References

• Irina Šebeko

  Since the early childhood I have been learning English and was always participating in the events that were connected with this language. When the time came to choose the university, I was 100% sure that I want to study in English and gain some experience abroad. I have chosen South of France for my ERASMUS+ studies and fell in love with this place, so I thought – why not to stay there a little bit more and do ERASMUS+ internship? I started searching for the internship, checked out the local websites, went to the university career centre and finally I found the one which seemed very interesting for me. My choice was HR department in ETSI, which is a non-profit organization and is connected with telecommunications. When I first came to the interview, I already knew that is the place I want to spend my internship in. In this company every employee is treated with respect. The main language of the company is English and here you can find the people from different parts of Europe and also some non-European countries. Every year company takes interns and a lot of them have done their internship in ETSI for several times. I would describe my experience with ETSI as an absolutely positive and I would definitely recommend the other students to make the right choice and choose ETSI as their internship place. Regarding my sending institution, I also have only positive experience as the international office has helped me a lot while being abroad and preparing the documents. The ladies have been very helpful, answered all my questions, and explained the whole process of selection and documentation.

  While living in France, I have obtained a lot of knowledge and the most important one is the French language. I came to France with the basic level of French, faced difficulties while making conversations and was a little bit scared to speak in this language. As for now, I easily make a conversation on the intermediate level, understand the people and read books in French. Also, I improved my English language skills as I met a lot of people from the UK and I spent a lot of time with them. ERASMUS+ project helped me to become more independent, to solve problems by myself and to be more confident. I found a lot of friends from different European countries and I gained a lot of cultural experience.

  Also, in my free time me and my new friends were exploring France and every weekend we went to a new place in France, explored the little villages and the big cities, went to the restaurants to try different types of food, went hiking or just spent a great time together at the beach.

  The thing I loved most about living in South of France is the climate. I lived in Nice and the weather here is mostly hot and sunny and it seems that you are on holiday despite the fact that you work or study.

  I would definitely recommend to try ERASMUS+ internship or studies for every student. It is a very nice opportunity for your personal and professional experience. It will bring you a lot of positive emotions, cultural experience, friends and knowledge. If you are thinking about participating in ERASMUS+ programme, just do it and I promise, you would never regret it!

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• Saida Shamuratova
  "Business Administration"

  It was my very first Erasmus+ experience which I did in the lands where the houses are built of waffles and in the rivers pure chocolate is steadily flowing by – Belgium. I have spent five unforgettable months in the charming city of diamonds – Antwerp. I must say, early on it was not my priority choice but eventually I realized that I have made the right decision. In my estimation Erasmus+ is the only thing that opens up young people’s mindsets and demonstrates how much there is yet to discover, how easy it is to have strong ties with people from totally diverse cultures and backgrounds,  which in my own conceit are essential lessons to learn from a young age in these days globalized world.

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• Joseph Ducrocq
  France

   The question is not “Should I go on Erasmus?” but “Where should I go?”. It is obvious that it is a lifetime opportunity. You will have a really rich semester/ year by learning about a new culture and meeting people from all over the world. You will have the feeling of achieving something else than your routine. Learn new languages, discovering new recipes, partying… And of course making friends! The great point with Erasmus is that you will have time to travel. The programmes are generally not that busy. Swedish Lapland, Spanish beaches, Latvian forests are now really close to you. But one of the best advantages with Erasmus is the international plan. After this experience, you can probably start an international career. An exchange semester shows that you are open minded and able to work in an intercultural environment. Plus, by meeting people, you will widen your international network. I am telling all those things as an old Erasmus student. I know all the benefits of this experience, and trust me, you won’t regret…

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• Justīne Rudovska
  Recent graduate traineeship

  As business nowadays reaches beyond your country borders, it is highly necessary to have an international experience. But as we know interning abroad might cost a lot of money. Erasmus+ programme and its grant gave me a real opportunity to carry out my international internship.

  As I chose to have my internship in France, it certainly took me out of my comfort zone because of the language barrier, but it gave me motivation to receive a level A2 international diploma in French language.  Working with local employees gave me cross-cultural skills, by understanding the different cultural norms and values.

  Erasmus+ recent graduate traineeship definitely gave me an opportunity to be more marketable to future employers.

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• Giorgi Chagoshvili
  Greece

  Labdien! My name is Giorgi Chagoshvili and I spent 8 months in Riga where I did my Erasmus+ traineeship. I can say that this experience made me improve not only as a professional but also as a personality! It inspired me to dream more and achieve more.  Besides living and working in beautiful Riga I loved the opportunity to travel across the Baltic States and explore different cities and places. During my internship I met lifelong friends from across the world and got connected with some of the most enthusiastic and motivated people. It provided me the chance to learn the ways of different cultures, people and countries to develop my communication skills, to broaden my vision of the world and to rediscover myself.  I had the opportunity to cooperate with very interesting and helpful colleagues from the Marketing Department Inta and Ginta and from the International office Aiga, Elmira and Zane. The internship exceeded my expectations!  So make a step forward and SAY YES to this amazing experience!

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• Elizabete Vārava
  "Finance"

  Every single experience, whether it is related to your studies or not, is valuable and will consummate everything you will do further in life. Any involvement will develop you as exciting personality and your presence will be a pleasure for your course mates, colleagues and friends. This is my philosophy that clearly reflects my experience during Erasmus Exchange studies. I was very open minded to everything, therefore I tried to involve myself wherever I could. I love throwing myself out of the comfort zone, right where the magic of personality development happens. This experience made me double as friendly as I was and my fear limit has decreased significantly. Studies in Manchester opened my mind and allowed me to understand very precisely what I want to do further in my professional career. I definitely gained much bigger confidence and trust in myself. Also I’ve become more ambitious, that is to my humble opinion a personal trait of a high value. Thanks to that, during my exchange studies I was mentioned by one of my lecturers. She further suggested me to a company where I successfully did an internship after I submitted all the study assignments. I managed to start learning Chinese language, which I never expected of me to learn. I have understood how much pleasure volunteering may give to me, which I also did during my Erasmus. All my foreign friends have developed in me a healthy curiosity of their countries, cultures and traditions. It is amazing how different people are!

  When I returned home, I found an internship very fast right where I wanted and I made my childhood dream come true. Right now I could not be any more satisfied for what this experience gave to me. Everything is possible, if you reach for it!

  Thank you to my BA School of Business and Finance!

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• Linda Bondare
  "Finance”

  The decision to go for Erasmus+ studies was the best thing that has happened to me. I went to an unknown country and traveled a lot, I got to know other cultures, I learned new things about myself and got amazing friends for life. Memories about this adventure will stay with me forever. It’s not possible to describe the emotions and feelings you get in this adventure of Erasmus+. You just have to try it on your own!

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