Our partnership with CIEE: Alex’s international internship

Photos: anto team

August 20, 2026 by

Karl Kronfeld

"At anto, interns don't just support projects, they actively shape them."

— anto team

For many engineering students, completing an internship abroad is about much more than gaining work experience. It's an opportunity to immerse yourself in a new culture, collaborate with an international team, and apply your engineering knowledge to real-world projects.

This summer, we welcomed Alex to anto through the CIEE International Internship Program. Coming from the United States, Alex joined our engineering team in Berlin to gain hands-on experience while experiencing startup life in one of Europe's most innovative cities.

Why anto?

Like many students searching for an international internship, Alex wanted an opportunity that offered practical engineering experience rather than simply observing from the sidelines.

While searching for internships through the CIEE program, one company stood out.

"I came across CIEE while looking for international internships. After filtering through the available companies, anto stood out because it was a bike company, and I knew mechanical and industrial engineers could work on real, hands-on projects."

— Alex

First impressions of Berlin

An internship abroad naturally brings some surprises.

For Alex, one of the biggest was the culture at anto. Instead of everyone eating lunch separately, colleagues regularly cooked and shared meals together, making it easy to get to know the team.

"I thought I'd have to bring my own lunch every day, but cooking and eating together became one of my favorite parts of the internship."

— Alex

Moving to another country can seem intimidating, but language wasn't a major challenge. Because English is widely used within our international team, Alex was able to communicate comfortably from his very first day.

"As long as you speak English, that's basically all you need, at least at anto and in Berlin overall."

— Alex

From University to professional Engineering

For Alex, the biggest adjustment was not moving abroad, but making the transition from studies into industry. Unlike university projects, engineering projects in a company do not end with a grade. Progress is made through collaboration, feedback, and continuous improvement.

"In college you're constantly evaluated. Here, you do your best, receive feedback, and keep improving. I actually enjoyed that much more."

— Alex

Working alongside experienced engineers gave him the opportunity to learn practical problem-solving while contributing to projects with real-world impact.

A project to remember

One of Alex's proudest achievements was designing a custom 3D-printed welding jig that improved both safety and efficiency during the manufacturing process.

"I'm most proud of designing a 3D-printed welding jig that makes welding safer and easier. I'll also always remember my first task of cutting and shaping metal because it marked the start of my experience."

— Alex

While technical experience was a major part of the internship, some of Alex's favourite memories happened outside the workshop.

"Definitely Helena, the office cat. And participating in the networking event with the team."

— Alex

Whether it's sharing lunch with colleagues, exploring Berlin after work, or attending company events, international internships offer experiences that extend well beyond engineering.

Interested in an Engineering internship?

If you're interested in gaining practical engineering experience while living abroad, anto offers international students the opportunity to work on meaningful projects in a collaborative startup environment.

Through our partnership with CIEE, interns develop technical skills, work alongside an international engineering team, and experience what it's like to build products in one of Europe's leading startup ecosystems.

Learn more about CIEE here.

We look forward to welcoming you to the team.

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Meet our Engineering interns

Photos: anto team