Alumni Stories: International Students on Studying in Lithuania

<p><em>
<div class="media media-element-container media-default">
<div id="file-1378579" class="file file-image">
<div class="content">
<img style="" alt="" title="" class="media-element file-default" src="/sites/default/files/ananyo1_1.jpg" height="302" width="300"></div>
</div>
</div></em></p>
<p><em>Ananyo currently works for Danske Bank.</em></p>
<p><strong>What brought you to study in Lithuania?</strong></p>
<p>After finishing my bachelor studies back home, I really wanted to challenge myself and get international experience. That’s why I decided to look for opportunities in Europe for affordable international studies at high-ranking universities. I went on QS websites and found many universities to choose from and VGTU University in Lithuania has fulfilled my requirements. I found great study quality for a reasonable price. Moreover, I really enjoyed living in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania where my studies where held.</p>
<p><strong>Were you expecting to find a job in Lithuania after your studies?</strong></p>
<p>I had great success in finding an internship and full-time job after my studies in Lithuania. I was looking to find a place to work and also get international work experience. I got an internship before my studies finished in Western Union and then was offered a full-time job.</p>
<p><strong>How would you describe working in Lithuania?</strong></p>
<p>I really appreciate the working culture in Danske Bank Lithuania. People are very professional and take responsibilities seriously. I am amazed how curious, smart and effective people are here.</p>
<p>It was easy to integrate as Danske Bank’s internal language is English, we are working in a global setup and there are colleagues from different countries that are all working together. People are less expressive here which differs to the culture I was raised in, so I had to learn and adapt to it.</p>

<p><em>
<div class="media media-element-container media-default">
<div id="file-1378580" class="file file-image">
<div class="content">
<img style="" alt="" title="" class="media-element file-default" src="/sites/default/files/thumbnail_image8_1.jpg"></div>
</div>
</div></em></p>
<p><em>Ekaterina currently works for Booking.com</em></p>
<p><strong>What brought you to study in Lithuania?</strong></p>
<p>I realized I wanted to study abroad a long time ago. I moved to live in Hungary with my parents when I was a kid because of their work, so I had a chance to see a different culture and their attitude to a lot of things including studies. I moved back to Belarus but still had a strong vision of entering a foreign university as I always thought that the education abroad is better.</p>
<p>I wanted to go to a Hungarian university, but it would be quite pricey to attend the specific uni I was considering. So I started searching for other options and one day my mom advised me to check Vilnius University, one of the oldest universities in Europe. I liked the program (Business Administration), checked the requirements for the application, passed all necessary exams like IELTS and got accepted.</p>
<p><strong>Were you expecting to find a job in Lithuania?</strong></p>
<p>I didn't know in advance whether I would like to move or to stay in Lithuania after I finished my studies. After my internship in Portugal I understood I did not want to go somewhere far away as Lithuanian culture was quite close to my national one and I felt more comfortable here.</p>
<p>I decided to stay and try to find some work as I could stay for half a year in Lithuania to search for a job. I should say that it's not the easiest thing to find a job as a non-EU foreigner. I wanted to continue my career in marketing as I already had some experience and really enjoyed it. However, when the companies got to know about the bureaucratic procedure that needed to be followed for me to be able to work, they would always kindly say ‘no’ as it was quicker and faster to hire a local person.</p>
<p>When I saw the position at <em>Booking.com</em>, I was curious to become a part of the company about which I knew a lot as a customer. And this was the company who agreed to help me with my permits. I've now been working here for one-and-a-half years and don't plan to change my workplace in the near future.</p>
<p><strong>How would you describe working in Lithuania?</strong></p>
<p>I can say confidently that I feel comfortable working in Lithuania. I have a lot of support from my colleagues or friends if I have legal questions (for instance, about taxes, declarations, etc.). Overall Lithuanian culture is similar to Belarusian, so it was easy for me to integrate. Of course, there are different people, some are open and easy to approach, others are more closed and introverted, but it is like this in any country.</p>
<p>Overall, I would say that for a lot of people Lithuania would be a good country to work and live in.</p>