My expectations:

I was pleased to learn how CLAAS Ibérica differs from CLAAS in Harsewinkel. In particular, how everyday working life in another country can look like. At the same time I enjoyed the opportunity to get to know the Spanish culture and improve my language skills.

The first days in Spain:

Right when I landed at Madrid airport I realized that I am definitely not on German soil anymore. In any case, you are not used to the 35 degrees every day from Germany. But in the office buildings in Spain, thanks to air conditioning, it is fresh and I had to learn quickly to have something warm to put on in the office. Of course, in the first few days, especially when it comes to the language barrier, you are nervous at first. However, I was warmly welcomed by my colleagues on site and integrated directly into the team. And if the Spanish word was missing, you could easily switch to the English language.

That was my day at work:

My working day usually started at 8:15 a.m. I quickly had my own task area with the evaluation of customer questionnaires and general market analysis, which kept me very busy. By translating presentations between English, German and Spanish, my knowledge of Spanish has just been further enhanced.  Unlike at CLAAS in Germany, in Spain there is a full hour for lunch instead of 45 minutes, which gave me the opportunity to talk to other employees. The working day ended for me at about 5:15 p.m.

I particularly enjoyed that:

I particularly liked the fact that I was actively involved in the preparation of marketing campaigns. This was also the case with the LEXION campaign in summer. I was able to see for myself how much preparatory work is involved in such a large event, be it the translation for the product presentation, the provision of the large machines or the preparation of the presentation hall. Afterwards I was allowed to participate in the event myself. It was very exciting to get to know the various sales partners and dealers personally for whom CLAAS Ibérica is responsible in Spain and Portugal and at the same time to experience Spanish culture even better.

My accommodation:

During my time in Spain I lived in a student residence near the company. This was perfect because it allowed me to get in touch with other foreign language students of the same age. They showed me some great places worth seeing in the surroundings.

What I did in my spare time:

As my accommodation was only about 45 minutes away from the capital Madrid, I took every opportunity to explore the surrounding cities. Especially on the weekends, you could visit the most beautiful monuments and castles by bus or train in the classic tourist way. But I was specially impressed by the beautiful city centre of Madrid or the small place Toledo southwest of Madrid. During the week I often met new friends from the student residence after work. Leisure activities like playing volleyball or movie nights were always on the schedule. 

Conclusion:

Looking back, I think it is great to have had so many new experiences in Spain. I really appreciate that I have had the opportunity to step out of the comfort zone and get to know a different working culture. Of course, not everything is perfect right away at the beginning and you have to get used to it first. But all in all, my motivation to stay international and cosmopolitan and to visit more places in the future has been strengthened. It is also nice to learn that the international CLAAS world can be very small after all. Because the contact to my Spanish colleagues will remain in any case.

My expectations:                   

I love meeting new people and traveling, and since I have never been to the USA before, I was especially looking forward to my new adventure. Many of my friends just smiled when I told them that I was going to the midwest and especially to Nebraska - the land of the eternal corn fields. But I was happy to get to know the typical American culture and saw it as a unique chance.

The first day in Omaha:

On my first working day in Omaha I was warmly welcomed by my new colleagues. At the weekend, the other interns showed me the city and surroundings and I was directly impressed by the vastness of the country, the huge pick-up trucks and the open manner of the Americans. Together with a colleague, I went to America's biggest outdoor farm show on the second working day. There I was able to learn a lot about the products during the week, drive a combine harvester at the field for the first time and work with many friendly people from America and Germany.

