David's Experience, NGO

The guys at Vuste were very friendly and very helpful throughout

my stay in Prague and it is a shame that my stay was not longer.

I remember Lukas saying to me “I will not leave until you have

internet” and I think that says a lot about the kind of guys there

are at Vuste. They are determined to help you as much as possible.

My mentor had me 3 interviews in quick succession and I

had 3 internships in quick succession. I chose Agora Central

Europe and the Czech Helsinki Committee for political and

human rights reasons and I chose GRB International because it

was a marketing job within an export business.

Everyone at my internships greeted me very well but the language barrier was more difficult with some employees than others. My tasks were laid down in front of me very early on and my roles included English language consultant, marketing consultant, political analyst and foreign media correspondent. This meant that my tasks

would involve weekly reports and meetings, _xing grammatical errors in funding proposals or extensive research. During my internships I learned how to give reports

during meetings, how to conduct more efficient research, the workings of a Non Governmental Organisation, improved my communication skills and learned more about

working environments in a different culture.

The experience for me was very helpful and added more strength to my CV but I had

already arranged to move to Spain in a cultural exchange before I had gone to

Prague. This has meant that I am unsure if all of this will have helped my employability.

I have applied for an internship with NATO and their SHAPE division in Belgium so

I am quietly hoping that my experience gained in Prague will be a deciding factor.

Prague life was wonderful. It seems much more relaxed within a working environment

than it does in the United Kingdom. That was something I liked a lot. Public transport

made it easy to get around and the people were generally quite friendly with us. The

nightlife really is something else and if you go out for a night with your friends, it really

is an all night affair. There were many occasions when my friends and I would have

been coming home with the sun shining.

What I remember most about Prague is the friendship and the laughter that I had with

the other men on the trip. I would love to go back and do it again, Prague was just

fantastic in every way and that could possibility be the highlight of highlights.