Laura Jackson

You might think that an International Exchange program is just about studying overseas, but with Griffith's Ruhr Valley Internship you can also gain practical experience working in a foreign country.

As part of the fully-funded internship, you spend the Australian summer in Germany studying the local language and then you spend six to seven weeks gaining work experience with leading German and international firms.

Business student Laura Jackson, who combines her studies with a part-time job at KPMG on the Gold Coast, was placed with KPMG's German division.

"I was in the audit division and worked on a project for a large multinational mining company. I assisted with specific audit procedures and also with the correspondence in English to the subsidiaries in Australia, China, Brazil, Russia, and England," Laura said.

You learn practical business skills, you meet new people and you get to travel, it's a great experience that I'd do all over again if I had the chance.

A joint initiative of Griffith Business School and Germany's Duisburg-Essen University, the 13-week internship program also provides you with valuable networks that can come in handy once you graduate.

"I have remained in contact with my co-workers in Germany, so I would love to return and work with KPMG. There are many opportunities for English speakers to find work as Germany has a lot of multinational companies," she said.

• Bachelor of Business (Hotel Management)