A home away from home, internship abroad
Im vierten Teil unserer Reihe stellen wir euch einen weiteren Studenten aus unserer amerikanischen Tochtergesellschaft vor:
Jaime is another intern from Phoenix Contact USA that has spent her summer in Blomberg. Jaime Kellinger, 20, is from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and studies Business Management, Marketing, and Strategic Communications at Elon University in North Carolina.
From the initial contact
As I was searching for internships, I knew very little about Phoenix Contact, but immediately after my first interview, I was overly impressed. Their responsiveness and positive company culture immediately stood out to me and has continued to shine from my first contact with them in Harrisburg until now a year later in Germany.
During the summer of 2017 at the US headquarters, I worked with the Public Relations team on a handful of writing and design projects. All of my assignments were meaningful and the welcoming, friendly atmosphere allowed me to grow and enhance my skills and career. I remember the exact moment during an intern team building event that they discussed the possibility of this international internship, and my eyes lit up. It seemed like a dream, and it is still hard to believe that it has become a reality! This summer I worked with the HR Marketing and Recruiting team at the corporate office in Blomberg. I have been given many opportunities to work on a variety of tasks, including ones like this, contributing to the career blog!
Feels like home
Phoenix Contact made it very easy to feel at home, even thousands of miles away. They provided a great guest house and all of my co-workers have been so friendly and welcoming. They have invited me to BBQs, taken to me local monuments, and introduced me to their families. The culture at Phoenix Contact is like no other and I am so happy to see that it translates across all of their subsidiaries worldwide.
The best part about working in Germany is the 35-hour work week…it is truly amazing! The company emphasizes their flexible working hours and even as an intern, I have been able to take days off to travel and take advantage of my short time in Europe. During my two months here, I was able to visit Cologne, Hamburg, Dresden, Munich, Düsseldorf, Kassel, Brussels, Amsterdam, Prague, Budapest, and Zürich. It was great being in such a central location! The public transportation is easily the best I have ever seen. It is sometimes difficult not having a car or Uber, but we have definitely adapted to the walking and biking lifestyle.
In the beginning, it was quite a big adjustment. It was challenging overcoming the language barrier and getting accustomed to things like grocery stores, restaurants, foods, and gyms. However, it has been an experience of a lifetime and I could not imagine spending my summer developing my career and exploring the sights and sounds of new cultures in any other way with any other company!
Get to Know Jaime
- Favorite TV Show: Grey’s Anatomy
- Favorite food: Peanut Butter
- Dream Vacation: Iceland
- Favorite dessert: Apple strudel or carrot cake
- Favorite sports team: Pittsburgh Steelers (American Football)
Employer Branding gestalten und umsetzen, das ist eine meiner Aufgaben im Bereich People & Culture. Hier gehört natürlich auch unser Blog dazu. Wenn ich nicht im Büro oder auf Messen bin, gehe ich auf Konzerte und auf Reisen oder koche mit meiner Familie – am liebsten Sushi. Besucht mich auf LinkedIn.
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