The purpose of my abroad trip is to experience life as an intern in a foreign country. The company I will be interning for is called Zechbau (bau in German means construction). The entire entity is called the Zech Group, which is a family owned company that consists of 6 different divisions: Construction, International Consulting, Real Estate, Environment & Technology, Hotel, and Industry. Within these divisions are several companies or users that help the Zech Group operate and manage numerous projects. My particular role for these 7 weeks is to work on one or two big projects, assist my supervisor, and become more business savvy. All projects that I work on or help are confidential and will not be discussed in my blog due to privacy agreements I have signed.
My first day of work was quite interesting! My awesome supervisor gave me the tour of the office and I was introduced to almost every employee in the office. There are around 35 people who work at the Frankfurt office but there are approximately 7,800 employees in the entire Zech Group. The owner of this company goes by the name of Kurt Zech
As the only main English speaker besides my supervisor, communication was quite difficult. However, many of the employees were excited to meet me and wanted me to help them improve in English. Of course I was much obliged but also asked if they could help me learn German. The office is predominately white males with less than ten women in the office. The office consists of financial advisors, project managers, project advisors, procurement managers, and several administrators.
Since this is a construction company, I will be traveling to many sites to observe the projects being built. I am so blessed to be interning for such a respected company that is recognized locally and globally. Zechbau has had projects in China, Austria, and even Brazil so far. According to the owner, he wants this company to become more prosperous and extend across many continents in the coming years!
-AKW
MAIGC Summer Engagement Abroad Module 