Gaining practical experience is considered an important learning experience even during university studies. Students are also encouraged to broaden their horizons through a stay abroad. Marcus Härder, who studies automation technology at the Giessen -Friedberg University of Applied Sciences, did both in the winter semester of 2005/06. He completed a six-month internship in Beijing, from which he has now returned to the university.
When German students go abroad, they usually travel to European countries or the USA. The 24-year-old from Limburg opted for an internship in Far East: “In 2004, I completed my practical semester in Hamburg at Lufthansa. At that time, I learned that they had a dedicated programme for international internships that one could apply for. That really interested me. I was already familiar with the USA; I wanted to go to Asia. The Philippines and China were my options. I applied for an internship at Ameco, a Lufthansa subsidiary in Beijing, and was successful.”
Ameco Beijing provides Lufthansa Technik services for China and employs 3,500 people. Each six-month period, it hosts five interns from the airline. The aspiring engineer worked on two projects there. He developed a database for quality management of aircraft components and maintenance work. He also analyzed and documented all work processes performed by Ameco, a range from tire changes to major aircraft checks, requiring approximately 9,000 different parts. He communicated with his Chinese colleagues in English. However, with around 20 Germans in management, he could also use his native language.
In his positive assessment, he particularly highlights one advantage of his stay in China: “As an intern abroad, you're in a different league. I had access to management within the first few weeks. The sense of community is stronger. Interns and German managers also met up outside of work. We even celebrated Christmas together in Beijing.” The shared accommodation in a separate complex for foreigners also contributed to this. Ameco owns several buildings there, jokingly nicknamed “Lindenstraße” (a German TV show similar to Linden Street). With the apartment provided, ample comfort, services, and his intern salary, he was able to live comfortably. On the other hand, this living situation limited his interactions with locals. “Polite, but reserved,” is how Marcus Härder describes the communication style of most Chinese people. Therefore, he gladly accepted an invitation from a Chinese professor of German studies to speak with local students in a German course at the university. When asked if anything had struck him as odd, he brought up the food: "Scorpion on a stick is simply not my thing."
Upon his return, he will now quickly dedicate himself to his diploma thesis, which he also plans to complete at Lufthansa. He can well imagine working abroad as a qualified engineer, for example in the aviation industry, for which he is ideally suited as a holder of a powered aircraft license and flight instructor.