Internship in the US

Why did you decide to do an internship in the United States?
It was my first internship abroad. As well as gaining professional experience, there were other reasons: I wanted to experience a different culture and way of life, and I also wanted to improve my English.

What did you learn?
I worked on a huge dairy farm in Illinois with more than 700 cows. I hadn’t experienced anything of that magnitude before in Germany. I performed the everyday tasks of a dairy farmer, which include things like examining cows that have just calved.

Management position on a dairy farm wanted

How important is the internship for your future?
Once I’ve graduated, I plan to find a management position on a dairy farm. The internship has definitely helped me in that regard – not only because English is used a lot in this field, but also because I was able to gain experience in the exact field I’m interested in.

Patrick Langenhorst is a Master’s student in agricultural science in Göttingen, Germany. In 2014, he completed an internship on a farm in the United States. He is one of around 500 interns so far who have received support from GIZ in planning and organising their internships.

published in akzente 3/15