«My Stay abroad with KV 4.0 in Ireland – Tralee.»

As part of the KV 4.0 program, I started my trip to Ireland on July 20th. A stay of three months is planned. Together with nine other apprentices from various companies in the Wil area, I am taking part in this programme. My goal is to gain new experience, improve my English skills and hopefully bring home the Proficiency certificate at the end.

I am staying with a very nice host family in Tralee, a small, lively town in the southwest of Ireland. There is always something going on here, and at the same time you are quickly in nature. I really like the mixture of city life and green landscape.

I work at Lots Furnishings, a furniture and accessories store. There, I mainly provide support in marketing, which has not yet been in the foreground. I am allowed to contribute my own ideas, design advertising and help develop social media posts. The work culture here is noticeably different from that in Switzerland: it is more relaxed and less formal, but at the same time very goal-oriented. The colleagues are very open and helpful. This creates a very pleasant working atmosphere.

My weekly schedule is varied: I work four days in the company, and on one day I take part in online lessons at my vocational school in Wil. In addition, I attend English classes two evenings a week to prepare specifically for the certificate. This allows me to optimally combine practice, school and language training.

Besides work and school, I've seen a lot of Ireland – for example, the impressive Cliffs of Moher, various beaches along the coast and charming little towns. The nature is breathtaking, and there is so much more to discover.

I am looking forward to the rest of the time, many more experiences and of course to improving my English even further.