Candidate Exposé – Tatjana Schmitt

Today I would like to share my own experiences and give you an insight into all the special moments I had when I visited Canada back in 2017.
Firstly, I have to say that Canada especially Vancouver, even 4 years later, is the best place I’ve ever been to.
My name is Tatjana, I am 23 years old from a small town close to beautiful Heidelberg in Germany. I already finished my bachelors degree this year and for now I’m very excited what to expect with my Master’s degree at the University of Tubingen.

After my graduation I primarily decided to go abroad to improve my language skills. While looking for the perfect place to stay my parents gave me the decisive hint. Since they had been to Vancouver before and highly recommended this city to me my decision was made. I chose the volunteer program because I wanted to explore Canadian nature and learn more about Canadian wildlife. The combination of 4 weeks language school and 3 more months of volunteer work was the perfect opportunity for me to reach my goals. I really enjoyed working at the Wildlife Rescue Association helping injured animals which were found e.g. on the street and brought to us. During my time there I learned before all that it can be fun working outside even if the weather is bad (yes, my time fell in October/ November – which means rainy season in Vancouver 😀 ) Anyway, I was able to acquire communication skills, learned interesting facts about Canadian wildlife and learned to handle new situations much better. It really was a successful stay.

For me, definitely the best memory was the Rocky Mountains trip right at the beginning of my stay. I was completely overwhelmed by the Canadian nature – it looks like it’s photoshoped but it’s real! I have to admit; I took like a thousand photos 🙂 Another memorable thing was spending many evenings at Sunset Beach or watching an open air movie at Canada Place. In view of my activities I have to say that I fell in love with hiking. My hiking adventure already started on day one with a hiking trip with my host family to Joffre Lakes Provincial Park. Not a bad start for a stay abroad at all 😉 I also enjoyed all the INTERNeX pubnights as well as the bike tour or inline skating in Stanley Park.

Furthermore, I want to say thank you to all the amazing people who made my stay this wonderful and also a huge thank you to INTERNeX who offered me the possibility for my current internship as an PR- Coordinator 🙂 If I had to describe my stay in 4 words I would say happiness, overwhelming, wonderful and a great chance to broaden my point of view.
Vancouver is a really interesting place where you can learn so much about Canadian culture and nature and much much more. And of course have a lot of fun with people from all over the world 🙂

Cheers,

– Tatjana

INTERNeX International Exchange
2005-689 Abbott St., Vancouver, BC, V6B 0J2
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com

Candidate Exposé – Jakob Rodehorst

“Moin Moin” that’s how you say Hello really often in the northern part of Germany .
Today i would like to introduce you to Jakob, a 26 year old student from Germany.

Originally he’s from Hamburg but currently he’s living in Berlin doing his Master’s degree in political science.
Back when Jakob was planning his stay abroad in Canada his main motivation was to improve the chances to a masters degree. Additionally, since he did his internship at Amnesty International and this company still represents a future potential employer for him, this practicum was an ideal opportunity. For sure he also wanted to get some international experience after finishing his bachelors degree, get to know new people and improve his language skills. He really enjoyed working at Amnesty International, a well known human rights organization, where he organized the volunteers and helped them in planning the events. He was able to acquire skills such as working independently on his own topics, organizing different tasks as well as communication skills while finding new partners for the company. For him an additional interesting point was to learn a lot about and from the first nations in Canada.
He definitely had many unforgettable memories but meeting amazing people from all over the world while exploring the Rocky Mountains and the many other beautiful nature spots was the most memorable thing for Jakob. He joined several INTERNeX pubnights, did a bike ride in Stanley Park, went to Richmond night market and celebrated the typical German “Oktoberfest” at UBC with us. As I can say, it was a really fun time.

For him Vancouver, Canada presents the most beautiful and unique landscape he has ever seen in his life. Next to this there is this unique North American city which has so much to offer. The perfect place to be 🙂
Has this trip inspired him to travel more? Yes of course. He actually did right after his internship was over. He rented a car with his girlfriend and travelled to the eastern part of Canada, flew to New York and Mexico. This definitely sounds more than amazing.
During his stay abroad INTERNeX was a great support for him. We could help him to get in a social circle and he appreciated having someone to talk to with small problems. INTERNeX made the perfect start in this new and at the beginning even strange environment possible for him. And that’s definitely a thing everybody wants to hear.

