Martina Steffke at MAN in Norway
How did I find the place for the internship?
I worked for 6 months in the big truckage company MAN in Norway. The economy-division I worked for was perfect to repeat nearly the whole knowledge I learned in my stage studies. I get more than a lot of practical insights.
I got this traineeship in Norway because of a big sponaneity. For the normal Internship in the 6th Semester I wrote an onlineapplication in www.prabo.de (my advise for you too! Perhaps your chance!) and was waiting for an worldwide offer I would like to expect. Someday (it was during my last testresults from the stage studies) I got this great offer from MAN. The hook on this offer was: They wanted me at once! Anyhow: The offer was so great that I wrote my application and my CV during the next 3 days (Thanks Barbara for the great cooperation with you!) and sended it at once to MAN Norway. ….. à 3 days later I get 2 phone calls from MAN, Norway. The second phone call was the positive acceptance from MAN and 2 weeks later my flight goes in direction to Norway (Oslo).
Finding a room
Finding a room in Oslo was the first challenge I had to pass. I get 3 websides from my boss in MAN Last og Buss AS, there I had to search for appartmentoffers at once. During searching these days I slept in the company. That was funny! A whole company-the whole night long-for me alone! J After more than 4 sightseeings in appartments in Oslo I chose a nice big flat with a Norwegian roommate named Jenny, the flat was only 20 minutes far away from Oslo-City and equal I loved it.
Social Enviroment / Residence Permit / Tax card
Shortly after finding the flat I was introduced by the whole personell in MAN Last og Buss AS and the date of work started. All employees were very friendly (private and job-related). It was nice to meet new people. Especially my roommate Jenny, who is in the same age as me and studying too, helped me to integrate myself very fast into Norway (shopping on the weekend, cinema,…).
Furthermore it was needed to apply myself for a residence permit (because the stopover was over 3 months), which you have to do in a written form after requesting it by the police department. It takes 4 months till holding it in my hands.
Also you have to apply for a taxcard (“likningskontor Norway”) in a written form to pay your taxes as every employee in Norway. You have the chance to get your taxes back after your taxcomputation you should do.
Assurance
The social system in Norway is very well. When you are working in Norway you are automatically in assurance. But you need an assurance when you are in Germany (in example because it is christmas and you “decides to be ill”), therefore you have to apply for by the “trygdekontor Norway” to get the formular E111 (a phone call is enough). It takes only a few weeks to get it and perhaps it will save your live.
Language skills
All Norwegian people grow up with the Norwegian AND Englisch language. The most TV,Cinema-films are spoken in Englisch with Norwegian subtitle, so it would be a miracle when you found somebody who can’t speak English very well. As you can see the spoken language in the company for me was also English. But I did a Norwegian course for beginners in the evening, which was very nice and funny (there were more people from whole over the world!).
Result
It was very great to do this internship in Norway, especially in MAN! First of all I learned a lot of economical skills in a practical office-work (Personalstatistics; Working with JDEdwards which is the precursor from SAP; Talking to banks because of Leasing contracts;……..); secondly it was very nice to do a break after my positive ending of basic studies and thirdly it was a great opportunity to acquaint Norway as a wonderful landscape and a lot of possibilities to get to know this nice culture.
So my last sentence: S E I Z E T H E C H A N C E I F Y O U G E T I T !
(and if the University will not accept your internship as 6th semester internship no matter what: Do it anyway for yourself!) J
