Nadya Kokareva at Higher Education Authority, Ireland

Internship abroad – I knew it from the very beginning

Since I entered the University of Applied Sciences Koblenz I have known that I will do an internship abroad. I have been working as a student assistant in the department of Foreign Affairs/Languages and have met many people both going abroad and coming to RheinAhrCampus to have a semester/internship abroad. When the time came I discussed my intention to do my internship abroad with Ms Neukirchen who is charge of “outgoings” i.e. RAC students going abroad for a semester/internship. In March 2012 Ms Neukirchen forwarded an advertisement from DAAD to me. There were several issues that made the ad so attractive to me. First of all the destination country: I have never been to Ireland but both in Russia and in Germany people have a very romantic image of this country. Secondly I wanted to find an internship position in English, as this is my first foreign language and after almost three years of German speaking experience I wanted to refresh my English knowledge. Thirdly I was interested in the field of activity - third level education. My first degree is in Education, I found it very interesting to gather some experience in this area abroad. Additionally the first selection was to be made by DAAD, which is considered to be the most respectful and influential academic exchange institution in Germany. I believed it to be very prestigious to win in the competition. Furthermore I was an ideal candidate in terms of having substantial expertise in at least two out of three mentioned fields of tasks.

During the application I received all the possible support from the team of the Department of Foreign Affairs/Languages. I received a lot of advice, support in writing my CV and a great letter of reference. At the end of March I sent my application to DAAD and several weeks later I was informed that my candidacy along with three others was selected by DAAD to be forwarded to Dublin for the further consideration.

The final decision was made in June. I got a call from Mr O’Sullivan who congratulated me on receiving my placement. This was the official start of the preparation. As I am not an EU citizen I had to apply for the visa to travel to Ireland. This was a long and tedious process. I appreciated very much the support provided by the department Sprachen/Internationales and the hosting organisation (the HEA) in terms of issuing the necessary documents proving that this internship is an integral part of my curriculum.

Statistics section – why not?

During my internship I was working in the Higher Education Authority (HEA) which is a state organization responsible for “planning and policy development body for higher education and research in Ireland.”  The internship description consisted of the tasks from three sections/departments. I was an ideal candidate for two out of three. And guess what? I ended up working in the third department – of Policy and Planning, statistics section to be precise. This was a completely new experience as I had an absolutely different background. But instead of despairing I was very excited – this internship was a great possibility to learn something new!

My two bosses who I directly reported to were of a great support. They found time to talk about my interests, priorities, tasks which I was ready to take and things I wanted to learn. I was allowed to take part in the staff development courses (Project Management and Conflict Management). Moreover when I mentioned that I was not a very confident Excel user but I would like to learn more of it, I was offered to take a course to improve my skills.

I had feedback sessions and was constantly asked whether I was satisfied with the tasks and generally with my placement. I really appreciated that while giving a task to me they provided the background information so that I could gain full understanding of what I was doing and react properly or take decisions if there was a need for that.

This placement has been a very valuable experience in all respects. I have gained professional experience in the field I have never worked in. I have become familiar with various aspects of statistical surveys and reports. I have attended and assisted in organizing numerous meetings (both internal and external), in two large events held by the HEA i.e. the Irish Presidency Conference Rankings and the Visibility of Quality Outcomes in the European Higher Education Area and Making an Impact Competition.  I was given the opportunity to attend several courses that also contributed to my professional development. I appreciated the respect and attention I was granted at the HEA. I have enjoyed my internship a lot and would recommend this organisation to RAC students.

No matter what your interests are, Dublin has it all

I am convinced that even the pickiest person will find in Ireland everything they may possible want: admission-free museums and art-galleries, lots of free events organized on a regular basis, affordable excursions to breath-taking cliffs and the seaside and of course lots of various pubs with their own history and music. Surely it is important to have the company. I was very lucky to live in a great house full of very nice people who very soon became my friends. We spent lots of time together visiting museums, travelling and attending various events.

The Irish are generally very hospitable and friendly. You will never get lost, as they will always help you out. The Irish are lots of fun: they like having fun and know how to do it. The Irish are very open and interested in other cultures. Whenever I went and started a conversation people were very interested in me, my country and our customs/traditions. They always had time and interest to ask lots of questions and share their image of the country. As for the people in the country, they seem to have the whole time of the world for you. You think that you are in the shop and it is a “customer-shop assistant” brief and to the point communication….No, it is a long and nice chat about all the possible topics. You are a guest, a person….a friend.

A piece of practical advice

I will be brief and to the point. I believe we all have similar concerns while planning a long stay abroad:

Accommodation: I followed the advice given by Ms Neukirchen and I never regretted it: I booked the hostel room for the first week and started looking for the room when I arrived in Dublin. I was very lucky as I found my room within 3 days. I paid 425 per month (no additional bills on top of that). I was told it is a good deal. Check the distance to your work place but generally Rathmines is a great district for students.

While viewing rooms, you should check:

- the windows (in old houses like mine the windows frames are old and have holes therefore it was cold)

- water pressure (again in old houses it could be so weak that you cannot have a proper shower)

- bills (in the ads you will see the pure rent, be aware that they often don’t mention the bills e.g. for electricity, gas, heating). It is advisable to ask about bills especially in winter when heating bills can be especially expensive.

Mobile phone/internet:

I believe in Ireland it is better to buy a local SIM card. I have chosen Three (the mobile provider): no contract, you top up 20 euros/month and enjoy free Internet, free texts and free calls at the weekend. As for the internet it was already in the house I moved in. The only tip is to check how many people share it: in my case there was one router for two houses therefore the connection was painfully slow.

Insurance:

I have decided to have the insurance package from DAAD. I believe it was a good decision. It didn’t cost much but include all I needed to travel and live abroad.

Bank account:

I had to open a bank account as my German bank was charging a lot for using the foreign ATMs. It is very easy and could be done within one day. I should mention that the Irish banks charge you for all the transactions: whether you pay by card or withdraw cash. Check and compare the conditions of your German and Irish bank in advance.

Summary

My internship lasted from December 14th, 2012 to March 29th, 2013. I was working in the department of Policy & Planning (Statistics section) at the Higher Education Authority in Dublin, Ireland.

This placement has been a very valuable experience in all respects. I have gained professional experience in the field I have never worked in. I have become familiar with various aspects of statistical surveys and reports. I have attended and assisted in organizing numerous meetings (both internal and external), in two large events held by the HEA i.e. the Irish Presidency Conference Rankings and the Visibility of Quality Outcomes in the European Higher Education Area and Making an Impact Competition. I was given the opportunity to attend several courses that also contributed to my professional development. I appreciated the respect and attention I was granted at the HEA. I have enjoyed my internship a lot and would recommend this organisation to other students.

I am convinced it is impossible to name all the personal benefits: the impressions are overwhelming and I will need much time to process them. I met wonderful people, attended great events, travelled a lot and enjoyed those 3.5 months in a “beautiful Rebel Country”.

If you have been thinking about a semester/internship abroad, stop hesitating, jump into it! It is your chance to achieve and experience much more. You deserve it, don’t miss this splendid opportunity!