From the Netherlands to Hout Bay:
October 2024 | Sophie van Schaijik
Sophie’s Thrilling Crime Prevention Internship Adventure!"
Hello (sawubona)!
I’m Sophie, 22 years old, living in the beautiful Brabant region of the Netherlands, and studying Integrated Safety Management. I’m in my third year, which meant it was time to find an internship. Being young and free, I wanted to choose an internship that might be harder to do later in life, especially once you’re older or have a family.
That’s why I decided to look for an internship in a country farther from home, with the help of Gap. With Margriet’s help, I ended up at CCP (Community Crime Prevention) in Hout Bay, which is about a 20-minute drive from Cape Town. CCP is an organization that provides 24/7 support to anyone, whether it’s for burglaries, medical emergencies, violence, and more. They also investigate crimes, track down suspects, and provide evidence to the local police to help make Cape Town safer.
My workdays are really varied! One moment I’m in the control room (kind of like an emergency call center) answering calls, and the next I’m at a crime scene looking for signs of a break-in or getting information from victims. This is what makes my internship so much fun—it’s always different and sometimes a little chaotic!
Overall Experience
Through my internship at CCP, I’ve discovered that my passion lies in taking action. I enjoy going out and visiting a new place every day. I like doing investigative work and spending hours reviewing camera footage to eventually help the police arrest the suspect. In short, I really enjoy being able to contribute to everyone’s safety and provide help to those who need it.
During my internship, I got to do so many amazing activities. You can plan your weekends in Cape Town with so much fun, like visiting Table Mountain, enjoying delicious food by the beach, whale watching on a speedboat, soaking in the breathtaking nature, swimming with penguins, and maybe having a few too many drinks at the famous nightlife strip in Cape Town. My internship also gave me the opportunity to do some activities during the week. For example, I got my diving certification with PADI to explore the underwater world. In short, my internship was super flexible, and they were always happy to help me make the most of my time here and have the time of my life.
To wrap up, I’d like to share a tip: If you’re considering doing an international internship… DO IT! If you’re worried about being away from home for 6 months… talk about it! After discussing with Gap and my internship supervisor, I decided to split my internship into two parts, which allowed me to go home halfway through. This made it much easier to manage any homesickness. And my last piece of advice: Enjoy it! Because, as everyone says, and I can now confirm, “time flies.”
Thankyou (Baie dankie) and goodluck! (sukses)
Review Gap Africa
Finding an internship in the security sector in South Africa turned out to be quite a challenge. Fortunately, I received incredible support from GAP, and I can honestly say it was a great experience. Margriet helped me every step of the way, from finding the right internship to guiding me through the entire process. We started with a Zoom meeting where I could share my preferences and expectations. Then Margriet went to work finding a number of suitable internships for me. I found this support incredibly helpful, as securing an internship abroad can be quite stressful.
From practical concerns like where I would sleep and how to get from the airport to my accommodation, to figuring out where to get a SIM card and whether my accommodation would be safe – these are all worries you might have when going abroad for an extended period. Thanks to Margriet, I didn’t have to worry about any of these things. She quickly presented a few options for me to choose from, and we discussed which one best matched my needs and goals.
Once I had chosen my internship, we had another Zoom meeting with my future supervisor, where Margriet helped me ask the right questions so I could gather all the information I needed. This made the conversation much less intimidating for me, and it was reassuring to have someone who spoke both Dutch and English to help with translations.
After finalizing my internship, I realized how difficult it would be to pack up and leave for six months to live in another country. After much thought, I shared my concerns with Margriet, and we had a very helpful conversation. Together, we found a good compromise. We decided to split my internship into two parts: two months in South Africa, two months in the Netherlands, and then another month in South Africa. This solution worked perfectly for me, as it helped ease my homesickness and made me more excited about the internship!
Overall, I highly recommend using GAP. It not only provides in valuable support in finding an internship but also ensures you never feel alone in the process. You always have a contact person to rely on, which makes everything much less stressful.