Author - Oliver Koester

G´Day,

Author - Oliver KoesterMy name is Oliver, I am 29 years old and I study Industrial Engineering in Germany. I am about to clinch my studies with only my final thesis missing, and will hit the job market soon. As the European job market has become pretty tight during recent years I realised I need to have international work experience and excellent english skills to become a successful candidate.

Therefore I made the decision to go abroad in an effort to close the gap. I wanted to live in a foreign country, submerge myself with the masses and the local vibe, not leading the typical backpacker life.

I wanted to become a local and to settle down for a while.  Moreover, I wanted to be alive and to be self reliant, maybe for the last time before the serious side of life will hit me in all its mercilessness. As there are several visa restrictions I knew of, the time to fulfil my dreams was running up: Now or never!!

I left Germany in August 2005 and entered Australia on a Work & Holiday Visa. I stayed in Perth for a fortnight and made a road trip to Melbourne. Since October 2005 I am living in a cool sharehouse in Brunswick, Melbourne.

I arranged my room, I made myself familiar with public transport and I checked out the neighbourhood. Eventually, I became a member of the Public Libary and the local Video Ezy branch. By mid-October I had the feeling of what it is to be a Melbournian instead of feeling like a traveller.

About two months after I left Germany I started to look for an internship. It was a pretty tough time as I found out and things here are a little bit different. You will not find companies actually looking for an intern. It is hard work to persuade a HR Manager to employ an intern. I lodged heaps of applications and in return had several interviews.

But at the end of the day the question remained:

    * Do I really want to go stale in an office for the next three months?
    * Do I really want to dismiss the fact that I am living in one of the most fascinating metropolises of the world, a vivid city which never sleeps!

Working in an office would definitely contribute to my accademic demands but my wish to live a little would remain unaccomplished. I was convinced, that there was a better way to combine both aspects.

However, eventually I found an intership which exceeded my expectations. Currently I am an intern for AA Education Network. My duties and responsibilities include Content Management, Webdesign, and Website and Searchengine Optimisation. This internship gives me the possibility to do things I am good at and to learn new things at the same time.

Catch you later mate,
Oliver