In most cases we appreciate surprises, especially big, fantastic, unexpected ones, right? The same is true for your upcoming Erasmus+ or Turing Scheme internship outside of your country. Your mobility will allow you to meet fabulous new people, to participate in unique activities, to acquire professional skills and to complete work assignments on your own for the first time. However, to prevent any negatives and to get prepared for your one-and-only-experience at your Erasmus+ or Turing Scheme destination, we have created this piece to inform you about a couple of do’s and don’ts to remember. Are you ready?
As mentioned in many blogs before … we hope you read them :D … if not, don’t lose time and check our Educator’s Blog on our website, which consists of lots of useful information about the two mobilities available, Erasmus+ and Turing Scheme. Let’s start from scratch. We suggest benefitting from your work placement as much as possible. The opportunity will provide so many chances to gain professional skills and will even help you be more confident.
We always tell our customers to meet locals from their Erasmus+ or Turing Scheme destination. Take the opportunity to improve your language skills and to learn more about the country’s culture as well as the lifestyle. Try the country’s cuisine, wear traditional clothes, and enjoy meetups with your new friends. Your Erasmus+ or Turing experience shouldn’t be only limited to your work placement and language skills. On the contrary, make the first move to explore a new country with its locals, educate yourself on topics you might not learn anywhere else but at your new location. You will thank us later!
The most important reason why you chose to travel abroad and explore a new home as an Erasmus+ or Turing Scheme intern is to acquire new professional skills, right? So, take the advantage, which not everyone has, and try to learn as much as possible. This means to take your work placement seriously, ask questions, be curious, try to complete more difficult assignments, ask for more tasks, show interest and motivation. Letting your managers and colleagues see how much you want to learn from them is a positive sign. Don’t forget to check our blog about different Work Cultures, which will help you to get to know a bit about various work cultures around the world.
Your main mission is your Erasmus+ or Turing Scheme internship, we know, but don’t forget to take a break from your work life and enjoy a short break, whether it’s at the weekend or for a couple of hours after your informative work placement. You don’t have to plan a road trip or spend a day at the beach (although that’s a great idea), a short city walk is also enough. If you need a bit of assistance in reference to activities, check this blog that will give you some inspiration.
There are also a couple of things you might avoid during your Erasmus+ or Turing internship. As an experienced travel agency, let’s tell you some of the don’ts.
You may experience a Culture Shock when it’s your first time leaving your home country and starting a new chapter in a different place, where you encounter lots of cultural differences. It’s pretty normal to have that feeling in the beginning but it will get easier later on. Despite that, we highly recommend meeting locals and avoiding spending too much time with people from your country as it has a couple of drawbacks. If you want to learn a new language, it will slow down your learning process. Moreover, why did you make the decision to do an Erasmus+ or Turing Scheme internship abroad, if you only see your fellow countrymen regularly? There is nothing wrong with doing that, but try to step out of your comfort zone, which will have a massive positive impact on your skills and personality.
We all know that we need people around us, not all the time, but every now and then. So, don’t make it difficult for yourself and try to meet new people wherever possible. This will decrease the feeling of being alone and will give you a feeling of security. Ask your colleagues at your Erasmus+ or Turing Scheme internship if they want to join you after work or make plans with your roommates to enjoy the weekend together. We understand that “meeting new people” is not easy for some but see it as a possibility to learn how to be more self-confident. So, ask people if they want to join you during your leisure time. The only response you will receive is either a Yes or No. Either you will have a new friend or not. There’s nothing else that can happen!
In most cases, interns have a better language level in English than in any other foreign language and this makes it easier to talk in that language, but please don’t use it as an excuse for not trying to improve your other linguistic skills. English is the most important language, but we cannot deny that people who can speak more than one foreign language have more opportunities in working life. For this reason, speak Spanish, Italian, French, Russian, whatever you want to improve at your new Erasmus+ or Turing Scheme destination and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Making mistakes in a foreign language means always that you’re a native speaker in another language. Don’t forget that! Here’s even more motivation! In most cases you will not see the person you spoke to again. So, talk, talk and talk and don’t feel ever ashamed to make mistakes.
If you want to add something to the above-mentioned lists, don’t hesitate to write down your advice in the comments below. For more information about any internship or language stay abroad, visit our website, or contact us. Our experts are always delighted to assist you with all your questions.
We’ve also written these two informative blogs for your convenience: