Schopfheim-Germany 

Our time in Germany for the Erasmus was so inspiring. It showed me a whole new outlook on carpentry, ways of life, different standards and a different culture. Whilst we were there, we went to a massive furniture museum called ‘Vitra Design Museum’ and was guided round by the German Erasmus coordinator of the trip it was very interesting and inspired many ideas of different furniture and Architectual design. 

On the weekend we all took a train and spent the evening in the very expensive Swiss city of Basel then on the Saturday we returned to do a full city tour, going round markets, sightseeing and buying souvenirs. On the last Friday we were taken by 2 of the teachers form the college into their local village and spent the evening being shown round the town. 

The work aspect of the trip was very interesting and I learnt so much. Each day I had to wake up at 5.30 to get the 2 trains and arrive at work before 7, it was quite the shock to the system at first but I quickly adjusted but felt it in the evenings and went straight to bed after a shared dinner with the whole group. 

The work itself really gave me an insight to the German way of work. I have already spent a good while working in Germany on German work sights, so I already know the level they work at, and it really shows why Germany is so well renowned for their high standard. 

I was doing work for a door and window fitting company and was able to go along to different work sites and was shown how to fit doors and windows which I've never had to do before. In the coming year I am going to be moving to Germany to start an apprentice as a carpenter there so the trip was a great introduction for me.

We also spent two days in the college and joined in in their woodworking classes and their theory classes, so we got to spend time sand talk with the students and get to see what a German apprentice is like from the inside. 

Overall, the 2 weeks I spent their I will remember for a long time, it was especially special due to the people I went with. We all really got along. I wish I could do it again. 

Otto Pottschulte

 We went on an Erasmus to Germany for two weeks. It was a wonderful cultural and educational experience; we went to a world-renowned furniture museum called the Vitra and got to see loads of famous pieces of furniture. We also got to try lots of German food like schnitzels and currywurst. We visited the nearby Swiss city, Basel over the weekend. We went to a local flea market, botanical gardens and Swiss army knife shop. We also went out with the German coordinator and one of his colleagues in a local town, they gave us a historical tour of the are and showed us the largest covered bridge in Europe. We also visited the school that the coordinator worked at too and sat in on some of the first-year classes and got a tour and history of the school. 

We spent a week and a half while we were there on work placement for a German company, I was working for a fitted furniture company that was making wardrobes and kitchens mostly. The other employees didn’t speak much English, so it was a great chance to put my German into practice after the leaving cert. It was very interesting to see and experience the German work ethic while I was there, they were all so precise and diligent with everything they did no matter how big or small it was. They all put so much effort into making everything to the highest standard and they all seemed truly proud of the work they did. I got a chance to work with most people in the company and they were all very nice and understanding of the language barrier. 

Eanna McEnally