Thanks Jakob for sharing your special Canada memories with us 🙂

Have a great week 🙂

– Tatjana

INTERNeX International Exchange
2005-689 Abbott St., Vancouver, BC, V6B 0J2
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com

Candidate Exposé – Roslyn Campbell

Hello from Scotland 🙂 Let’s say hey to our previous candidate Roslyn from Stirling in Scotland.
She is 26 years old and currently working as an administrator for a charity.

When being in Canada for holidays in 2013 she absolutely felt in love with this beautiful country – so she decided to go back as soon as possible. Since she wanted to have some time for looking for a job and exploring the world after graduating, her practicum in Vancouver was the best opportunity for her.
She stayed around 6 months (or as she said, the best time of her life 😉 ).

During this time she volunteered at an environmental charity where she primarily worked as an eco friendly social media intern with tasks like promotion and trying to get more people involved in an eco friendly living. She really enjoyed her time being in a small team of only 5 people who were really friendly, understanding and able to teach her so many new insights which have been very useful for her current work position. The best thing about this time for the future was definitely that through this job, her work experience and the beneficial feedback she got hired in her current job 🙂 Additionally, through the companies’ great trust in her she became more independent and started to get experience working in an office environment for the first time. She also improved her social media skills which are certainly important to have in these times.

Since she had a work permit she also had the chance to earn some money as well as intercultural experiences while working in a restaurant.

I asked her what the first impression was after arriving in Vancouver. She just said it was overwhelming but since she has family there it was much easier to find her way in this new environment. However, from the first moment she was certain that she made the right decision choosing this place for her international experience. For her the definitely best memory was the weekend getaway to Salt Spring Island staying in a small chalet in the middle of nowhere with new friends from all over the world. Sounds like a really fun time.

She also enjoyed Vancouver’s nightlife including the INTERNeX pubnights as well as a trip to Seattle, Whistler and the many days spent in Stanley Park. She already recommended INTERNeX to one of her friends who already stayed in Canada with us. For her the support was really beneficial to make friends, have more fun and experience new places better than alone. To conclude this report on her experience, Roslyn described her stay as wonderful, insightful, beautiful and in a good way completely overwhelming.

Thank you Roslyn for sharing your Canada experience with us 🙂

Enjoy your day 🙂

– Tatjana

INTERNeX International Exchange
2005-689 Abbott St., Vancouver, BC, V6B 0J2
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com

Candidate Exposé – Lukas Hug

New week, new candidate – rather a new “old” candidate.

I am happy to present the story of Lukas, our previous INTERNeXer 🙂 glad he shared all his special memories with us.

Today it’s all about Lukas, a 25-year old student from Germany. During his time in Canada he did his bachelor degree in economics but now he’s already finishing his master’s degree in Finance and Accounting in Munich. Originally, he’s from the Black Forest. Additional fact 😉 – in his free time he likes to play soccer by the sea.

First things first, he enjoyed his time abroad very much. Since he wanted to work and live abroad for his entire life, the day Timothy visited his university and did a presentation about the programs INTERNeX has to offer, made Lukas’ decision. In this context a huge thank you to the INTERNeX team for making this opportunity possible for him. He did a practicum with a wealth management company which is a common company especially in Canada and the US. Primarily his tasks were to organize and taking part in networking events mostly to get new clients as well as recruiting and consulting tasks. He also did some office organization jobs which definitely sounds like an interesting and varied workday.

Furthermore, he enjoyed being in a multicultural department with 4 guys from France, England, Poland, and Russia helping people to invest and save money with e.g., retirement plans or providing support in insurance tasks. There’s not only one thing that was the best about his stay in Canada, it’s a collection of memories. He really enjoyed being surrounded by friendly open-minded people who are always polite and tolerant. Because of this it was always easy to get to know new people from all over the world. For him it was not only about improving his language skills, but also getting work experiences in an international atmosphere. Another interesting fact he pointed out is the difference in financial planning between Germany and Canada as well as the different processes being used. This practicum helped him a lot to see finance from another point of view.

