The Year Abroad is arguably the most valuable and enjoyable part of a language degree. For students taking the post A-level pathway it is a chance to bind together the skills learned so far and experience living in their target language country first-hand. For students taking the ab-initio pathway it is an invaluable chance to catch up with the A-level students and put themselves into a comfortable and confident position prior to their final year.
I spent my Year Abroad in Almería, on the southern coast of Spain. I chose to teach English and Drama (you can also choose to study instead of work) at an international school in El Ejido for the duration of the academic year. While I’ve never considered teaching to be my calling, the flexible hours and school holiday calendar allowed me to do exactly what I wanted — to perfect my Spanish while travelling and enjoying my time away from rainy London. Of course, I had to keep up with university assignments and lesson prep for each week, but it still seemed like a much lighter workload than I remembered having the previous years. The frequent trips to places like Granada, Barcelona or Madrid also definitely helped to sweeten the deal! The most rewarding highlight for me however, was passing my C2 Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera exam. I signed up in November to sit the exam the following May, partially because I really wanted to measure my linguistic progress at the end of the year, and partially to keep myself in the university rhythm by studying consistently a few hours every week. DELE diplomas are issued by the Instituto Cervantes on behalf of the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science. They have indefinite validity and are internationally recognised, with reference to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). This makes a DELE diploma a great supplement to your degree (as well as a very shiny addition to your CV). Additionally, the higher up the scale you go (from A1 to C2) the more career paths practically open themselves up before you. A C2 diploma for example, along with other benefits, will allow you to apply for positions within the Spanish Public Administration.
In conclusion, a Year Abroad is designed to be an incredibly useful experience, but if you keep your eyes peeled for extra opportunities along the ride you’ll end up taking away more than you ever thought possible!
Lakshika Thuthipavananthan (BA German with Business Management 2020)
A year in Germany changed my life for the better…
As part of my degree, I was fortunate to do a year work placement working on various internships abroad in Germany and Czech Republic, working various in sectors such as Supply Chain Management, Marketing, Investment Banking and Digital Insurances.
From having the applications, to the skype interview to being at the job and then moving- it seemed to be a blur as time flew by quickly. One week went by and before you know it the whole year was over and it was time to finish my final year. I definitely had the feeling of wanting to live in Germany after that. From the countless friendships made, to driving around on the motorways with no speed limits, to going partaking in cultural events such as Oktoberfest in Munich to visiting the scenic mountainous views to going to beer garden- my time in Germany was certainly a warming and enlightening part of my life where I have made so many good memories. It has a huge part of my heart and is my second home.
Aside from this I was working 40 hours a week on various internships, mainly being with Mercedes-Benz where I worked within the Global Supply Chain Management team working on strategies and digital transformation. Since I was 8 years old, cars were my passion and I would spend every week admiring cars and watching Formula 1- so it was safe to say an absolute dream to work for the leading car giants, Mercedes-Benz themselves. I spent my months working on a lot of interesting project such as working on research projects like digital transformation within logistics such as using artificial intelligence and machine learning to transform processes- to working on product launches to creating videos for the management. Alongside this I was fortunate to be able to drive the brand new cars and ride in their driverless trucks- it was like I had stepped foot in a dream. Every day I was learning something new and the great thing is that a lot of the skills I learnt during my degree I was able to put into good use at work and communicating with people. It also greatly helps with employability as having a year abroad illustrates numerous desirable traits employers look for in candidates.
I think one of the biggest things you learn when you are abroad is becoming independent. You learn to live by yourself, go to work or study by yourself, manage shopping, managing going around places and building new connections. Although I was born in Frankfurt, Germany and lived there for 8 years- I hadn’t experienced Germany being independent so it was unique for me. Being able to really get involved with the community partaking in events such as town Christmas gatherings to exploring numerous cities such as Munich, Heidelberg, Nurnberg, Stuttgart and many more- you get an insight into how unique and beautiful each part of Germany really is. From the different foods to the different dialects to the different views- I would really recommend really getting invested in exploring Germany if that is of any interest to you. I personally love nature and hiking and found that there were great hiking spots all around Germany.
My tips for your year abroad is to be open to trying new opportunities and making new connections. Everyone is there to help and the Queen Mary staff were great in keeping touch and supporting me throughout the whole year abroad process. Get involved as much possible in the German language and the country by partaking in community events, sport activities etc and talking in the target language as much as possible. The year abroad changed me as a person for the better and hope you will be fortunate enough to do one to widen your horizons…