Even though many of our graduates will have progressed in their careers since completing a case study, they are still of interest to students who wish to gain an understanding of the world of work.

I am responsible for coordinating e-commerce for our company's English-language webshops. My main tasks include customer service, web content, translation, SEO marketing, and SEA marketing.

No two days are the same for me. Every day consists of a variation of marketing, content, and customer service in different amounts and types. Some days I will find myself working more intensely with Google Ads to market our company, in busier periods I will be spending more time doing customer service, and in quieter times I will find myself spending more time on checking the content of our websites and translating products.

Etrias is an SME, so it is a very friendly environment that is quite relaxed. I don't feel like a cog in a machine, I feel like everyone in our office has a common goal. I also like that the job has a lot of variety; I'm not the sort of person who could do the exact same thing day in day out.

This job actually started for me as an internship, after which I was asked to continue. I was drawn to this company because it is based in the Netherlands and I was finishing a degree in Dutch and German with very little idea of what I wanted to do. I felt that this position would enable me to keep practicing my Dutch, which it did, and would also allow me to gain experience in a range of areas that I previously had very little experience in, namely marketing.

Since my degree I have not acquired any specific qualifications. I have developed a lot of skills that I did not have, particularly regarding SEO and SEA marketing, but no specific qualifications.

Etrias might be a small company at the moment, but in the last years it has grown considerably, particularly the UK market. Therefore, depending on how Brexit affects UK-EU trade, I could see myself growing within this framework. Personally, I do not see myself moving back to the UK. I wasn't sure whether I would stay after my internship, but I can't imagine moving back now! I know a lot of my friends did the same as me and got an internship or temporary placement abroad but went back to the UK afterwards, but I think trying something abroad is fantastic opportunity. There's a lot more out there than you think!

From my own personal experience and that of those who also studied my course, trying a placement abroad, temporary or not, is something I would highly recommend. It will give you a great edge on your CV, will be great fun, and just after you graduate is the best time to go. As a student, you have organisations such as AIESEC that will help you find opportunities abroad and that will help you throughout the process. (I would definitely recommend AIESEC as an organisation in general!)