This is what my workday looked like:

The interesting thing about my job was that there was no typical working day. Every week I spent in a different place and met new people. As I worked in the marketing department, I was allowed to lead three projects to represent and market the CLAAS brand and its products and to develop concepts for customer loyalty. I either went to farm shows or job fairs, created marketing plans or conducted surveys with dealers and customers. Since it was still harvest season, I was allowed to have many of these conversations with farmers in the field and met interesting and helpful people. The evenings were spent with colleagues in the restaurant and after a long day at work, we could fall tired into our hotel bed…

I particularly enjoyed that:

I particularly liked the fact that I was able to manage my projects completely independently and yet with full support from my department. Through my work I had the great fortune to get to know 13 states in America, two provinces in Canada and the diversity of the country and the people. Due to the cordial nature of the Americans, everyone was treated with respect and even we interns were able to get to know the leaders from America. In my last week, we flew with the sales department and 100 customers from America and Canada to Germany to visit the production sites in Harsewinkel, Hamm, Paderborn and Le Mans and to show the Agritechnica 2019.

My accommodation:

Apart from the fact that I spent most of my time in hotels, there are two CLAAS apartments in Omaha where all the interns live together. Especially for the short time, it is nice to have a direct connection and to make plans for the evenings and weekends.  For the way to work we were provided with two cars, which we were also allowed to use in our free time. In summer there is an outdoor pool in our building complex and for the hardworking there is even a small gym. Each of the three bed flats has two bathrooms, a kitchen, a balcony and a dining room together with a living room for shared evenings.

What I did in my spare time:

I was able to connect most weekends with my business trips, so I was able to travel a lot and visit some of my American and Canadian friends locally. On my weekends in Omaha we often went to the old town or typically American to the stadium or sports bar for a football game.

Conclusion:

The country and its people have fascinated me incredibly. I would be happy to return to Omaha for new professional challenges.

The arrival:

After our flight to England, we were picked-up and taken to our hotel by an employee of CLAAS. In the evening, the employee and two other English students had dinner with us, so we had a very nice welcome. Therefore, we already had the chance to get to know each other on the first day and ask all the questions we had concerning the first working day.  

My working experience:

On the first day, the dealer picked me up at 07.30 in the morning. Directly at the beginning I experienced how flexible a dealer has to be: Instead of driving to the reseller as planned, we drove to a customer primary. There, I supported by repairing the power unit of a 4-wheel-axis of a tractor. Afterwards we drove to our reseller in Saxham. I definitely was a bit nervous about what to expect, but the nervousness calmed down fast. During my time in Saxham I was deployed in the Customer Service, where I helped with the maintenance and repair work on the machines. However, my highlight during my time at the reseller was the agricultural show “The Driffield Show”. Here I had the chance to support my colleagues. At this event various manufacturers of agricultural machinery presented their products.

Sightseeing:

Together with another technical apprentice, I visited Birdlington at my first weekend. This city is near to the North Sea and was only one hour away with the train. Another day we have been to York, where we visited the Shambles. On the last weekend, we all met up in London. Together with an employee of CLAAS we explored places of interest like the Buckingham Palace, the Tower Bridge, Big Ben and the Chart. Very impressive was the boat tour on the Thames.  

Conclusion:

Originally I did not register for the exchange, because I did not find it suitable for me. Now afterwards I am very glad, that I did it. It was a really great experience and I can only say: You grow with your challenges!

My expectations:

I expected to get to know the Italian country and its people. Of course, this primarily includes the working world, but also the culture, the mentality, the food and the language.

The first days in Italy:

The first days have been very exciting, because everything was new and unfamiliar. Luckily, a nice host family welcomed me. As my host mother also works for CLAAS Italy, I could always ask her for advice. The nervousness quickly turned out to be unfounded, because my new colleagues also warmly welcomed me. Of course, it is very difficult to understand the fast conversations of the Italians, but it got better and better in time and I learnt more and more.

My everyday work:

My working day usually started at 9 am. The first thing to do in the morning was to read my emails. My tasks used to be very different from each other. I translated texts from German agricultural journals into Italian for training purposes. I also sent advertising material to customers and looked for CLAAS articles in external magazines for statistical purposes. From 12:15 am to 1:15 pm we normally took a lunch break, which I could spend together with my colleagues in the kitchen. My working day ended between 6 and 7 pm.

