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Four talents, four countries and countless experiences and new adventures: The trainees of the International MORE trainee program work at Burda's international business units and have the chance to explore different areas and get to know diverse countries and fields of work in rotations during their 18-month program. For some of them, the last rotation started at the beginning of the year. Denisa from Prague, Maja from London, Issima from Paris as well as Ben from Bangkok left their hometowns to change places. And not only places: They exchanged countries and business units, but also city tips, favorite places and restaurant tips.
We asked the four trainees to give us an insight into their everyday life abroad: In experience reports we learn about their tasks, their highlights during the rotation and their impressions of life in a foreign city.
“My last rotation abroad took place at Burda Bleu in Paris focusing on business functions; my primary objective was to develop a new CRM strategy for leads and to work on customer segmentation and automatization processes. Additionally, I contributed to Saveurs' business development initiatives and worked on social media development, especially on Tiktok.
I have already been to Paris before, but never for a longer period. Living there for three months offered a new perspective. I loved the fact that there are idyllic cafés around every corner: no matter the weather (even during February), you can sit outside and drink a cup of coffee! I feel like many Parisians know how to be in the present and enjoy life to the fullest. I also loved visiting art galleries and museums. Especially, I was amazed by breathtaking masterpieces by my favorite artist Claude Monet! I will be returning to Paris very often to nourish my soul with art.
I found my accommodation without any issue. I lived in two appartements in two different districts and it was a great way to explore Paris. Issima shared a lot of insider tips with me regarding the locations and places to visit. The four of us also finished our joint social commerce project. This whole experience brought us all very close, and we all became not only great work colleagues, but also close friends (we are currently planning a weekend trip together and we can’t wait!).”
“During my third and final international rotation, I had the incredible opportunity to rotate to Burda International CZ in Prague, Czech Republic. The learning opportunities at Burda International CZ were immense, as the company is well-structured, with many large businesses, including renowned magazines (such as Elle, Apetit, etc.). This experience allowed me to work alongside different teams and exchange knowledge, particularly in customer journey management for magazine subscription purchases and organizing events.
Adapting to the Czech culture was a delightful experience. Although the culture in Czech Republic differs from my home country, it was easy to adjust as the people were warm and welcoming. The highlights of this rotation were numerous, both in terms of work and exploring the country, especially as it was my first time visiting the Czech Republic. I had a chance to immerse myself in the local culture, explore Prague's beautiful architecture and exciting history, and savor the local cuisine. The MORE Trainee program proved to be a transformative experience that broadened my horizons both personally and professionally.”
“My last international rotation took place in Bangkok, where I spent three months working at BurdaLuxury in digital marketing. While it wasn’t my first visit to the country, this time I was able to experience a different side of the city and look at it from the locals’ rather than the tourists’ perspective.
Before moving to another country, we get in touch with members of the local HR and the team that we would be joining. In my case, these were Netty and Mai, who were extremely helpful throughout the whole rotation. In addition, during the first few weeks of my stay in Bangkok, I was able to work with another MORE trainee, Ben, who was waiting to start his rotation in Prague. Not only did he help me become acquainted with people at the office, but he also showed me around the city, and shared a few tips with me.
Over the period of three months, I worked alongside Ben and other team members on developing a new strategy for Masterclass. These are prestigious events in Asia, covering subjects such as personal branding and topics around a luxurious lifestyle. What I liked about the project was that the concept of Masterclass is unique to the rest of the operations carried out across Burda. Thus, it was a great opportunity to better understand different activities of the company and learn more about the Thai culture.
One of the work highlights was presenting my findings to the Masterclass team and having some of the ideas used for the events in the future. When it comes to Bangkok itself, the best part was simply being able to immerse myself in the rich culture of Thailand and experience daily life in the city – from eating at local places and going to food markets to celebrating Songkran, Thailand's unique New Year. The reason why I also enjoyed my rotation in Bangkok was because of how welcoming, kind, friendly and positive the people are - both at BurdaLuxury and in general.“
“My last rotation started at the beginning of February, I was at Immediate Media in London. It was not my first time in the UK as I studied at St Andrews University in Scotland as part of an exchange program before, but it was my first time in England. I really enjoyed my time in London, I was living in Hammersmith and since I really like walking, instead of taking the bus I walked for around 30 minutes to get to the office.
Before coming to London, I asked Maja for some tips (where would be the best place to live), as she is the one who is based there but also Denisa and Ben as they had their rotation in London before me. During this rotation we also had the final presentation of our project to the CEO Martin Weiss, so we all stayed in contact pretty much every day in the first month and a half of this rotation. Also, thanks to working on this project all together for one year, we all got very close.
At Immediate Media I worked in strategic development, and I also had a presentation at the end, and I would say that both presentations (the one at Immediate, and the one with the other trainees) were my highlight work related, as both in their own aspects required a lot of work and both presentations went really well! I really appreciate working at Immediate Media and overall, in London, people are very friendly and outgoing, and I made some really nice friends there.”
