Inside training: Interview with office management assistant Laura

Hello, I'm Laura, 18 years old and I'm from Marktzeuln. I'm training to be an office management assistant and am currently in my second year of training.

I've actually always known the BAUR Group, as I live in the district. I became aware of the training opportunities through an acquaintance who works for the BAUR Group herself. One of the main reasons why I chose the BAUR Group is the size of the company. A large company means that I can get a taste of as many departments and areas as possible during my training.

Everything was a bit clichéd for me. I had good grades, but didn't know what to do after I finished secondary school. So I decided to go to a technical college and do my Abitur.🤷🏼‍♀️ However, I quickly realized that I just didn't feel like going to school anymore. I sat in the classroom and thought to myself that what I was doing here wasn't making me happy. I could go to work and earn money. I made up my mind to drop out of the FOS and start thinking intensively about my professional future. I also found support in the form of a careers advisor who went into great depth with me about my strengths and interests. It took me a year to find myself and decide what I wanted to do.

I applied to the BAUR Group a little later at the beginning of 2022. I was really lucky that I was accepted and everything went well. I don't regret anything so far. 🤗

I found my time in the shoe shop really interesting. We were always given samples and shoes from the new collections, so you always knew what was going to be on trend soon. Fashion manufacturers sometimes predict trends years in advance, which is really impressive. Nowadays, everyone likes to order. It was really exciting to see how things work behind the scenes, as a customer you don't really think about it that much 🛒🛍

I'm trying, I haven't been there that long. The main topic is external and internal communication. The tasks of Corporate Communications include writing intranet articles, creating graphics, planning various events, etc.

I'm now in my third week in the department and I'm still mainly watching and being trained because I'm completely new to the job. Unfortunately, I haven't written any articles at this point, but I did go to the fire department's vehicle and equipment show in Weismain on the BAUR site. That was very cool. You are on site and take pictures and videos. In between, we sat down and posted something in the Instagram Story. The highlight was that I went up on the turntable ladder to take cool videos and photos. In the end, I couldn't manage it because it was too high and it was shaking. My heart rate skyrocketed. I then asked if it would be ok if we went back down. I'm not really afraid of heights, but it wasn't my cup of tea.

What I like best is the flexitime. It's what I use the most. I just think it's so cool that you have this flexibility during your training. Of course, the trainees have to be sensible and disciplined enough not to arrive at the office too late. When I drive to work in the morning, I don't have to make sure that I'm in the office at 8:00 sharp. I can stand at the traffic lights for 5 minutes or stop spontaneously at the bakery. That's worth a lot to me. ✅

Another thing I really enjoy is working from home. It was very practical for me, especially in the first six months of my apprenticeship. My department arranged it so that I was always on site on Mondays and worked from home on Wednesdays and Thursdays. I was always at vocational school on Tuesday and Friday. I wasn't yet 18 at the time and always had to make sure that someone could drive me to work. That's why the one day at the office was great for me. When I then moved to another department and driving was no longer a problem, I realized that I'm more of an office person. I think the home office benefit is good, especially if you're not yet of age, but I still think that you shouldn't just sit in your home office during training.

In the departments I've worked in so far, I've always been well received and looked after. I felt like a team member and not just a trainee who has been there for six months. It's like a small family in the departments. Which is what it has to be when you work together, you have to be able to count on each individual. Saying goodbye has always been difficult because you get to know your colleagues and take them to your heart. You have to be careful not to shed a tear, even though you still see them in the office or canteen.😪

I have learned to be independent, both at work and in my private life. I feel much more independent since the apprenticeship. Then there's the discipline of getting up early. It's not easy to get out of bed in the morning, but you do it anyway so that you can finish work earlier and plan private things in the afternoon