International Business students at the FHDW are obliged to spend a certain amount of time working abroad during their studies. It is not relevant whether this is within Europe or not. Fortunately, even before I started my studies SSI SCHÄFER as a permanent partner company throughout my studies. Due to the focus of my studies and my interest in working in an international company, SSI SCHAEFER is the perfect company for me.

Intralogistics is also a very interesting industry for me, especially because of its dynamic nature. As I am not the first student at my company of this kind, the procedure was already familiar within the company. Therefore, the only question was where I would like to work abroad, as SSI SCHAEFER is active in over 70 countries worldwide. However, it was clear to me early on that I wanted to go to Scandinavia because I was fascinated by the way people live and work there. As the main office and therefore also the administration of SSI SCHAEFER for the Scandinavian countries is located in Hadsund, it was then jointly decided that I would go to Denmark.

The subsequent organization took place internally within the company. Accordingly, the support of the International Office was not necessary for me personally at this point, but it was enormous and absolutely helpful when applying for the Erasmus+ program. The processes and the complex organization were made as easy as possible for me. No questions remained unanswered, which greatly accelerated the application process, which was fortunately successful. I would like to take this opportunity to explicitly thank Ms. Cornelia Hörster-Friedrich and Ms. Jessica Schwabe, who do an excellent job. They also pointed me towards the DAAD insurance, which covers all necessary insurances for the stay abroad, which I was finally able to take out online. As Denmark is a member of the European Union, I didn’t need a visa and the organization was completed early on. This meant I could prepare for my departure in peace.

I drove all the way to Hadsund in the north of Denmark (approx. 750 km from Cologne) by car. As I was able to rent a colleague’s house there, as he currently lives and works in Latvia, the rent was absolutely fair and comparable to German conditions. However, as I first looked for offers via Airbnb, I can say that the rental prices tend to be slightly higher than in Germany. So the solution was ideal for me, also because I had hardly any organizational effort.

The first few days in Denmark were free for me, as I arrived at Easter (public holidays like in Germany). This gave me two days to get used to my surroundings. When it all started, I first had to do the usual things as “the new guy” in the company: Breakfast with colleagues from my new department with an integrated round of introductions as well as introductions to the rest of my colleagues in the company (with a good 100 employees in Denmark, this can be very stressful). Then a detailed discussion with my boss for the three months about expectations, tasks and general things.

I was then directly integrated into the team. And I have to say that I felt like I belonged right from the start. The team gave me a great welcome and we managed the whole time without any crises, but with lots of fun. The language wasn’t a problem either, because most Danes speak extremely good English. (My Danish was limited to exactly one word: “hej” – which means “hello”).

I worked in the finance department (much more exciting than you might think at first). My daily tasks consisted of posting invoices, preparing payment orders, finalizing posted payments… In addition, there were also many individual projects (related to the world of finance at SSI SCHAEFER) that I was allowed to carry out on my own responsibility. These were not only very varied, but also extremely exciting, as after three semesters of FHDW I knew some processes in theory from Germany, but now I got to know these processes in other countries and saw the corresponding differences.

In addition to work, I was determined to gain as many experiences as possible. Hadsund itself, with its population of around 5,000, is well worth seeing, but it doesn’t offer a three-month framework program. The municipality is located fairly centrally (60 km each) between the cities of Aalborg and Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark. Since many students live in both cities, life there is also much more active.

What’s more, you’re never far from the sea in Denmark. It only took me 20 minutes to get to the east coast – so I was there a lot (luckily the weather was very good). I only drove 1.5 hours to the west coast, which is a bit more beautiful in terms of the landscape (“only” here refers to the 4 hours I need from Germany).

My leisure activities were very varied. Visiting cities, kayaking on the fjord, attending Superliga soccer matches, celebrating various parties with colleagues, boating, etc. My visits to the gym (you can get special contracts if you ask nicely and explain the situation) and soccer were a bit more constant. A colleague put me in touch with a local club, for whom I was then allowed to play matches.

In general, a car is advisable in Denmark, especially in the countryside, as there is hardly any public transportation. But things are completely different in the cities. Very good local transport, which is free of charge.

Just like the universities. In Denmark, you don’t pay tuition fees for either a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree. However, taxes are correspondingly higher. This also makes everyday life in Denmark more expensive. But it’s not as extreme as it’s sometimes perceived in Germany if you don’t always buy the best products straight away. It remains more expensive, but if you’re smart about it, it stays within limits. If you live alone, like me, you can get by for a week on 700 to 900 Danish kroner (approx. 100 to 120 euros).

I didn’t open a bank account abroad as I could use my bank card in the same way as in Germany. Generally speaking, you don’t need cash in Denmark. You can pay for everything everywhere (without a minimum amount) by card without any problems (applies to MasterCard). If you have a Maestro card, you are slightly more restricted when it comes to making payments. However, if you are unable to pay by card, you can still pay in cash.