I truly mean that. You are challenged every step of the way, from the application phase to the last few days in Germany before you move out. You are doing things, both professionally and personally, which you would never have an opportunity to do, had you stayed in your comfort zone and not applied for the Internship Programme of German Business
Before I left for Germany, I had already developed skills I would not be even aware of without applying for this Programme. Through wrangling with administration, apartment hunting and waiting for that reply from the company you are matched with, your patience, organisation and negotiation skills are tested on a level you did not even expect to reach once in your life-time. And that is just the beginning of the story.
Once you leave for Germany, a whole world of opportunity and diversity opens. I was lucky to have lived in Germany when I was young. My German skills were decent enough to work in German, which ended up being the case as my entire team of 17 people at DEG (German Development Bank) were Germans. When working with external clients, we always spoke English, but internally all meetings and documents/reports were written and discussed in German. It was a sharp learning curve to adapt to such an interplay of languages in everyday work, but once I got used to it, I felt very proud of myself. I believe that I am now well equipped to work in any international setting anywhere in the world. Not only because of the languages – even more importantly due to my golden opportunity to meet so many people coming from all over the world. I used to spend a lot of time after work or during lunch with other interns and trainees at the company, who all come from different parts of the world, and have vastly different backgrounds and interests. I am sure that I would not have the opportunity to work and live in such an international surrounding in my home country at such a young age. When it comes to the working aspect of my internship, I had the opportunity to be involved in meaningful projects, discussions and analyses, and to really see the impact of our academic knowledge in reality. The DEG team accepted me from the very beginning, letting me choose projects in which I wanted to be involved, and never left me out of the loop. My insights were appreciated and when I had something to say (which I thought was smart and meaningful) the team was open to hear them, which is incredibly encouraging for young professionals like we are.
One of the best parts of the entire Internship Programme of German Business is the fact that you get to go to Germany with 60 other scholarship holders from all the neighbouring countries. This is really a once in a lifetime experience, to get to travel, spend time and have a lot of fun in a foreign country with people who you have befriended in such a short time, and who will continue to be a part of your life after you have returned from your internship. As my generation has only recently returned, we are still slowly integrating ourselves into the regional alumni network and everything it has to offer. However, that only means that the best is yet to come, as alumni tend to say that the real fun begins once you become a part of the network after your internship.
To shortly conclude this post, the Zoran Djindjic Internship Programme of German Business for the Countries of the Western Balkans really is the best thing that could happen to young, open-minded and ambitious students/graduates. It offers everything we seek, be it personal development, guidance, fun times, travels, independence, challenges and making a real impact. Hopefully this post will encourage you too, to apply for the programme. See you in the alumni club!
Luka Tumbas, generation 2023