My highlight:

I particularly liked that I had the chance to participate at the EIMA, a fair in Bologna. Since I have already arrived two weeks before the beginning of the fair, I could take part in the preparations. As the EIMA is the most important and largest trade fair for CLAAS Italia, the workload was correspondingly high. It was my first participation at a trade fair, so I was very curious about how the booth would look like, which machines would be exhibited and who would visit the CLAAS stand. This made me realize that a trade faire of this size means a lot of organizational effort and that a lot of follow-up work is necessary to successfully complete such a large project.

My accomodation:

I stayed with a nice host family in the heart of Novara. The apartment was very nice and located in the pedestrian zone, so that I was able to go for a spontaneous walk through the city. Since my host mother works in the Marketing Department of CLAAS, I did not have to worry about the transportation to my workplace.

What I did in my spare time:

As Novara is located exactly between Milan and Turin, I naturally did some shopping trips as well. Apart from good shopping opportunities, both cities offer numerous museums, markets and impressive buildings. My host family also did a lot with me. We drove for example to Lake Orta or Lake Maggiore at the weekend. I could even spend a day by the sea in Genoa. In any case, there has never been any boredom. 

Conclusion:

I am very grateful that I had the chance to spend a few weeks in Italy. I gained a lot of great experiences, met new people and discovered beautiful places. Whether it is the food, the language or the openness of the Italians, it was fun to be part of an Italian family for a few weeks. Even though I was very excited at the beginning, I can only recommend a stay abroad to everyone.

The arrival:

After the flight, we were picked-up by an employee of CLAAS, who drove us to a hotel, where we had dinner together. The next day, he drove us to the CLAAS Academy. There, we got separated in groups of two and got send to different CLAAS dealers in England.

My work experience:

Lisa Müller (Industrial mechanic): At the first day, a dealer took us from our hotel to our working place, which took us about half an hour. I was very excited, about what I am going to expect, but the dust settled quite fast. The drive was interesting and I was welcomed very friendly at my arrival. After that, I got to know every colleague and I felt comfortable at first sight. In my first week, I supported the maintenance work and we changed spare parts, cutters and straps. On the weekend, we had leisure time, where I visited the Central Park with a colleague. In the second week, I drove with field workers to farmers, where we solved problems on the field or on the farm directly. One task for example was the readout of errors at the machine. All in all I can say, that I always had a lot of tasks, so the two weeks passed very fast.

Sightseeing London:

After the two weeks, we were in London for three days all together. We went with a student to the different sightseeing points, for example to Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, Big Ben and London Dungeon. We also had leisure time and my personal highlight was the Ducktour, where we could see a lot of London.

My expectations:

I consciously decided for a stay abroad in India to rise to new challenges. I was very excited to get to know the new culture and the mentality of the people. In addition to that, I have already worked on a logistical project at CLAAS in Germany between Indian suppliers and CLAAS and was therefore very excited to see the Indian implementation.

The first days in India:

On my arrival at the airport in Delhi, I felt slayed by the high humidity and heat. At this time of the year, there are temperatures like 40 degrees normal. Beside the heat and humidity, I had to handle with the traffic system and the food. Although a lot of Indians said, that the traffic system would be effective, it looked like a big chaos to me and I was glad that I did not have to drive. But after a few days I also adjusted myself to the mostly vegetarian food and with courage for something new, there were a lot of traditional delicacies at each corner of the streets to find.

My daily working routine:

Every day a driver of our guesthouse drove me to our CLAAS subsidiary, which was only a few minutes away. After my arrival at work I got my first Chai-tea and a small snack. After that, I worked on my project topic, the invoicing practice and verification of logistical services and on a smaller project, which dealt with the standardization of the supplier requirements. To get a better impression of the topics, I visited suppliers and the CLAAS subsidiary in Chandigarh. All of my colleagues and respondents were very obliging and friendly.

My typical working day began with…

…Chai-tea. This national drink of the Indian people is drunken to each time of the day. It tastes best when you drink it with fresh milk, so some colleagues have a cow in their backyard only for this reason.

