was a good way for me to also be of service to the nonprofit company because my German (beginning) skills were limited and thus limited some ways I could participate. However, don't let this discourage you from applying if you are up to the challenge of practicing your German skills and want to dive far from your comfort zone.

This unique experience allowed interns to develop a better understanding of the German business culture and gain experience in a German working environment. I am very grateful for the opportunity and am extremely satisfied with my experience. Through my internship I was able to perfect my German and make other personal developments. Working in a German business environment definitely strengthened my work ethic and gave me more clarity for what I wish to achieve in the future with a profession.

The FU-BEST internship was an invaluable addition to the FU-BEST study abroad program. The internship gave students the opportunity to spend 2 months interning with an organization in Berlin. For me personally, this could not have come at a better time. Having finished my undergrad studies, I had long hoped to do my masters at a German University and study in German. While the language courses that I took during the FU-BEST courses were also very helpful, the internship gave me a chance to put what I had learned into practice on a daily basis. My internship was at a German academic institute and think-tank, and most of my coworkers were German, so I was able to get a lot of practice every day. Furthermore, the internship helped me get a sense of what a German work environment was like. Because of the progress I made during the internship, I am both much more confident in my German language skills and more able to see myself not only studying, but actually working, in Germany. I would highly recommend the internship to any FU-BEST student who wishes to augment their study abroad experience or is considering additional studies in Germany.