Hi there! I am Karolína from Czechia. I am a recent graduate from Metropolitan University Prague in international relations and european studies. I already joined the Erasmus+ program during my studies in Prague. In my second year I decided to study one semester abroad. My university cooperates with many universities around the world but fortunately I chose Bahcesehir University in Istanbul. I learned a lot there and at the same time I experienced many new experiences. By that time, I already knew that I had to come back one day. After my graduation I took the opportunity to participate in Erasmus+ program again. I Found a traineeship at EIG. I was lucky enough to join their amazing team. I gained new skills, knowledge and also met many new people. I enjoyed this internship to its fullest and I can highly recommend it to everyone, who likes to work with a young & dynamic team in one of the best cities I have ever visited.
Hi! I am Filippo from Italy, I am a recently graduated master’ student in international relations at the University of Torino. After my graduation I decided to join the Erasmus traineeship programme, and it was definitely a good choice. Living in Istanbul for a few months has been one of the best experiences of my life. Not only I fell in love with the city, its atmosphere, its colors, its crowds and views, but also for the amazing experience in EIG. It was really nice to work with an international team, and the activities I was involved in revealed to be so interesting. I mostly worked on the English Debate CLub project, which allowed me to learn lots of new perspectives on several themes, and most importantly, it made me realise how much I like teaching and working with the youth. Overall, Istanbul and EIG were some of the greatest experiences I have ever had.
Last year I finished my studies with an Erasmus+ Semester in Istanbul. I fell in love with the city and the language and decided to stay some more. I learnt that Erasmus+ doesn’t only offer academic exchanges. In fact, also internships and other projects can be funded, which is how I found the European Integration Group Istanbul.
I expected the work with an organisation in Corona times to be challenging. However, EIG is a digital NGO and therefore quite experienced with the processes of digital cooperation. Although working from home office, I worked at a variety of challenging and enriching tasks that I picked and created with the support of my colleagues. I created a weekly newsletter about the European Union, led interviews about Erasmus+ and Youth Work and participated in initiating a Debate Club for Turkish Youth.
During my internship, I learned a lot about EU funding policies and international politics. I saw a view on the European Union from the perspective of Turkish people and I participated in an organisation that supports young people’s empowerment by offering non-formal education activities. I also got the chance to stay in Turkey, engaging in a culture that is still quite new for me. I gained a variety of useful digital skills, as well as realising my own limits and challenges when it comes to working from the home office.
Concluding, the internship with EIG gave me many opportunities to grow, challenge and question myself. I would recommend an internship with EIG to those who want to experience working with a digital organisation, value independence and are interested in working proactively on individual and suitable tasks.
Thank you for the supportive, kind and honest working atmosphere!
Sophie
Hey! I’m Joachim from Belgium and I am a recent graduate from the Interuniversity Master in Gender and Diversity coordinated by UGent in Belgium.
I decided to depart to Turkey directly after my graduation and joined the Erasmus+ traineeship program in order to increase my professional skills and knowledge. I was deeply motivated by the international experience that the program offers and by the fact that I was able to live in Istanbul, which turned out to be an amazing city full of life, good food and friendly people.
I found EIG through an internship website and was directly interested in applying because of their work with disadvantaged groups and I am so lucky that I got accepted! I did an internship for 8 months at the organization and learned a lot about NGO life and project management and writing. It definitely will boost my chances in finding a job in the social sector! Therefore I am very grateful for this great opportunity given to me by my university, EIG and the Erasmus+ program.
