Angelina Voß and Saskia Thomfohrde are both currently completing their 2nd year of training as industrial business management assistant at VTG. But why stay in Hamburg when you can go to Italy or Switzerland? That’s what our two apprentices thought, too, and so they gained practical experience at our locations in Saronno (Italy) and Steinhausen (Switzerland). How did they like it? We asked!
Saskia Thomfohrde talks about her internship in Saronno, Italy:
Why did you decide to do an internship abroad in Saronno?
I chose Italy because I wanted to work in a location where I could speak English. However, I made the final decision for Italy mainly because of the country, the culture and the people. I have been here on vacation several times and also have friends from Italy, which is why I have already had some contact with the country.
Before me, no apprentice had been here in Italy, which is why I first had to clarify whether it was even possible for me to spend my stay abroad there. It quickly became clear that the colleagues at the Saronno site were happy to have me join their team for two months in the summer, and the planning could begin.
What does your day-to-day work look like on site?
My daily work routine looks relatively similar to that in Germany. I work in Customer Service, the same department that I had the opportunity to work in in Germany. Here, however, I’m in the office every day, which is less often the case in Hamburg, where mobile working has become much more intensive since Corona.
But the way to work also makes the difference for me. Whereas in Hamburg it takes me a good hour by train to get to work, here I’m already at work after a 4-minute walk through the beautiful city center. Thanks to the nice team on site, it’s also simply a good working atmosphere in which I get to do my tasks every day.
“My stay abroad in 3 words: Exciting, enriching, wonderful!”
What do you like most about living in Italy?
The friendly way people interact with each other. Precisely because I don’t speak Italian, I often found myself in situations where I couldn’t communicate what I wanted, or didn’t understand the person across from me if there was no knowledge of English. Despite this, everyone always responded in a friendly manner and explained to me with their hands and feet what was meant, or other people with English skills stepped in to catch the situation. At work, too, I quickly noticed the openness of the employees, because since my arrival, they have also spoken English with each other for the most part during breaks, so that I can participate in the conversations and understand what they are talking about.
Apart from that, I’m impressed by the surroundings here. It takes me only 20 minutes by train to get to Milan, where I like to stroll through the streets after work. Beautiful alleys, impressive buildings, many stores and good restaurants make the city. Also not far is Lake Como, which is beautiful and a good place to cool off on hot days. On the weekends I like to explore other regions of Italy. So I was last weekend in Florence and could check off another city on my bucket list.
Angelina Voß talks about her internship in Steinhausen, Switzerland:
How did your internship abroad in Steinhausen come about?
The opportunity arose as part of my assignment in the Asset Segment Bulk. Before me, a apprentice had already been working there, and she got to know the Swiss colleagues. In an exchange with each other, it emerged that the colleagues would like to take on a apprentice for an internship abroad. This option was then offered to me. Of course I didn’t say no to that – also because it made me the first apprentice to spend her assignment abroad in Switzerland. Then it was time to plan the trip from mid-April to early May, which my colleagues from Switzerland helped me with. I looked for an AirBnb in the city of Zug and the flights were also booked.
What tasks did you have in Steinhausen and what did you learn during your stay?
I was able to gain a lot of insights into the daily work of my colleagues, also from the other areas that are based in Switzerland, e.g. Customer Service or Scrapping. I was also taught a lot about the intermodal fleet and intermodal solutions (r2L and Powerbox). I also had a project on shifting traffic to rail, for which I made a PowerPoint. In the presentation, I incorporated information from internet research, but also a lot of already existing documents. Privately, I also learned how to get along on my own in a foreign country.
„My stay abroad in summary: Impressive, great team and exciting work!“
Apart from your work at VTG: Have you been able to explore Switzerland after work?
Unfortunately, the weather was not so good, but I still went to see the cities of Lucerne and Zurich on the weekends. I was also able to explore the unique nature and go hiking a bit, for example to the Zuger Berg or the Höhlengrotte (stalactite cave) in Baar. On some hikes I was all to myself and could experience the secluded nature for myself, but on others I met many people. Since my sister visited me for a weekend in Switzerland, I was also able to experience a lot together with her.
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