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By Ana A. Lima
Arizona Daily Wildcat
November 15, 1996
Motivation, good work ethics and the ability to communicate in a foreign language can lead to a paid job in Europe.The University of Arizona Department of German Studies sends about 10 students every summer to Germany, Finland, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxemburg and Japan as part of the International Cooperative Education Program.
While in Europe, students work full time or intern in professional fields such as marketing, agriculture, chemistry, electrical and mechanical engineering and construction while gaining proficiency in a foreign language. Hospitals, restaurants and supermarkets are also regular employers for the program.
Albrecht Classen, German Studies professor, said students make an average of $1,500 a month, while being exposed to a different culture.
"They earn money, learn the language, and their grades go up," he said.
GŠnter Seefeldt, ICE director, will be in Modern Languages Room 502 today from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. speaking about the program, which places about 400 students between the ages of 18 and 30 every year.
The program lasts eight to 12 weeks, from mid-June to September, and UA students can get college credit for participating.
Seefeldt will also interview students who are interested in participating in the work abroad program next summer.
ICE is one of a few programs that makes it possible for American students to work in Europe, Classen said. The program has contacts with government offices in Germany and other European countries, he said.
"Among the firms providing these exciting opportunities in Europe are BMW, IBM, Credit Suisse Bank, ABB Insurance, and Migros Corporation," Seefeldt stated in a letter sent to universities and colleges that promoted the program.
Normally, students interested in working in Europe would need to find a job on their own before leaving the United States. Then, they must apply for a work permit, according to a German consulate official in Los Angeles.
Through ICE, however, students simply fill out an application, and once a job is located the program applies for their job permit, Classen said.
Students pay a $500 program fee and their plane ticket to Europe. Round-trip tickets during high season can cost about $800 at a special student rate.
Most European companies who employ students in the program provide room and board, Classen said.
Students must have at least $800 with them at the time of departure as initial expense money until they receive their first month's salary. They also must show proof of health and accident insurance.
The program was founded 26 years ago by Seefeldt while he was a professor of German and French at Western Maryland College. Ellen Seefeldt, co-director of the program, said her husband created the program because he realized his students weren't able to speak the language they were learning and didn't recognize its importance.
Ellen Seefeldt said the ICE program is the best way to learn a language. In other study abroad programs, students attend classes in English and end up not learning the language, she said.
ICE students are placed in dormitories, apartments or host families for the time they are working there.
"There are no other programs like that. Our students are taken care of," Classen said.
At the end of the program, participants write a 15-page report about their experience.
Those interested can contact the Department of German Studies at 621-7385 or attend today's meeting.
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