Should I apply at a company where my uncle is the head?

Question

I study business computer science at the university and I'm in my 5th semester. We are obliged to do an internship in our studies which takes 4 months.

I currently work as a programmer (working student) in an international retail group and I really love it there. But its core business isn't technology/IT but retail. It is a great experience because everyday I learn something new even if I fail, I learn from failure. My grades aren't bad, but I'm not an "A" student.

I've got an uncle, who lives abroad and he's a branch manager of a big IT-company. This branch only contains about 15 people but they are all experts in what they do.

We've met last summer after we haven't seen each other for a long time. He began asking me about my studies and we discussed programming and software engineering. He also showed me his office and explained everything in detail to me. He was kind of surprised about the things I knew and I asked him all my questions about programming I couldn't search answers for myself.

The bottom line is, I want to do my internship in this company at his branch, abroad. It would be a great experience working in a pure IT-company. But I don't want that he hires me because I'm his nephew but because I love what I do.

So my questions are: Is it possible for a not-A-student working in a company comparable to Microsoft with experts around me? If so, how should I apply? Should I tell him about my wish or should I apply formally?

Answer 1

Is it possible for a not-A-student working in a company comparable to Microsoft with experts around me? If so, how should I apply? Should I tell him about my wish or should I apply formally?

I would suggest you proceed in two ways:

1. First, ask your career director if this company is applicable for your internship. Only if your director, or the one in charge of internships, says it's OK then proceed to step 2. Make sure to mention that your uncle works there, in case your university has some restrictions about family members and places you can do your internships.

2. If everything is OK, I suggest you then approach your uncle and tell him you are interested in doing your internship with them. If they are willing and able, then ask what would be the next steps, or how should you apply for such role. Chances are he will redirect you to a formal application, or present you with an internship-specific form... but that only the company knows.

That way you will be sure this is a viable option, the company is OK with it, and know the proper way of applying if the possibility is real.

If all this seems to work out, you will also have to consider what/how you want to do with your current job. Most likely you will have to resign from it to take on the internship. If that is the case, make sure to coordinate yourself properly so you can serve your Notice Period, or well react accordingly to your plan.