Louisa Kusekopf (commerce)
I’m Louisa, a second-year BCom student from Victoria, BC. I’m currently completing an international co-op work term in Southern Germany. I am working at Spa & Resort Bachmair Weissach as a Trainee of Operations at the Tegernsee, about one hour south of Munich at the edge of the Alps.
Trying different roles
The position that I have has allowed me to rotate through five different departments in the hotel. To date, I’ve worked in the food & beverage service, housekeeping, and accounting. In April, I will work in the kitchen and front office departments.
My responsibilities vary across each of the departments but all of the work I am doing is in German, my second language. I spoke German before coming here but this my first time using the language in a work environment.
Choosing an international co-op
I chose to partake in an international co-op because I want to pursue an international career. I was particularly interested in coming to Germany because of my existing language skills and family ties to the country. I saw it as an opportunity to expand my German skills and experience work culture in a different country, while getting to live in Europe.
A new work environment
The work environment and culture is different from what I was used to at home. In general, I would say that the workplace is stricter and there is less socializing during work hours. Due to the nature of my role, I experienced working with a number of teams which have all taught me something new.
For example, in housekeeping I was one of few employees who could speak English or German which meant we had to get creative about how we communicated with one another. This was an interesting opportunity to experience a very multicultural work environment. The service team was made up of many other students and young people which was a great way to get to know people when first arriving.
Enjoying time in Europe
I have really enjoyed living in Europe this semester and plan to stay here over the summer before returning to Victoria to continue my studies in the fall. Some of the highlights have included travelling and exploring new places, meeting up with new and old friends and taking on the challenge of living abroad alone.
I have lived in Germany and Austria before with my family, but being here alone is a new adventure that has showed me many new parts of these countries. The biggest challenge was the first few weeks when I first arrived because I’m living in a small rural town where I knew no one and I felt very overwhelmed. It took a few weeks to get into a routine and learn my way around but I feel much more at home now.
The value of an international work term
This international co-op opportunity has taught me the importance of being spontaneous and spending your time doing what you enjoy. I’ve chosen to spend many of my weekends traveling Europe and visiting friends rather than staying around here because that is what I’ve found makes me the happiest! Being abroad allows you to learn more about yourself and where you are from. The act of experiencing something new helps define what is and isn’t important to us about where we come from.
I would encourage anyone who is considering an international co-op to give it a try. You learn so much more from the experience than just what you get at your workplace. As a business student, I was worried that my job wouldn’t connect well with my studies but I have gained and expanded on many skills such as communication, conflict resolution, confidence, problem solving and responsibility, that will forever be helpful to me in my future career. I can definitely see myself doing another international co-op work term!