Additional qualification abroad
My name is Kira and I am in the second year of my apprenticeship in Marketing Communication. In addition to my apprenticeship, I also take part in an additional qualification as European Assistant. I have always been interested in Europe, economics and politics. WEICON is an international company. Therefore, I often encounter these topics in my daily work. We have eight branches in total, one of them in Spain – a country which I like very much.
Why an internship abroad?
The goal of the additional qualification is to gain professional, language and cultural skills for working abroad and with business partners from many different countries. The additional qualification requires an internship in another European country. I decided to do my internship in Barcelona at the company Itelligence, S.A.
Software instead of adhesives
Itelligence, S.A. has its headquarters in Bielefeld and is also an international company operating woldwide. It offers SAP software solutions, which are tailored specifically to the customer’s requirements. I spent a month in total in Barcelona and could gain some insight into the company’s work. After a few days, I was allowed to work independently on a few minor projects. I sent invoices to customers or checked data in SAP. As a bigger project, I conducted customer research along with one of my colleagues.
Language as a major barrier?
Communication with my colleagues or outside of work was no problem at all. All work assignments could be done in English as well as in Spanish. Because of that, we spoke more English than Spanish at work. Yet, I was in Barcelona in order to learn the language, which is why I took a language course after work.
Experiences outside the work environment
One thing I can say based on my experience is that the people in Catalonia and in Spain in general are very open and friendly. Surprisingly, many Spanish people I met had already been to Germany on vacation or had even lived there for a few years.
The separatism still plays a major part in Catalonia. In the city, on house walls, on the streets as well as on the clothes of many people, you can see yellow ribbons. These refer to the political differences between Spain and Catalonia. On the streets and in front of the city hall, there were frequent smaller or larger demonstrations – all of them peaceful.
After work and on the weekends, I had enough time to do some sightseeing. The Camp Nou, the Park Güell, the mountain Tibidabo and, of course, the beach were on my list. It was a great time full of new experiences! After all, you need to relax a little before having to study for the final exams.
Our trainees can also get a taste of international air at WEICON. During their apprenticeship, they have the opportunity to visit one of our subsidiaries for an internship. If you are interested in an apprenticeship, then take a look at Instagram or our careers page.
This is a post from our guest author Kira Brauer (apprentice in Marketing Communication).
More about our trainees and apprentices you get to know here.