My highlight:

I was impressed by the openness and helpfulness of the Indian people. At first I was a bit nervous about travelling on my own to a country like India, but the dust has settled very fast. All of my colleagues and other Indian people, with who I were in contact with, supported me with each request. All in all I felt very safe and comfortable in India.

What I did in my spare time:

My intention in my leisure time was to get to know the Indian culture. I was very curious and wanted to learn as much as possible about India in this short time. Within the weeks, I visited markets and cultural sites or got to know the Indian family life of my colleagues. The weekends were reserved for travelling: Starting with the capital city New-Dehli and the origin of Bollywood, Mumbai, via the cultural sites Jaipur and Agra with the Taj-Mahal to the mountain village Shimla in the Himalayas.

My conclusion:

“Incredible India” surpassed my expectations. Of course, I had to deal with a lot of challenges, but at least I was very fascinated of the landscape and the people and I will definitely return in the future.

The first days in Omaha:

At my first day I’ve been picked up from the airport by another intern. He took me to the apartments where I stayed for my internship. We were six interns in total at that time. They were all very friendly and we had a lot of fun. My colleagues were also very friendly and I became familiar with my new tasks very quickly.

My daily working routine:

During my stay in Omaha I primarily worked for the IT department. There are actually two employees that are responsible for the IT in Omaha. I had a wide range of tasks to do there. Supporting other employees, setting up new work places and bringing up some new security cameras at the top of the building are only some of them. I also had to write a thesis as a part of my Bachelor thesis. My main topic was Business Intelligence/Data Management which is a very interesting topic at all. There were lots of tasks to do that came along with this topic like linking a big amount of data and visualizing the results. 

My highlight:

During my stay abroad I really liked the American lifestyle and working atmosphere. Omaha is also a good spot to start some weekend trips to bigger cities like Chicago or Denver.

My accommodation:

I lived in one of the apartments that CLAAS has rented for its interns. We also had two cars to get to work in the morning and to get around in Omaha in our leisure time. There is also a gym room and a pool that we could use for free.

What I did in my spare time:

In my spare time I often did some activities together with the other interns or with my colleagues from work. There are some lakes in and around Omaha where you can relax after work. At the weekends, we often did trips to bigger cities like Chicago.

My conclusion:

I really enjoyed my trip abroad in the United States and I have met many new people. It was also a great chance to enhance my language knowledge. It was also very interesting to see how different the company culture is in another country than Germany.

My arrival in France:

After a long journey by train and a rather complicated check-in arrival in my residential accommodation, I fell into bed exhaustedly. When seeing the CLAAS flags on the next day, I instantly felt at home. Although everything was unfamiliar, I just felt comfortable because of everybody’s warm welcome. In addition, I already knew many helpful things from Harsewinkel. After being introduced to the new environment by my supervisor, the responsible person for the national communication, I received the first few tasks.

My accommodation:

I lived in a residential accommodation exclusively for women, located in the centre of Paris – between the Eiffel Tower and the Triumphal Arch. That’s why I began my way to work on the prestigious Champs Elysées every morning. The girls, coming from various countries over the world, gave me a warm welcome. One of them was my roommate, with whom I got along well, too. The administration of our accommodation organized several field trips and activities, in order to get to know each other even better. One of these field trips led us to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Every evening on weekdays, dinner was served in a common room (not really “haute cuisine” but much better than cooking on my own). This shared meal offered another opportunity for me to improve my French skills while talking to my housemates. The only little inconvenience about the accommodation was the long way to get to work (about 1:15 h).

My work:

During my time in France, I worked in the Marketing and Communications Department of the French sales company CLAAS France. The workday usually began at 8:30 am. During my stay, one of my tasks was the creation of so-called "Product plans", the preparation of the media plan and writing texts for advertisements. Other than that, I often attended meetings. From 12:15 pm to 01:30 pm we all had our lunch break, whether in a common room or outside in the sun. It was easy to get in touch with other students and apprentices there by playing football together. I continued working on my tasks in the afternoon and around 5 pm I clocked out.

