My application did include a lot of documents that I had to fill out and submit, but the FHDW made it very easy for me. As we have a cooperation with an internship agency in London at the university, I was able to make use of this without any problems. They helped me to get an internship, find accommodation and even offered me further help with booking a flight or taking out insurance. I booked the flight on my own without any worries, as this really isn’t difficult, and thanks to the information day organized by the International Office at the FHDW, I knew that the DAAD offered insurance for everything I needed for just 32 euros, which I could easily take out online. The only thing I had to prove was the scholarship from the Erasmus+ program and the usual documents for taking out insurance.

The entire process from sending in an application for the Erasmus+ scholarship to confirmation of accommodation and the internship position took no more than four weeks. So if you get your documents together quickly and send them off, there is constant e-mail contact. Both the International Office and the cooperating placement agency are on hand to answer any questions you may have.

The contact with my host organization and the company where I was to work went smoothly. It was left up to me whether I wanted to make contact indirectly or directly. The subsequent interviews with the company were always conducted over the phone, although many now also offer video calls via Skype. But even that shouldn’t be a problem.

The exchange with my host mother went largely through the agency until I landed in London. We then wrote spontaneously via WhatsApp so that I knew which bus and train connections I could take to get to her. But that wasn’t a problem at all and I think you should generally be a bit spontaneous if you want to go abroad. The whole thing is somehow exciting and something always doesn’t go according to plan. You shouldn’t bury your head in the sand, but try to learn how to deal with the situation.

The journey was super relaxed by plane and then by subway and bus to my accommodation. I arrived about an hour later than expected, but I guess that’s okay when you consider that another country has different rules and you have to find your way around first.

When I arrived, my host mother gave me a very warm welcome. She was already hosting other guests, some from Italy or South Africa, but also from Germany. It was therefore easy to make the connection, as I was able to talk to compatriots who had already lived in London for some time and so I was able to benefit from tips and tricks.

At around 900 euros a month, it was neither the cheapest nor the most expensive accommodation. However, I really liked it as there were three floors, just like at home. I lived alone on the first floor next to the bathroom, living room and kitchen, on the second floor lived both the host mother and a few guests with two more bathrooms and on the top floor there were two more rooms for guests and a bathroom. So the house wasn’t small and of course you had to abide by a few rules, such as keeping the noise down after 10pm.

The kitchen was accessible to everyone. It was only asked that you wash up and put away your stuff, so nothing unusual.

I arrived on a Saturday to have a bit of time to get used to everything. When I had my first working day at my internship on Monday, I was welcomed just as warmly as I was by my host mother and my “flat share”.

There were a few conversations at the beginning about how everything at RedQuadrant – as is always the case – and then I got into the daily work routine relatively quickly. I got used to my colleagues incredibly quickly, which I wouldn’t have expected at first. With a Pole, a Colombian, an American, two or three English people and me as a German, we were quite diverse in the team. But that didn’t make communication any more difficult, on the contrary, it showed how nice it is to get to know different cultures.

Even in the first week I got used to the British sense of humor, which is usually very relaxed. There’s no need to be afraid of saying the wrong thing here. The British are a very relaxed people.

Once I had settled in and completed my tasks as “Business and Project Administration”, I learned to appreciate attending a team meeting every Friday. At the team meeting, we talked about what went well or badly during the week, ate together and had a bit of small talk before getting back to work with full energy.

My supervisor made it possible for me to take part in a number of workshops. These often took place in other parts of the city, which meant I was able to explore the city a bit more and see one or two sights. It was important to the company that I completed my tasks, but they also understood that the stay was something special for me and would shape me in the future. That’s why they tried to make things possible for me so that it would be a great experience and I would have positive memories of my stay. This made it very easy to spontaneously take a day off when a friend came to visit me.

All figures are monthly, except for flights. I received around 500 euros a month from Erasmus+.

• Rent: ~ 900 Euro
• Cost of living: ~ 200 – 300 euros (excluding attractions such as sightseeing, cinema, etc.)
• Insurance: 32 Euro (DAAD -> includes everything)
• Public transportation: was sponsored by the company through a travel card
• Flights: ~ approx. 150 euros each with 2 pieces of luggage (21 kg each)