“Everyone gave me a warm welcome straight away.”
Via the Internet to the Bay Language Institute
From 24.04.2017 to 04.06.2017 I did an internship abroad at the Bay Language Institute in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. This was my second internship there, as I had already spent three months there the previous year and really liked the country, the culture and the company. The Bay Language Institute (bli) is a small, family-run language school that regularly employs German interns in marketing and event planning. I became aware of the internship through a website that offered various internships abroad for students. I sent off an English application straight away and received an acceptance letter from the director of bli a short time later. An interview was not necessary, everything was very straightforward via e-mail. After receiving my acceptance letter, I applied for the PROMOS scholarship to receive financial support for the trip.
As both internships in South Africa lasted less than 90 days and, in addition to the work, discovering the country was the top priority, I was able to enter the country as a “normal tourist” without a visa and therefore didn’t need to fill out any documents etc. beforehand. A valid passport was enough. As accommodation and transportation from the airport were organized by the company, I only had to book the flights myself.
South Africa easy to reach
Although South Africa is a long-haul destination for most countries, the country is relatively easy to reach with direct international flights from many countries. Most major airlines offer flights to Johannesburg, Durban or Cape Town with direct connections to Port Elizabeth. A flight to Port Elizabeth is offered by all major domestic airlines, including South African Airlines and British Airways, as well as local low-cost carriers. With an additional stopover (e.g. in London), flights are available from as little as €500, but as with all flights, it always depends on the time period in which you want to fly. Basically, flights with a stopover are not very expensive for the long distance.
Vaccinations are a must
As there are relatively many diseases in Africa against which we are usually not vaccinated, you should get vaccinated before departure (e.g. against malaria, hepatitis etc.). However, it still depends on which region of South Africa you are going to and how the cities are and therefore the hospital connections are. Depending on your health insurance, the vaccinations may be covered or you may have to pay for them yourself.
It is also important to take out international health insurance for the duration of your stay (if not generally available up to a certain length of stay) in order to be covered in the event of medical incidents. The costs must initially be borne locally, but can later be reclaimed from the international insurance company.
Once these things were ticked off, the suitcases could be packed and the journey could begin!
I felt right at home
When I arrived at the airport in Port Elizabeth, I was warmly welcomed by my boss and her children and taken to my new accommodation. As Port Elizabeth is home to a university, there are a lot of students and student accommodation there. I was therefore able to stay in a student residence that was only a 5-minute walk from the office, 1 minute from the nearest supermarket and 1 minute walk from the beach. So everything was within walking distance.
The “Campus Key” accommodation was paid for by bli instead of a salary and was equipped with everything I needed beforehand. It is a recently opened building, so everything was very modern and new. And it was equipped with a small gym and large communal rooms for cooking etc. As there are only students living here, including many foreign exchange students, I quickly made lots of new contacts and friends. So the start was perfect and I felt right at home.
Social media channels brought up to speed
My activities during the internship were very varied. I was mainly responsible for the new website and the social media channels. As the website had just been redesigned, I was able to use my creativity and was mainly responsible for the content and design. For the social media channels, I was often allowed to take photos of any activities of the language students and thus also participate in them. It was also my job to find interesting excursions and activities and then plan them for the students. In between, I was assigned various office tasks.
The working day started at 8 a.m. and ended at 4 p.m., so that you could still pursue various activities in the afternoon. What I liked most about the job was the relationship with my colleagues. Everyone immediately made me feel welcome and always had an open ear for my problems. As the company is run by a married couple, there is a very informal atmosphere there and after the time I spent there, I already see my two bosses as a kind of “second family” abroad. I also have a very friendly relationship with my other colleagues. This has made working at bli even more fun.
I quickly made friends and “travel buddies”
As bli is a language school where many young people travel alone, I quickly made friends and “travel buddies” who were all interested in discovering the country. After work or at weekends, we often rented a car and accommodation and explored other cities and regions of the country. If at least one driver in the group is 25 or older, a small car can be rented for as little as €10-15 per day. Accommodation is also cheap if you stay in backpackers, for example.
There are many routes and sights that you should definitely see during your time in South Africa. These include, for example, the Garden Route ending in Cape Town, the Wild Coast, the Karoo Mountains and the Drakensberg Mountains. There are also many opportunities for adrenaline junkies, e.g. bungee jumping, parachuting, climbing, etc. South Africa’s extraordinary animal kingdom should also definitely be explored on safaris.
However, even after two visits, I still have a lot on my list of things to discover. So it never gets boring in South Africa. As the landscape in South Africa is very diverse and after a few hours’ drive you can discover a completely different landscape than before, many short trips can be undertaken to see a lot. And you don’t even have to spend a lot of money.
Surfing & barbecuing
In Port Elizabeth itself, the direct location by the sea means that there is plenty to do on the beach, whether simply enjoying the sun, swimming or playing rugby on the beach with friends. South Africa is also a surfer’s paradise, so you shouldn’t miss out on weekly surfing lessons for little money. At weekends, bars and clubs are also very popular with the many students. South African life also includes at least one weekly braai (BBQ). South Africans love their braais and as there is a lot of good and different meat here (e.g. ostrich meat), it is a new taste experience every time. It is generally advisable to spend as much time as possible with South Africans themselves to get to know the culture and take part in traditional events.
Cost of living & crime
The cost of living in South Africa is relatively low. As the South African currency “Rand” is very weak, many things are very cheap for us. Eating out in restaurants is relatively cheap and Port Elizabeth offers a variety of different options with very good food. Transportation here is also very cheap and easy thanks to the “Uber” app. Private drivers receive a notification on their cell phone when you request transportation and pick you up at any location. Payment is simply made automatically using the credit card information stored in the app.
However, you have to be careful with the high crime rate. As soon as it gets dark, you should not go out alone on the street and even during the day you should only stay in areas where it is safe and there are other people. Particular care should be taken when withdrawing money from ATMs. As a general rule, you should not walk around in public with your cell phone or other valuable items in your hand. But if you stick to this and take care, you won’t have any problems. As my accommodation and my work are in Summerstrand – a small town in Port Elizabeth – which is considered one of the safest places, I generally felt very safe.
It wasn’t the last time I was in South Africa
To sum up, I have no regrets about my two stays and they will always be some of the best times of my life. South Africa is simply a beautiful country, both in terms of the landscape and the animals, as well as the people. South Africans are very open and friendly and it’s easy to make lots of new friends. You can easily approach strangers in any situation and have interesting conversations.
Even after my second visit, it won’t be my last time in South Africa. There is simply so much to discover and of course I want to keep in touch with the friends I made there. I can therefore recommend anyone to come to South Africa for an internship abroad and discover a lot about the country and its culture.