Good Danish skills helped Bertold with an internship
When Hungarian Bertold Bocskor came to Denmark he set himself an ambitious goal.
He wanted to learn Danish so well that after just one year he would be able to get an internship with Danish as the main language.
This goal was achieved and he got an internship agreement with a Danish company.
Talk to as many people as possible
The 21-year-old Hungarian is studying on our Financial Management and Services programme and has lived and studied in Denmark for one and half years.
He tries to speak to as many different Danes as possible. He lives at a dorm, plays club football and is a Red cross visitor for an elderly couple.
‘I also go to church every Sunday and have a part-time job alongside my studies,’ says Bertold and adds that he loves studying in Denmark.
At the same time, his many activities supported his view that it is important to learn Danish when you live in Denmark.
‘It helps me to be a part of the Danish culture. Language means an enormous amount,’ says Bertold.
A foothold in the business community
As an international student, it can be difficult to get a foothold in the business community if you do not speak the language. Many jobs can be done in English, but a lot of social as well as collegial parts take place in Danish.
This is why we strongly encourage our international students to learn Danish during their stay in Denmark. Teaching takes place at the Academy, so it’s easy to go to.
In the beginning, the students learn individual words and small sentences, but soon they pick up longer conversations too.
Bertold's best friend is a notepad
Right from the start, Bertold wanted to get an internship where the work takes place in Danish. Therefore, it has been very important that he make an extra effort to learn the language.
He always has a small notepad with him in which he takes note of Danish words and their pronunciation, so that he can practice them later. Because in Danish the difference between what is written and how it is pronounced is huge!
"Although it requires lots of practice and hard work, this has made me want to learn even more" says Bertold.
He admits though that he had to send a lot of applications before it worked. But eventually his hard work did pay off. At his internship interview with Alm Brand he spoke Danish and they were so impressed by his Danish skills that he got the job.
His dream of a career in the Danish banking sector is alive and kicking.
"I hope that my internship agreement will subsequently open the door to a job" says the upcoming bachelor of finance with a smile.
International students should all learn Danish
Bertold Bocskor from Hungary is one of many students who have chosen to switch familiar surroundings under domestic skies and chosen an international programme at Business Academy Aarhus. Bertold's advice to all international students is to learn Danish while they are still students.