My internship at the United States Embassy – Commercial Service was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had so far. Getting the chance to work alongside the CS team is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I believe to have benefitted me more than I can say now.

I have had the opportunity to work on various projects of different complexity such as making an office supplies list and compiling everyone’s comments into a centralized form, working on the Country Commercial Guide 2008 for trade and advertising, direct marketing, and telecommunications, provide support for many meetings, do a market research and present it in a useable form, search specific information and keep the databases updated. Apart from these projects, I had the opportunity to help with various tasks, from translating documents to administrative support. I also attended a couple of presentations and workshops where I was able to provide assistance and learn quite a few things regarding the telecommunication industry, energy management and many others.

The people that work at the CS are really good at what they do and have proven to be very supportive with me at all times. They each kept a balanced workload for me so I would not get bored, but not overloaded with tasks. They also agreed on a priority system so I would know the next most important thing that I have to do, which helped me a lot to deliver the results on time.

Overall, the experience was rewarding and a great chance to apply the theoretical knowledge and see business practices come to life in front of my eyes. I would highly recommend this to anyone seeking an internship in international trade, international commerce and foreign affairs.

For more information about my intern experience with CS Romania, U.S. Embassy in Bucharest, you can e-mail to monica.pascu@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov .