It is now 18 years since I first applied for a job in Germany.  In the autumn of 1992 I returned to University armed with a collection of addresses of companies in Germany that I wanted to apply to.  Many of them I had found in newspaper advertisements whilst on holiday, others came from a directory of British companies with German offices.

In the end, I wrote to 75 of them.  I sent a cover letter explaining that I was looking for a 12 month placement as part of my degree course and included a my CV (that’s the resumé for my American readers!)

A few never responded.  Others wrote back thanking me for my interest, but saying they could not offer me a placement in their company.  However one did invite me to an interview at Gatwick airport, and the following year I started work at the German branch of Psion. [Read more…]