Everything new and unfamiliar
The corona pandemic cannot be compared with any situation we know of. Therefore, there was no ready-made plan for this case. Nobody was really sure what to do.
At this point we have to say that TÜV Rheinland really acted quickly and efficiently. It started with the introduction of home office for the trainees, which was new for us. The changeover to this model was not only extremely fast, but also smooth. Within a few days, the entire business was controlled from home.
Luka Feige:
„For me it was a great alternative to the normal working model. I have a daily commute to work of about 120 km. So I saved not only money but also time.“
Trainees working from home
With the introduction of home office, there were now also regular appointments for video calls with our training management. This enabled us to ensure that all trainees had access to the information. As far as the next measures were concerned, we were always up to date and felt well looked after.
Working from home also went very well. We were given more responsibility. And we believe that working more independently has also had a positive effect on our personal development. The workload was dependent on the department the trainee was working in. But even where it didn’t work quite as well, attempts were made to find a quick solution. Internally, from the employer’s side, it worked quite well to continue the apprenticeship as usual.
Vocational school during Corona
But what did it look like in vocational school? Unfortunately, we can’t give quite as good feedback here. After it was clear that the schools now had to be closed, nothing really worked. Information was passed on to us students very slowly. While other schools quickly switched to online teaching, nothing happened at our school. Our “lessons” consisted of e-mails with tasks one week and solutions the following week. In our opinion this had no real learning-effect and also left gaps in our learning content.
We can nevertheless mention one good thing: We have been given access to Office365 and now use this access regularly.

Back to Business
In conclusion, it can be said that our company was better prepared compared to our vocational school and we felt well looked after. We were also able to solve some of the communication problems at school with our trainer Stefanie Groß.
We are glad that the situation has eased a bit and hope that other trainees felt well prepared and that we were able to give new ideas for improvements with our blog post.
Leona works in her office almost every day again and consults with her colleagues on a weekly basis, as not everyone is allowed to be in the room without a mask at the same time. She could still work from home, but finds it nicer to be in the office, where she can work with two monitors and have contacts on site.
Luka comes to the office once a week and works from home on the other days. The arrangement is relatively simple, since the team has already agreed on a fixed weekly schedule. Luka likes to work from home. On one hand, it saves him time and money and on the other hand it allows him to structure his day more easily.
Author

Leona Fuchs
Trainee
Leona Fuchs is in her third year of training as an office management assistant and is currently working at TÜV Rheinland LGA Products. The “kölsche Mädche” (Cologne girl) likes to spend her free time with family and friends, is out and about in the city or enjoys a few relaxing hours on the Rhine.
My career tip for you is: Who does not ask, does not win! – It is important to communicate when you need help. Personally, I have had a lot of good experiences with simply asking. Hardly anyone would refuse to help you, I’m sure! Steve Jobs once said that “the key to success is to ask for help”. I gladly agree with that. So, dear readers, dare to ask a lot, that’s how you always get a bit further.

Luka Feige
Trainee
Luka Feige is in his third year of training as an office management assistant. Currently working in the Global HR Project Management Office (PMO), he supports the Global Job Catalog project. Born in Wuppertal, Germany, he likes to meet with friends in his spare time, working out in the gym, but also enjoys relaxed evenings on the couch with Netflix.
My career tip for you is: Get out of your shell! Communicate and make new contacts. As Leona already mentioned: It is important to ask a lot of questions, because there are no wrong questions. You should also always try to be open. New people cannot only give you an insight into their expertise, but can also open up opportunities for your success.
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