Internship between Big Ben and Tower Bridge

To London for a three-week internship – this dream came true for Sabine Nohr, a trainee at ERGO in Cologne. The 20-year-old was not only able to improve her language skills but at the same time also gain many other new experiences.

Sabine Nohr, trainee in the office in London

Trainees at ERGO have the option to do an internship abroad during their traineeship. As part of support programs, the responsible vocational schools offer trainees the possibility to spend periods of learning in Europe. However, trainees can also do an internship from two to four weeks at ERGO’s foreign subsidiaries, which mostly take place during the holiday period.

Internship in London

To Sabine Nohr, a trainee at ERGO in Cologne, it was obvious that she would go to Great Britain for an internship. “I chose London because I wanted to get to know the British culture a little better and improve my language skills”, the 20-year-old, who was somewhat nervous before starting her stay in the English metropolis, explained. “However, I quickly realised that I had no reason whatsoever to be nervous”, the trainee in her third year recalls. “The staff in London gave her a very warm and cordial welcome.”

Right from the beginning, Sabine Nohr was quickly integrated into everyday life. “Even though I was assigned to the benefits department, I carried out a number of tasks that were not directly connected to this department.” Amongst other things, Sabine Nohr was allowed to take part in some meetings with the London colleagues. For example, in the Compliance Meeting they discussed how to deal with the upcoming Brexit.

During the three weeks of her internship, she got to know the different departments of ERGO in London– from the legal department to auditing. “That was very interesting for me, as I gained insight into departments to which I had absolutely no contact during our traineeship in Cologne”, the trainee recounts..

Be open to new ideas

During her stay in London, Sabine Nohr was able to gather a variety of new experiences – also with regard to the people in the English capital. “I have never before seen a city where the people are so polite, helpful, attentive and friendly”, she recalls. At first, she was very surprised about this openness and warmth. In such a bustling city like London, she never expected to find that people would care so much about their fellow human beings. “Even in the company, the employees always made sure among themselves that everyone was alright and that they all felt comfortable.”

Alongside work, there was also a lot to discover in London

Happy about the great experiences

Sabine Nohr was also able to improve her language skills. At the beginning, she had some difficulty as she did not have a good command of business English. “However, every day it became easier to understand what the others were saying and I found that I could express myself better.”

Looking back, the trainee is very happy to have done the internship. “I see things differently today. I could also imagine studying or working abroad later.” She remembers one thing in particular: In the offices at ERGO in London there is a wall with various quotes. “One of these quotes is from Albert Einstein: The only source of knowledge is experience.” Sabine Nohr agrees wholeheartedly with this quote. “I can only recommend making use of such an opportunity to gain new experiences.”