For the sixth semester of my studies at The Hochschule Niederrhein in Mönchengladbach in the field of Textile and Clothing Management, I decided to do an internship abroad. With an internship abroad, I was able to combine both a stay abroad and further practical experience.
An internship at Hugo Boss had been floating around in my head since "MG zieht an" 2015, when I talked to the company's representatives at the fair about internship semester abroad opportunities. As a result, I applied for the internship positions advertised on the Internet for the New York office last fall. After two telephone interviews, I was accepted for a position in the wholesale area. This was the start of my great adventure in New York.
With the acceptance for the internship in America, I was faced with the biggest and most nerve-wracking challenge for me: the visa application. For the J1 visa, several letters of reference from professors or former employers, a letter of motivation for the stay, an employment contract for the internship on site, proof of language skills as well as a certificate for sufficient health insurance and financial support were required. The on-site appointment at the American Embassy in Frankfurt was then rather uncomplicated and also the confirmed visa arrived, faster than expected, within a few days by mail at my home.
The previous Hugo Boss interns kindly compiled a list of their accommodations from which I chose the Webster Apartments. The accommodation is, like almost everything in New York, not very cheap. However, the roughly $1500 rent (for a tiny room with shared bathroom) includes breakfast and dinner, there are weekly events like sports classes and movie nights, round-the-clock security, and the location in Midtown/Hell's Kitchen Manhattan with a view of the Empire State Building is simply unbeatable. With one step out the door you are immediately in the middle of the hustle and bustle and can reach all the central places of the city super fast.
New York, as one of the biggest fashion capitals in the world, seemed to be the perfect place for my internship semester. The city is not only incredibly big and loud, but also offers an incredible amount of culture and numerous activities around the clock. You can store from Monday to Sunday, brunch from morning to night and experience crazy things at any time of day. Even though New York is an expensive place to visit, it also offers a lot of free things to do. A visit to the numerous art galleries in Chelsea or the MET, a street art tour along the graffiti in Brooklyn, a walk through Central Park, a concert by incredibly talented musicians in the subway stations or a ride on the Staten Island Ferry past the Statue of Liberty - is all possible without a single dollar in your pocket.
What I like most about the city is its incredible diversity and tolerance for difference. Everyone can find a place where their favorite music is played live or a restaurant that authentically prepares their favorite food from whatever country. This overabundance can also overwhelm you, but if you know how to use and appreciate it, you can discover a lot. An absolute highlight for me were the "speakeasy" bars that are hidden all over the city. They are a holdover from the days of alcohol prohibition in the US. The then illegal bars are also today from the outside mostly very inconspicuous, but as soon as you enter them you feel immediately transported back to the 20s. Some of the wine and cocktails are still served in cups and the beer is hidden in a brown paper bag. In addition, there is live jazz, burlesque shows or a crash course in swing dancing.
Besides New York City itself, I used my stay in the USA to make a few trips to the "closer" surroundings. Washington D.C. and also Philadelphia are only 4-5 hours by bus from the city and tickets for them start at about $15. The trip to the Hamptons is shorter but a bit more expensive. With the Jitney bus you pay about 50 dollars on weekends, which in my opinion is worth it on a nice summer day, because the beach there is really nice and the mansions are well worth seeing.
However, a trip to Hoboken, New Jersey, or to Rockaway Beach in Brooklyn is also enough to get a little distance from the hustle and bustle of the city.
I did my internship in New York at Hugo Boss. The German company, headquartered in Metzingen, has a corporate office in downtown Manhattan that takes care of the American market, including Canada and South America. The office and therefore my workplace for the 6 months is located near Wall Street on the 48th floor. Besides the almost 30 other interns who started there at the same time as me, there are about 200 employees working in an open-plan office.
In addition to the actual office, the Wholsale department also uses the adjacent showroom for any appointments with clients and to present the collection. My team (Wholesale Womenswear) welcomed me from the beginning in a typically American very open and friendly way. I was quickly integrated into the team and was allowed to attend the important appointments in the showroom as well as store visits of our clients (Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales...) and support my team. The entire office has been very welcoming to me and all the other interns. We were all quickly integrated and invited to "Farewell Parties" or "Happy Hour". Also the fact that I started there together with almost 30 other interns was a great luck for me. The company itself made a point of letting us get to know each other, so we were able to explore the city together for half a year.
In addition to our own tasks in the departments, all interns always had the opportunity to exchange ideas with one of the top managers at our so-called "Lunch and Learns" and to learn more about the other departments, the person and the company.
True to the American culture, "Casual Friday" was also celebrated every week. The day starts with a "Happy Friday!" to greet everyone, and true to the motto, you are allowed to wear jeans and sneakers even near Wall Street on Fridays for a change. The radio in our office runs a bit louder on this day and most people actually seem more relaxed. Even though there are clear hierarchies, as in Germany, the interaction among the employees is much more relaxed, at least superficially. It often happens that our CEO greets the cleaning lady with a kiss on the forehead and gives us interns a handshake.
However, the relaxed atmosphere in the offices does not hide other things. The rules in the working world are quite different from the well protected German workplaces. During my time there, many managers were laid off or rehired due to general restructuring, often from one day to the next. There are also significantly fewer vacation days for employees, and in the event of a termination at short notice, there is rarely insurance to cover the employee. However, these facts are not usually so noticeable in everyday life, or I did not notice them more as an intern. However, the large number of homeless people on the streets of New York makes sense when you consider how quickly you can fall into poverty here.
At the degree of my internship, the company even threw a small farewell party with drinks and pizza, which made me realize once again how much our work and support in the company was appreciated. My small team also made the effort to see me off with a cake, card and gift, so I definitely left the company with at least one teary eye.
New York, as a city, had already taken a liking to me after a short time. The endless possibilities and the endless offer were every day anew a small adventure for itself. I consider myself very lucky to have shared my time in New York and working at Hugo Boss with a great group of other interns who have become close friends during these months. The six months in New York have passed me by as if in fast motion. My stay in New York is so packed with exciting experiences and impactful memories. I feel very fortunate for all the experiences I had there and was grateful every second for this great opportunity. During my time there, I not only gained practical experience for my studies and improved my English skills, but also took away an incredible amount of impressions of a very inspiring city and its people, as well as getting to know a different culture. Looking back, I would do everything the same way again and can only highly recommend it to anyone who is thinking about doing something similar. No one can take this adventure away from me and it was worth every effort and every penny.
