“Leaving the comfort zone and hands-on experience”
As my partner company only has one site in Germany and only produces there, I was advised to complete my internship abroad at another company in order to gain new experience in other sectors. My choice ultimately fell on the company Broadways Stampings in Milton Keynes, Great Britain.
Before my departure
The International Office of the FHDW was a great support in organizing my departure and pointed out the possibility of an Erasmus+ scholarship several times. Fortunately, my application was ultimately successful. In addition to appropriate international health insurance, it is also advisable to take out accident and liability insurance for the planned period. We recommend the group insurance of the DAAD. The process is simple and straightforward and for €32 per month you are definitely adequately insured.
It also makes sense to open a British bank account in advance to avoid additional fees for currency exchange or cash withdrawals from ATMs. I opted for a current account from the mobile provider Monese mobile provider. Monese provides you with a fully functional UK account number including sort code and a contactless MasterCard debit card. Unlike most providers, no local proof of address is required. Especially for students, the services are free for the first 12 months and can be canceled at any time.
When looking for a suitable apartment, it was initially not so easy to find something suitable and stay within budget. Most apartments are rented out for a period of at least 6 months. In the end, I found what I was looking for on Airbnb and booked a room with a kitchen and shared bathroom. A big advantage of this accommodation was the proximity to my workplace. It was only a few minutes away by bike, which meant I didn’t have to spend any extra money on local transport.
Run through everything at Broadways Stampings
Broadways Stampings is a medium-sized company in the heart of England and specializes in the production of pressed parts, sheet metal work, welded assemblies and powder coatings for the automotive industry. Since the acquisition of Dyson Die Casting in June 2016, the group’s services also include aluminum and zinc die casting. In addition to the car manufacturers Aston Martin and McLaren, the customer base also includes automotive suppliers such as Benteler, Gestamp and Brose.right at the start of my internship, I received a very friendly welcome and was directly involved in day-to-day operations. During my time at Broadways, I worked in almost every department of the company. From sales, design, development, planning and purchasing to the various areas of production, such as the press shop and foundry, I got to know the company very well and gained a good overview. In keeping with the motto “hands-on”, we swapped our shirts for overalls and actively participated in production in order to better understand both the processes and the products.
As part of my work in purchasing and sales, I had the opportunity to attend various meetings and meet different suppliers and customers. This gave me the opportunity to experience, understand and appreciate the differences between German and British business culture. Basically, I can say that we are very, very similar in many ways and the differences are not as big as I expected them to be.
Leisure activities at the weekend
As I often heard during my stay, Milton Keynes is located in “the middle of England and in the middle of nowhere”, which is probably due to the fact that the city is not the best-known address in Europe and the world. Nevertheless, Milton Keynes has a lot to offer. In addition to a large number of parks and lakes, which are perfect for sporting activities, the city has a wide range of leisure facilities. The shopping mall called Centre:MK was considered the largest new modern shopping center in the UK for several years and offers countless opportunities for shopping, eating and drinking. Milton Keynes is also known as the headquarters of some major companies, such as the Formula 1 team Red Bull Racing and the world’s leading manufacturer of music amplifiers, Marshall.
A big plus point for Milton Keynes is its excellent connections to other major cities in the area. Geographically, the city is located fairly centrally between London, Birmingham, Oxford and Cambridge. London can be reached by train within 35 minutes. Here it is worth taking a look at Trainlineto search for tickets in advance, as prices vary almost daily.
Living expenses
Generally speaking, the cost of living in the UK is slightly higher than in Germany. A rough monthly cost calculation based on my experience is as follows:
Accommodation: £750 warm
Meals: £300
Travel expenses: £100
Leisure activities: £100 – £250
Conclusion
Looking back, it was the right move to go to the UK, because I took the opportunity to improve my English language skills on the one hand, but also to gain further professional experience on the other. I can only recommend every student to leave their comfort zone and take the step to go abroad. Not only did I learn a lot for my future career, but I also developed personally.
