I’m staying!!! A successful internship by Nora from Vietnam

With great pleasure we would like to present to you the testimony of Nora. Coming from Vietnam, Nora moved to Finland to continue with her education. Nora then took her chance to start internship with us, as a Digital Marketing trainee. By the end of her internship, she was offered a full time position, and she decided to stay in Bratislava. 

How did your story begin and why did you decide to do an Erasmus+ internship in Slovakia?

It was part of my degree program to find an internship. I was looking for a place in Western Europe, or other place, not too far away. My university sent me an offer from Placement Slovakia, and I decided to give it a try.

Can you share some of your responsibilities at work?

I started as a digital marketing trainee, but since I worked in Start-up company, our marketing department is not that big, so then I took over several tasks: Social media, website, marketing research and data analysis .

What skills did you improve the most during your traineeship?

Everything of "hands on skill" on marketing. I worked as a normal employee, so I learned a lot. They provided me with all the resources I needed.

What were your expectations and did you meet them?

From a professional point of view, I exceeded my expectations, even though I was just a trainee I had a full time work experience.

Were there any tasks given to you that you had no idea how to complete? If so, how did you solve it?

Working with the IT department, but they really helped me.

What would you like to say about Slovakia? Is it too different from your usual environment? Have you experienced any culture shock?

Coming from a post-communist country, I have to say that I don’t find a lot of differences. People here drink a lot :). The living here is much cheaper than in Finland, for sure, but similar to Vietnam, I would say. I like Slovak food, but it can be very heavy sometimes.

Did you have enough time to travel and explore Slovakia, or other countries? Which places did you visit and what left the biggest impact on you?

I didn’t explore Slovakia that much, but I explored some neighbouring countries near by. I visited Vienna, Budapest, Prague and many more cities of Czech Republic.

What is the best moment of your stay in Slovakia you would like to share?

I remember many great moments from the office for sure. But recently, there was one moment- lady gave up her place in the supermarket queue because I had just a few things, from this little act of kindness, I really felt accepted in this country.

What are your future plans after finishing the internship?

I’m staying here :). By the end of my internship I got a job offer from the company. I will start to learn Slovak, I guess :).

Is there anything you would like to say to students who are still deciding whether or not to do an internship in Slovakia?

Be prepared with the paper work, specially for non-EU students! Be open to the experience. In the beginning,I didn't had a good impression of Slovak people, but then, I met more nice people. One last thing, just explore Bratislava by night!