From the first moment on, Vancouver was a big adventure for Lukas. It all started with waiting for 5 hours at the immigration office because they were so busy. After that, he was able start to enjoy his stay with a BBQ at Kitsilano Beach organized by his host family. It was a great chance to get to know each other.

He enjoyed many of the INTERNeX events such as almost every pubnight on Wednesday. Additionally, he participated in a soccer club which is a funny story…. On his way to a hiking trip to grouse mountain he just spotted some guys playing soccer. He watched them until one of them asked him to join. He didn’t wait to be asked twice. From this moment on he was part of the team and participated in the training and games every week. He also enjoyed all the hiking trails like Garibaldi Lake or Grouse Mountain where he enthusiastically enjoyed the amazing view. However, for him, the Rocky Mountains trip was next to his trip to Victoria to meet some friends, for sure the best experience.

In his words he gave 5 out of 5 stars to the INTERNeX Team, his experiences, and the whole stay in Canada!!
Thanks Lukas

Have a great week 🙂

Cheers,

– Tatjana

INTERNeX International Exchange
2005-689 Abbott St., Vancouver, BC, V6B 0J2
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com

Candidate Exposé – Helena Lauterbach

Wouldn’t it be great to share stories of previous INTERNeXers and see what they have experienced so far? I definitely think it is. So i want to introduce you to a good friend of mine who had the unique opportunity to get to know beautiful Canada (with me) a couple of years back. This is Helena, 22 years old from a small town close to Bochum in Germany. She’s currently studying environmental engineering which she started after her stay in Canada. She definitely decided to come to Canada for multiple reasons. On the one hand she wasn’t sure what exactly to study , so she decided to go abroad for a gap year. Yes, she stayed in Canada for a whole years which i think is absolutely amazing. She also had the aim to improve her language skills and since people in Canada speak English and French it was a great way to learn both languages. Moreover, she also wanted to meet new people from many different cultures. Additionally, she had heard a lot about really friendly people and the gorgeous landscapes in Canada which made the decision for Vancouver much easier. Who would say no to live in a country that has so much to offer?

During her stay in Canada it was kind of a “half and half”. Initially she participated in the practicum program where she did an unpaid internship for 6 months. She stayed at a staffing company based in the middle of downtown Vancouver. Maybe you can spot the big “W” when being there. That’s the building she worked in. Her tasks were to support this company with employing people and organizing promotion events.
Since she wants to work in an international company and speak English more fluently, this practicum was really useful for her career goals. She also became more independent in handle new and sometimes even challenging situations with different kinds of people.
After her practicum, she participated in the work and travel program. During the winter months she worked as an lift operator in Mount Seymour which came with the free ski pass for the whole season and for other locations such as Cypress Mountain as well. This was a really great experience and is highly recommended by her.
She told me that she made countless beautiful memories in Canada, but the Rocky Mountains trip was definitely one of her highlights. In addition, the view from Mount Seymour over the whole city Vancouver while lateshift was pretty amazing.

Of course, she also joined a few of the INTERNeX organized events. At the beginning of her stay she participated in the most because through these she got the nice chance to get to know people more easily and to establish contacts with people from around the world. She would have liked to take part in more pubnights, but as an 18 years old it wasn’t always that easy.
Side fact: In Vancouver you’re an adult from the age of 19.

But she could enjoy a few and also many other activities such as the open air cinema, a biketour in Stanley Park – yes as you can see in the picture we had a lot of fun – and beautiful hiking trips. Of these she liked the Garibaldi lake, Squamish Chief and the Joffre Lakes Provincial Park the most. She also went skiing very often (because of her job 😉 ), had BBQ’s at lakes and visited Vancouvers beaches. On the weekends she exploited the opportunity to go to Vancouver island, including Victoria and Tofino to explore the beautiful area out there. This definitely sounds like a great time and an incredible stay in Canada. After these experiences Helena told me that she’s highly motivated to travel more. She also wants to say thank you to the INTERNeX team for the help in preparing her time abroad especially with the work permit but also for the great opportunity to meet amazing people and see new wonderful places.

Hope you enjoyed our first Candidate Exposé after such a long time.

Cheers 🙂

– Tatjana

INTERNeX International Exchange
2005-689 Abbott St., Vancouver, BC, V6B 0J2
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com