Within days of arriving in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, Bjorn Renker was helping plan the city’s biggest annual parade.

Bjorn, 24, needed to spend five months working in a business as part of his Masters degree in Business Administration at the University of Applied Science in Jena, between Berlin and Munich. The SA Adelaide Language Centre found him work at the Australia Day Council, which he says involved “a very wide range of duties”.

“The Australia Day Council is not just involved in organising Australia Day but in other things like merchandising and running the shop here as well.”

Sitting at the front desk of the office at Adelaide’s historic Post Office, Bjorn found that dealing with the public in person and on the telephone was a major part of his job. He was also given responsibility for coordinating the Australia Day Parade, which involves almost 900 people and 300 vintage cars passing through the city on January 26.

“I was sending out all these letters to the participants in the parade, organising the marshals and answering any of their questions,” he said.

“It was very interesting, especially as I didn’t know anything about the protocol in Australia. I had no idea what it means to write a letter to the Governor or the Premier compared to normal writing.”

Bjorn says he was “really impressed” with the SA Adelaide Language Centre, which found him work placement and home stay accommodation.

“It’s a nice environment ­ just brilliant,” he said.

“It is so good that there is someone to take care of all the problems of where to live and who helps you with support

“Adelaide is a very interesting place to be and I’ve seen a lot of different things in the exciting areas of Adelaide, especially with the friends I’ve gained at the Language Centre and also with the Australian friends.

“This time in Adelaide will always be very special in my memory as a good and pleasant experience.”