SCA for foreigners

As I am in the airplane on my way back to London from a four day easter break in Vienna, I’m filled with a sense of sadness. The time with my friends and family went by way to quick. After not seeing them for over 3 months, spending a couple of days together showed me how much I actually missed them during my busy days in SCA.

To move somewhere else, be it for education, work, or whatever takes you somewhere is one of the best experiences you can ever make. I can really only recommend it to everyone. And the best place, if you want to go somewhere for education and or/to start working in the creative sector is SCA. So I thought I will highlight the benefits and also the difficulties of being a foreigner in SCA – if some applicants ever need a bit of decision backing.

The Language

Being one of the less foreigners – whose mother language isn’t English – I do have to say I was struggling to understand everything and keep up with the speed everything is going in at the beginning. My English is quite good and still it took me some months to really get used to it. My incapability of expressing myself the way I wanted to, made me a bit more insecure and silent than I usually am and it really took me a while to get out of that. But learning and speaking in another language is such an amazing thing to do.

I’ve always had a big vocabulary in German and as I love language and how the language you use is saying so much about you, I’ve always expressed the things I said very particular and in a beautiful language. I really missed that in english, as my vocabulary really wasn’t that big and I couldn’t say things the way I wanted to. Be prepared for that.

Surround yourself with loads of English people. Swatch everything to english, the books you read, the movies you watch, even your phone and other devices.


Ant try never to use your language barrier as an excuse. Also not for ‘I’m the art director I don’t need to know the words’. But that’s just my opinion.

The people

If you move to another city and know no one, SCA is great for that.
There are a lot of other foreigners, also new to the city. Also open to do new stuff, with new people. And not only them, also everyone else is very open to each other and you don’t only spend your working time together but also your Friday nights and you’ll always find someone who wants to join you for whatever you want to do.

Through the intensity and the time you spent together you really grow together.

And while some people say it’s not good to only have friends who work in advertising – which I agree with – the people in SCA will get you. They will understand the inner pressure your going through, the doubts, the imposter, the insecurities about partnering up, everything. And they will be there for you, whatever you need.

And you will still have your friends from home, so don’t worry about spending too much time with those young advertising people.

The friends let down

One benefit you’ll have if you’re foreign is that your friends won’t feel like you let them down. While a lot of Londoners struggle to explain why they have to postpone yet another MEETING. If most of your friends aren’t from London, you don’t have to struggle as much with that.

The Housing

Sort out where you’ll live before you start SCA. Once you start you want to have settled, at least a little.
Also it is quite nice to move in with people from SCA if you are moving to London. BUT you’ll have the same time to get ready in the morning, are again surrounded by advertising people and ONLY ever move in with people who are less messy than you are.

Some more tips

Start practicing your English as soon as you know you’re gonna join SCA. Get familiar with the English culture.

London is quite expensive, but don’t worry, you’ll be so busy you won’t be able to spend too much money on the nice things to do in the city.

It really is worth the move.