My name is Elizabeth, and I am currently making the last preparations before leaving for my project-oriented course at One Family Foundation in Holland. The organisation is working to accelerate the process of reaching the UN SDGs through Collaborative Systems Change.

Below, I have collected a list of things I have done to prepare myself before my internship begins, and I hope it will inspire you to do the same.

 

A contract helps you get on the same page

It has been important to me to make sure that I was aware of the expectations that both the university and the company is expecting of me. I have made sure to find out if there were specific requirements from my supervisor in terms of tasks I have to perform or if the company wanted me to prepare anything before my first day at the office. I have made use of an internship agreement (Erasmus Learning Agreement) as a way of both agreeing on the terms of the internship but it has furthermore served as a tool to match expectations between AAU and my internship in advance.

Remember your exams

In my programme (Development and International Relations) the students are responsible for contacting their supervisor themselves in order to get supervision for their semester projects that we have to do simultaneously with our internship. Requirements vary a lot from programme to programme, so make sure to check your curriculum.

Furthermore, I have begun looking for different material and suitable sources for my semester project. This way, I will have more time to focus on the tasks at the company when I start and won’t have to worry as much about material for the project at the same time. Of course, it is not always possible to pinpoint the exact topic so early in the process and at a time where you might not know about all your different tasks yet. However, with the help of your internship contract you probably already have a pretty good idea of the general area that you’ll be working within.

 

Pro-tip - working in Denmark

If you have found an internship here in Denmark, I would strongly advise you to spend some time learning a bit of Danish, even if your working language will be in English – Danes tend to have all their ‘water cooler conversations’ in Danish, and you will get to know your colleagues and the unwritten rules of the work place a lot faster just by showing an interest in understanding the Danish language. Find more information on the Danish work culture with Workindenmark or International House North Denmark.

If you are going abroad like I am, it is always a good idea to do a little research on the customs and traditions of the country you’ll be living in. This way you will get an easier start and might be able to avoid too big of a culture shock (NB even if you have travelled in the country before, the working culture might not be what you expect from it.) See the International Office’s guide on culture shock for more information.

 

What I look forward to

I also look forward to strengthening my network – I definitely need to update my LinkedIn before I leave for my internship, so that it is spick and span and ready for new connections. A project-oriented course provides a great opportunity to find both project collaborations and, if you are lucky, a job after graduation.

 

Make use of your new network