What I did in my spare time:

I used most of my weekends to discover the city: Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre-Dame, Triumphal Arch, Sacré-Cœur, Jardin du Luxembourg, Palace in Versailles and a lot more – there are many attractions in Paris and its region that are really worth the visit! And by the way, shopping can be fun too.

My highlights:

One of my highlights during work was the event called "Biodiversiterre" near the Triumphal Arch where CLAAS presented some machines. I was even allowed to take a picture on the LEXION, which you can see above. Just as well, I enjoyed a meeting in Chartres that gave me the possibility to get to know the location of the French CLAAS Academy.
Moreover, visiting the Tour de France and the "Bastille Day" on July 14th were highlights that I fortunately was able to enjoy. In the morning of July 14th, as a part of the military parade, we saw president Macron passing by. Phenomenal fireworks near the Eiffel Tower were a stunning finish for an eventful day.

My conclusion:

I’m very glad that CLAAS enabled the experience of going abroad. I’ve met many new people and my French improved continuously. Further, I got to know my French colleagues in the Marketing Department and their kind of work, which might be helpful in the future. I highly recommend an opportunity like this to everyone!

My expectations:

I expected that I would get to know the working life and the culture of Italy. Furthermore, I expected a friendly and open-minded welcome. I wanted to speak a lot of Italian to improve my language skills, which I learned in school. I am very glad that my expectations have been fulfilled.

The first days in Italy:

The first days in Italy were very exciting. I lived with a friendly host family, who welcomed me right away. On the first evening, I was incredibly tired because of all the first impressions I collected during the day. I got to know my new colleagues at work, and my family did everything to make me feel comfortable during the first week. I was always busy and satisfied. During the first few days, it was a bit difficult to follow the Italians while they spoke, but after a while, I could understand a lot and I recognized that my Italian improved quickly. I also felt at home very quickly and the interactions with my colleagues felt familiar.

My everyday work:

I started my working day at 08:30 am. First, I checked my e-mails and tuned on the TV for our customers. After that, I was assigned tasks by my supervisor, for example a translation of texts or the control of the budget for the Marketing Department. Moreover, I sent catalogues and brochures to our customers, and I checked magazines for CLAAS articles. At 10 am, we had a short coffee break and then worked until lunch at 12:30 pm. We had an hour and a half lunch break, and we often went in the center of Vercelli to eat ice cream or to enjoy the sunny weather. In the afternoon, we met each other at 4 pm for another coffee break. At 6 pm my working day was finished.

Highlights:

I really liked how I was welcomed in Italy. Everyone was very nice and friendly and eager to show me everything, so I felt at home almost instantly. I also liked the team spirit of the departments of CLAAS Italia. It is a small company, there are only about 46 employees, but the working environment is very familiar and personal. We often did something together after work, so I felt like I was part of the team.

My accommodation:

I lived in a nice apartment with a host family in a pedestrian zone in Novara. Novara is a beautiful city, where shopping takes up a lot of time, which I really like. My host mum also works for CLAAS, and she was my contact person in the Marketing Department. Every day we drove together from Novara to Vercelli for work.

My leisure time:

In my leisure time, I did a lot with my family or with colleagues. We visited Milan and a very nice lake, drove to the sea and to Venice. In the evening, I met some new friends and we visited a city fest in Novara. I went shopping in Milan and Novara and for one day we drove to Oropa. We also went to parties on the weekends. I was never bored!

My conclusion:

I am glad that I got the possibility to experience the daily life, culture and working life of Italy. I loved collecting these new experiences, and I am happy that I was able to improve my Italian skills. This opportunity is not often available, so I recommend to everyone who has a chance like this to take it. It was an unforgettable experience for me, which I do not want to forget.

My expectations:

My decision to stay in France for the abroad internship was effected by my language knowledge and the wish to improve this knowledge. In addition, I was looking forward to the new location and the technical work with the machines.

