04.11.2025. More and more students are taking advantage of the opportunity to gain their first professional experience not only in Germany, but also in other European countries. Two students from our upper school completed their BSO internship in Europe during the autumn holidays – and in doing so, they not only got to know new working environments, but also new perspectives, new people and new routines outside their own comfort zone.
These personal accounts impressively demonstrate what mobility within the framework of Erasmus+ can mean for young people: independence, confidence in their own abilities – and the feeling that Europe can really be experienced. We are delighted to be able to share these individual impressions here!
"I did my internship at a primary school in France. My exchange partner had already visited me in February and also went to school with me. Now I was staying with her.
She lives an hour away from Paris, where I went to school with her father. At first, I had some difficulty communicating because I hadn't spoken French for a long time, but by the end of the week it was actually going quite well.
At school, I helped the children with their schoolwork. In French class, it was quite difficult for me to help the children because I lacked some vocabulary and the corresponding grammar. But in maths, English and the other subjects, it worked quite well.
The children were nice and understood that I don't speak French perfectly. Once, I didn't understand a girl, so she tried to explain in English. She only managed a few words, but I thought it was sweet that she tried.
What particularly surprised me was that lessons at the primary school I attended lasted until 4:30 p.m. In return, the children have every Wednesday off school.
When my exchange partner finished school, we sometimes did things together."
"I completed my two-week internship at a tourist office in Cherbourg, France. Most of the time, I helped local people from Cherbourg, but also tourists who had travelled there, and entered their country of origin into a programme.
Most of the time, they asked about possible activities in the city or monuments, but also in other regions in Cotentin. The office had lots of different free brochures in French, English and German, so my German skills were also very helpful. I handed these out on request and mainly helped English- or German-speaking tourists and provided them with information about the city.
I was also able to communicate in French for questions that weren't too specific and had the support of my colleagues when necessary. I was able to learn many new French expressions that you don't learn in class.
I helped sell local products and souvenirs at the cash register, but also restocked the shelves. When I talked to my colleagues, we also came to the conclusion that German tourists always leave the office door open when they come in. To my surprise, this cliché actually turned out to be true.
What I particularly took away from this experience is that work in a tourist office is very seasonal, but nevertheless very varied due to the different wishes of tourists/customers."
