Jakub Rzucidlo is a final year Politics with German student who graduates this July. He spent his year abroad in Vienna working full-time in an international project management and translation company. Recently, he finished his placement under the POLI342 module working in the office of an MP in the House of Commons. In this blog, he describes his time and how the year abroad experience helped him during his time in Westminster.
In May 2025, I finished my three-month placement in the House of Commons working for an MP, done as part of my degree. I started the application process when I was still on my work placement in Vienna as part of my compulsory year abroad in 2023-2024. On the day of the initial interview for the University’s pre-selection, I sneakily left the office early and, with a lot of anxiety in my voice, explained why I would be a great fit for this Politics module, including a placement in the Houses of Parliament. Fast forward to February 2025, and I found myself in the middle of British politics in action.
Among the grand corridors, Big Ben chiming every hour, with famous figures or visitors, there I was, stressed and panicky, thinking that surely, this is some sort of dream. With my recent work experience, I suddenly realised how important it was to be confident in what you already know and applying the skills that I had acquired abroad: Self-discipline, working independently to a high standard, determination and organisation.
At the time, despite occasionally feeling that the year was dragging on, I adored the city and would take a one-way ticket back to Vienna without hesitating. I enjoyed the occasional schnitzel date with my friend Teresa Pretismuir, also from the University of Liverpool, who was teaching in Austria with the British Council Language Assistantship programme as part of her year abroad. I disregarded how much my work experience in Vienna would mean for my future and how much it gave me the confidence to seize the next opportunity at Westminster.
My experience abroad will always be a positive add-on to interviews or conversations I have with companies or professionals, and mentioning that I speak German to a German visitor will always be a great conversation starter (may I clarify: of course, I did it all in German!). You can read about some of my Viennese impressions in German on our student-led Scausländer blog.
To sum up, I harvested what I sowed in experience throughout my four years at the University of Liverpool. Some of my Vienna colleagues even came to London to visit me during my time at Westminster this last semester, which was the icing on the top of my degree experience.