You live only once, take every opportunity!

I would like to introduce you two former students of our university who participated several times in foreign internships in the field of tourism. Fanni and Anett graduated as economist specialised in tourism. They wished  to get more knowledge and some practical professional experience in their area that is why they decided to spend some months abroad and take on some challenge..
I hope you’ll enjoy this interview with them about their Scottish adventure.

Please, introduce yourselves shortly and tell us something about your studies.

We have chosen tourism partly because interaction with different people always attracted us, then we love to travel. This is the industry where creativity also plays an important role and this is what we have. Master education is getting more and more important to differentiate yourself from others on the market so there was no question to take this step and improve our skills and knowledge a little bit further.

Why did you decide to take on foreign internships?

The competition is really high on the labour market. If you want to be successful you have to do something different from others. Moreover, the new atmosphere also attracted us. It brings you a lot of advantages such us personal, professional development and of course you can improve your language skills which is also essential.

What were the available options when you applied?

To be honest, we needed to find an internship placement. At the beginning, it seemed hard to find a place, but to think back, it was not so difficult as we found plenty of options. We have chosen a 4 star hotel which had  very good standard so we could improve a lot.

Please, tell us something about the whole process? How easy was the application? How supportive was university staff? How much time was needed to prepare and submit the application documents?

They helped us a lot. They were very supportive. They even extended the deadline for us which was a great help. We have to say that the application is time consuming but not complicated at all. You have to handle a lot of documents but the Erasmus program support will compensate your hard work for sure.

Where did you spend your internship? Why did you choose this place? How long have you been abroad?

We went to Scotland two times for about 3 months. It was important for us to improve our language skills and to work in hotels that provide high quality services. Scotland was an appropriate choice. Not only our English but also our Scottish improved a lot.

How was your job and what were your main tasks?

We worked as F&B assistants which meant we could see all of the working processes of the hotel restaurants. We worked even in the Bar where we learnt how to make delicious coffee and amazing cocktails.

What  was the staff members’ attitude like toward you? What were your feelings during the whole internship?

They were friendly and they accepted us easily. It was really hard to come home after these three amazing months.

What did you miss  the most from home during your stay abroad?

To be honest, we missed  Hungarian food the most.

What was your favourite and what was your worst experience?

The best were the trips what we took while we were there. We organised some smaller journeys to Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews and Goatfell. The worst things were the exhausting  working days and maybe the local food.

How much did this internships contribute to your professional development and your language skills?

Our skills  improved constantly and we learnt quite a lot. Not only professionally, but also our personal skills became better during these months.

What did you do when you had some free  time? Have you visited any interesting places??

We mostly discovered Scotland. One of our best memories is when we went hiking in  a mountain called Goatfell. It took us about 4 hours but the view was amazing and never to be forgotten.

Overall,  do you think it is  worth participating in any foreign internships? What are the biggest advantages of it?

Yes, definitely. It broadened  our knowledge acquired during academic studies.

What would  you say to those who still hesitate to take part in such programmes?

Do it now! It can affect every phase of your life. It can also help you to do  things that you want to do. Do not forget: you live only once.

Fanni and Anett have already finished their master studies and graduated with  very good grades. Both of them have excellent workplaces now. Generally, they both agree that they were able to  get very useful and necessary  working experiences during their foreign internships.

We wish them the best: a very successful carrier path and good luck for their future, as well.