What year are you and what do you study?

Senior, Electrical Engineering

Who is/was your employer?

Texas Instruments
Freising, Germany

How did you learn about your internship?

I heard about opportunities with TI through the Sara, an OIE advisor, who had a friend that worked at TI in Freising. She was able to give me the HR contact, but eventually I just applied to various positions online for TI and for other companies around Munich.

What was the application process like?

Since I also did the exchange at the university in Munich the semester before, I submitted all my applications online and the HR at TI reached out to me for an interview which I was able to go in person to do. It seems like most of the application process is done online in Germany. There are career fairs, but very informal and small.

What were your major tasks or projects at this internship?

My position was technical marketing so I was in charge of all internet marketing activities, communicating and providing collateral to our field people, and learning about the system and architecture of my product line.

Do you have any recommendations for Georgia Tech students looking to intern in the same company or country?

German is definitely not required, but it is very beneficial. Many of the locals and co-workers will be German and most do prefer to communicate in German on a daily basis. For my internship, I spoke with my supervisor in English but German with some colleagues so I had a mixture. TI in Freising is a great place to work for all majors. Every department has interns from all over the world and everyone is extremely friendly and welcoming.

Where did you live? Did you find accomodations independently or with your company's help?

I found my own apartment through a friend that I met while I was studying in Munich my first semester. It is a challenge to find accommodation in Munich but not impossible, so just start looking early on wg-gesucht.de and apply to as many as you can.

How has this internship influenced your career path?

I've always wanted a more business role with my technical degree and this internship was perfect for me to learn about marketing and the structure of the product line I was in charge of. In addition it increased my interest in working abroad most likely in Germany for a few years in the future.

If paid, did the company you worked for pay you enough to live off of your salary or stipend, or did you have to supplement your income with personal funds?

Yes, TI has one of the better salaries compared to other companies. It was a little above minimum wage but it was enough for me to lively comfortably even in Munich.