Travel

Beginning in Berlin

berlin, germany, Travel, Uncategorized, university, year abroad

I moved into Berlin a few days ago. Now it’s the first of September and my internship starts on Monday…

I’ve moved into my flatshare and am beginning to settle into my life in Berlin. Here are some of my life updates and the discoveries I’ve made since arriving here.

My flat is as good (or maybe slightly better) than I was expecting it to be. It’s in an apartment block in Tempelhof-Schöneberg and has lovely high ceilings and huge windows, both which are a welcome contrast to the slightly dingy and dark house I lived in in Durham last year. The kitchen is small but all the appliances work (it doesn’t have a toaster though… I don’t know if Germans eat toast??) and the living area is super nice and light. The bathroom is pretty tiny and quite old but it isn’t awful. I feel like I’ve actually done quite well finding somewhere!

The other girls in the flat are really easy to get on with and also very funny. We are mostly speaking in English, although one of the girls is fluent in German so hopefully we will speak German together. It is nice to feel like I am beginning to fit into the apartment.

Due to the aforementioned lack of toaster I decided to put the bread for my bruschetta this evening in the frying pan with my salmon and proceeded to create a smoking mess in the kitchen but was saved by my flatmates and their knowledge of the extractor fan – this is exactly the kind of support I need as I move into a new place. 

I went for a wander around near where I live this morning and discovered a lovely Saturday market – it had an orange juice stand, what more do you need in life? Also spotted a few cute coffee shops for when I need some quality insta content…

I have emailed a lacrosse club in Berlin and will start training on Wednesday which is exciting and I’ve got a few other things done too! I have one more day before I start work and not much left to get done! Yet another erasmus grant form needs sorting (there are so many of these and this last one in particular seems particularly complicated) and I need to find somewhere to do language classes; I’m hoping I will find somewhere I can go one or two evenings a week for a couple of hours. Fingers crossed I will get it done tomorrow.

Beginning the Adventure…

berlin, germany, university, year abroad

Tomorrow I leave to move into my flatshare in Berlin. It’s exciting but I’m also pretty nervous as it’s going to be a huge change for me!

 

I have a year abroad as part of my degree in German and History and I am spending four months, from September to December, working as an intern for an online journalism company in Berlin. Tomorrow I am going to move into my flatshare and meet my new housemates for the first time. Getting to this point has been fairly challenging, so I thought I would outline how I got here!

 

Finding a Work Placement

I knew from fairly early on that I wanted to do a work placement on my year abroad. I don’t have a huge amount of work experience, so I thought it would be the best thing for me to both improve my language skills and my CV.

I started applying for work placements and internships in December once term ended and applied for about 15 jobs in total I think. I found placements through my university system and also exhausted google with my constant searching. I couldn’t find huge amounts of placements so instead focused on making sure each application I sent was well written and tailored to the company. Some companies I never heard back from and a couple of translation companies sent me tests which I didn’t pass. In the end I did 4 interviews, about 6 tests and received 2 job offers for my year by the end of February. One in Berlin and also one at a translation company in Mönchengladbach.

In order to gain a work placement I would recommend:

  • Spending time working on you German CV (very different format to the UK) and get it checked by a native German.
  • Use every resource you have to find companies who might be able to offer you a placement. Try and contact older students at your university for advice!
  • Make sure to send a cover letter with your application and use the format and register which is expected in Germany.
  • Put time aside for translation company tests (they can be quite long!) They are good practice for your degree as well as important for your application.
  • Don’t be too nervous for your interview. Interviewing in a foreign language is scary but all of my interviewers were very understanding and didn’t speak too quickly!

Use this link for help with a German CV and cover letter

 

Finding Accommodation

Finding somewhere to live in Berlin became quite stressful for me. I confirmed my Berlin placement at the end of January and wanted to get my accommodation sorted as I had been warned of the competitive nature of the Berlin rental market. By the time exams finished in June I was an avid user of WG-gesucht; I still think this is the best way to find a flatshare in Berlin. I was busy for June and July and unable to go and look around a flat and this didn’t work in my favour. I did a few skype interviews and I finally managed to find a flat with girls around my age in the Schöneberg area of Berlin (where I move in tomorrow!)

I think the best thing to do probably is to stay in a hostel for a few days and look around places, but that kind of uncertainty felt a bit much for me and I am glad to know that I’m going to Berlin with somewhere to stay.

I’m going to see what my flat is like when I get there and then do another post about accommodation – it’s a massive part of living in a new city and although I’m not even moved in yet I feel like I have learnt a lot already.

 

Right now I have my Berlin guidebooks packed in my backpack, one massive suitcase and a sleepless night ahead of me (due to excitement rather than nerves I think after writing this)! Since I first visited Berlin about 6 years ago I have not stopped talking about how it captured my imagination. I can’t wait to discover more of the city, not just as a tourist, but as a local too.