“I was particularly impressed by the urban and young culture in Budapest.”
Organizational matters before departure
I had the idea of doing an internship abroad in Budapest very early on. I always knew that I wanted to explore Hungary more closely, as my roots come from this country and I was particularly attracted to Budapest. So I looked for available internships and found the CIB Bank in Budapest found. I successfully applied there with my letter of motivation and a CV. At the same time, I applied for the Erasmus+ program at the International Office of the FHDW Paderborn. The International Office helped me a lot to fill out all the documents for the Erasmus+ program and to prepare for my stay abroad, e.g. by comparing the living standards between Paderborn and Budapest. As Hungary is an EU country, I did not need a visa. In order to have health, liability and accident insurance in Hungary, I took out this insurance through the DAAD for 96 euros for three months.
I made initial contact with the company in mid-October. I had a “supervisor” from the HR department with whom I exchanged all the documents required for my stay (internship contract etc.). After the internship confirmation, I started looking for accommodation, which turned out to be very difficult. Apartments and rooms in shared apartments that are central and safe are very overpriced or are only rented for a longer period of time. By chance, I was offered an apartment by friends in the VI district at the end of December – and it’s in the city center right next to the party and shopping mile.
Working days at the bank
My first working day at CIB Bank began at 9:00 a.m. on January 2, 2018. I took the metro (3-month ticket 10,335 FT = approx. 33.50 euros for students) two stops to CIB Bank, so the journey to work was a maximum of 20 minutes. With the ticket I could use all other public transportation in Budapest. A car would not be worthwhile, as the parking fees are very high, there are few parking spaces and even short distances can take longer, especially in rush hour traffic. The metro line that I used to get to my internship came every 2 minutes on weekdays and every 4 minutes at weekends.
During my first few days at the bank, I was introduced to the “Multinational desk” department, was shown the computer program and completed smaller tasks, as January tends to be a quiet month. My work at CIB Bank focused on accounting and I prepared the annual report, the “Executive Summary”, which is produced for each client every year. I also did translations. As my parents are from Hungary, I speak Hungarian fluently and therefore had hardly any language problems.
Budapest Bike Maffia, “ruin pubs” and sightseeing
I went to the gym at least twice a week. But on Mondays and Thursdays, I supported the Budapest Bike Maffia. This is a non-governmental organization that helps those in need in Budapest. I helped out with the vitamin C squad, i.e. we prepared sandwiches and then distributed them to homeless people in the metro stations on bicycles. I quickly made friends with the Budapest Bike Maffia. In general, the young people in Budapest are very friendly and open towards others. As a lot of Germans study medicine in Budapest, it was easy to meet Germans in student bars and make friends. There were often fun evenings at the weekend in the “ruin pubs” or in one of the many clubs in Budapest.
On the weekends in February, my friends from Germany visited me and we went to see the typical sightseeing spots, e.g. the Parliament, the House of Horrors, the Ferris wheel, the synagogue, the basilica, Heroes’ Square, the castle district, the many bridges, etc.
I got to know two very nice colleagues at work, and I often did things with them in my free time. On the quieter weekends, I visited my grandma, as she only lives about 1.5 hours from Budapest.
Budapest – “Paris of the East”
I was particularly impressed by the urban and young culture in Budapest. You can still feel the old communism in places, but also that many young people are improving the country and politics. The city center is beautiful and built like Vienna. Because of the old houses, some of which were restored after the Second World War, Budapest is known as the “Paris of the East”. On sunny days, I loved sitting by the Danube and enjoying the weather and the city with its many beautiful old buildings. Personally, I really enjoyed Budapest because I experienced a lot and met great people.
Cost of living and practical tips
The cost of living in Hungary is cheaper than in Germany, although you should bear in mind that the average salary in Hungary is around 442 euros per month for a full-time job. Fruit, vegetables and milk are relatively expensive and sometimes even more expensive than in Germany. I always went shopping at SPAR because it was closest to my apartment, otherwise there are also Aldi, Lidl, Penny, Tesco, etc., which are cheaper. For a 50-sqm apartment 20 minutes from the city center, you pay around 500 euros per month plus utilities. The food in local restaurants tastes very good and is cheap.
Be very careful of pickpockets and “fake helpers” who approach you on the street. Your handbag should always be closed and it is sufficient to carry 3,000 FT, i.e. approx. 10 euros, in cash, as you can pay by credit card (almost) everywhere except at markets.
It wasn’t necessary to open a bank account in Hungary because I received my internship salary in my German account. You can exchange currency at almost every corner. A credit card is highly recommended.
