Eat. Young people from schools in Essen have gained their first job experiences abroad: in Bali, Albania and other unusual countries.
35 students recently completed internships abroad organized by the Krupp Foundation. Now the graduates met in Villa Hügel to exchange experiences: For example, Jan Peters (17) from Maria-Wächtler-Gymnasium worked for four weeks in a zoo in Albania. “The country is going through a period of change, and it was exciting to see how Albania is becoming more and more like the West.”
Enjoyed reading in Essen
Albania was for the first time on the list of countries to which the internships lead. Every year the Krupp Foundation sends suitable applicants abroad for several weeks. It is important to the foundation that all types of schools are taken into account. For example, Denis-Iulian Burlacu (15) goes to the Albert Einstein secondary school in Rellinghausen. Denis-Iulian worked on a construction site in Toulouse, France. “It wasn’t too strenuous, but not too easy either.” He applied for an internship “because I’m very open to all experiences. I think the whole world is very beautiful if you have the right perspective.”
Former participants were inspired by the internships in their career choices
Denis-Iulian has had consistently positive experiences in construction in France, but he still wants to hold on to his dream job of becoming a game developer. “It’s like telling stories.” He also enjoys designing clothing in his free time.
The Krupp Foundation has been organizing internships for Essen students for 27 years. “Young people notice that they are cared for. They experience on site that their labor is needed,” says jury member Bodo Kalveram. He met two former scholarship holders whose career choice was significantly influenced by their internship abroad. And the current year group was also very impressed by their experiences abroad: “When the young people came back, they were much more self-confident. The eyes light up.”
Culture shock in Indonesian traffic
The scholarship also includes etiquette and English courses, which are available beforehand. The jobs in the internships range from manual work to insights into the EU Parliament or provide initial experience in the hotel and hospitality industry. The countries Albania and Indonesia were represented for the first time this year.
Ronja Hennecke (17) and Stella Herzog (16) spent four weeks in a hotel in Bali. “I gained a lot from the culture, and I was particularly impressed by the friendliness of the people,” says Stella. Ronja, on the other hand, was shocked by the traffic: “It was almost a near-death experience,” she says with a wink, given the traffic situation that was more than confusing by German standards. One of her most beautiful experiences was hiking the volcano at sunrise: “We started at 1:30 a.m.”
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