My first days in France:

In the beginning, it was hard for me to deal with all the new experiences. The language, the location, the colleagues and the way the people work were completely different compared to Germany. Now I can say that this was a big advantage for me to settle in Chartres and CLAAS France.

My daily working routine:

My task was to introduce a new training management system. I worked like an assistant to manage the communication between Germany and France and the introduction process. Unfortunately, there was not as much work with the CLAAS machines as I expected.

My highlight:

I love the French way of living and cooking and I enjoyed it many times. The season was very nice to do some weekend trips or spend the time outside. The frank and friendly way of my French colleagues to deal with me was very helpful. They were open-minded all the time and I had the feeling that they enjoyed working with me.

My accommodation:

My accommodation was perfect for my internship. It was fully equipped and very close to the city centre and the CLAAS location. My landlady was also very kind and gave me many hints for some actions close to Chartres.

What I did in my spare time:

The weather was always very nice and so I had the chance to spend my time outside to do some sports or visit the typical lightshow of Chartres. The highlights of my time in France were the 14^th of July in Paris with the famous military parade and the weekend trips to the sea.

My conclusion:

The experiences I gained in France are unforgettable. After a hard period of acclimatisation, I enjoyed the opportunities and the French lifestyle. In the end, only the positive things remain.

My expectations:

Before the start of my stay abroad, I was very excited but I looked forward to my time in England. I was very curious about what would expect me, how it would be to live and work there, if the host family would be friendly and if the colleagues would be helpful. I had a lot to think about but at least I trusted that I would gain new experiences, would become familiar with the working methods and culture and that I would improve my English language skills.

The first days in England:

I drove to England with my own car and through that, I had to drive on the "wrong" side of the street for the first time in my life. At first, I was scared, but my fear disappeared quickly because it was not that complicated. After a long journey, I finally arrived at my host family on Sunday morning. They welcomed me very friendly and they showed me around in the city. Subsequently, the parents of my host mother invited us to a typical Sunday roast. The next day was my first working day at CLAAS UK, where I was also warmly welcomed, I was introduced to all my colleagues and shown around the company.
My first department was the Academy, where I directly had the chance to support the reception of the participants of the Operator Combine Trainings and I also took the minutes of a meeting. The first week passed by very quickly because of taking more minutes in meetings and editing Excel sheets. After a few days, I did the reception of the participants by myself.

My daily working routine:

I did not have a "typical" working day during my time in England, because I often changed the departments. I worked for the Academy, the Sales Department, the Marketing Department and the Parts Department. There I had a lot of different and responsible exercises, which I could do independently. In the Parts department I ordered spare parts for dealers and final consumers, I made a lot of phone calls and I organized transports. In the Sales & Marketing Department I had tasks of the "kids club", organized meetings and I prepared material for the new apprentices.

My highlight:

I liked most, that everyone welcomed me so friendly and that I got diverse tasks, which I could work on independently. I also loved the evenings with my colleagues and the great time with my host family. I got to know a lot of new people, the culture and working routine of CLAAS England, which I liked a lot.

My accommodation:

During my stay abroad, I lived in a very young host family. I had my own room in their house and cooked food in the kitchen. At the weekend, my host family and I went to their friends, where we had barbecue or we went in the city. They integrated me in their lives as if I would have been a friend for years.

What I did in my spare time:

In my leisure time I travelled a lot with other students and friends. We visited Wells-next-the-sea, Oxford, London and Bury St. Edmunds. I often was in the Wetherspoon Pub, at Barbecue evenings or in restaurants with my host family and friends. I got to know many people and I had a lot of fun in my leisure time.

My conclusion:

I had a wonderful time in England, which I never want to miss anymore! I am so grateful, that I got the chance to do a stay abroad at CLAAS UK and I can recommend such a chance to everyone: Use it! I learned a lot, I am more self-reliant now, and I only have beautiful memories. It was one of my highlights during my apprenticeship.