1. Who are you and what are your dreams? Tell us a little about you!

I’m Charlotte Pelleray, I’m 21. I’m a French student at Inseec BS, a business school in Bordeaux. I am fond of culture and arts, and I would love to combine these interests with my professional project : working in the digital marketing.

2. How did you find/get the internship at 99designs? Did you use an organization to find it?

I was looking for an internship especially in Berlin, because I had heard a lot about this city. My school has a database where we can find all the internships done by the students. I have sent a lot of emails and finally, I found out that one former student of my school has made an internship at 12designers, which is now part of 99designs. I sent my resume, made some interviews and the adventure began!

3. What did you do during your internship and what did you learn? Was it useful for you?

During my three months internship, I had the opportunity to work on both the French digital marketing and the French customer support and account management. I was especially in charge of the community management and the Content Marketing by bringing some fresh air to the French blog. I wrote several articles published on it and I was careful about using keywords for the SEO. I was also taking care of the French Customer Support and Account Management. I was helping customers, giving them information, tips and support by chat, emails and phone.

This internship has been very rewarding. I have learned a lot from this sort of startup environment where everyone is a true piece of the team. It has reassured me in my professional choice of working in the digital marketing and it has given me the opportunity to discover the amazing city of Berlin.

4. Did you have a mentor, that was taking care of you in the office?

Yes, there were 2 people in charge of my internship – who were French. They were helping me a lot at the beginning, but then I also worked with other people in the company and learned a lot from them as well. At the beginning, I think it is good to know that you have someone to rely on – in particular if that person speaks your language.

5. Did you speak German in the office or what other language did you speak?

I didn’t speak a word of German so I was speaking English in the office. As some of my colleagues were French, I also spoke French sometimes.

6. Do you think it makes sense to have a program for internships abroad that combines the internship in a foreign country with learning the foreign language?

From my personal experience, it would help a lot. I spent 3 months in Berlin without speaking German and it was very difficult sometimes in the daily life – even though Berlin is a very multicultural city where almost everyone speaks a bit of English.

For instance, for legal and administrative stuff, not speaking German is not an option. Even for finding a flatshare, it is likely recommended to send emails in the nation speaking language and to be able to communicate with your flatmates. That’s why having, at least, some bases in the foreign language is really important. It gives the opportunity to make the best from your trip abroad.

7. Why did you choose 99designs to make an internship?

Most of all, I wanted to work in the digital domain and Berlin seemed to be a good option for that. There are a lot of companies and startups in that sector and Berlin is now called the European Silicon Valley. When I first found out about 99designs, I thought it was an interesting concept surfing on two main trends : crowdsourcing and ebusiness.

8. Do you recommend internships at all?

oing internships is really important to understand what we would like to do in the future. For instance, I was first studying Law & Political Sciences, but through different internships, I realized that – although it could be really interesting - I wanted to work in something more fun. Internships are also a good way to get out the traditional school system, have the opportunity to work on something that really matters and take responsibilities. Of course, it is a huge strength for a resume as well.

9. What would be your message to later interns at 99designs?

Just enjoy the great opportunity of working in a multicultural company!

10. Would you be interested in an internship in Japan?

I think doing an internship in Japan would be an incredible opportunity to discover a new culture and new trends. Nevertheless, I do think that I might not be that brave to go there by myself without having someone to rely on and without understanding a word of Japanese. That’s why a program like this would make sense.