Interview with Lena Rieger
Work Experience in Vienna
Lena Rieger has been an apprentice at Janoschka since 2021. She is learning all about the skills and tasks of media design within our extensive Graphic Services department. In order to accumulate further experience and broaden her horizons, she took up the opportunity offered by Janoschka to spend four weeks on a work experience placement in Vienna. Thrilled by the experience, she talks about her impressions.
1. Lena, what have you taken away from your stint in Vienna?
New friends, exciting experiences and a great love for Vienna.
The architecture of the city, the very special Viennese way of living and last but not least the very famous king of Austria Franz and his wife Elisabeth (called Sissi) who are still very present in this old imperial and roayl city.
It was amazing ...
2. Was exactly was your job at work?
My tasks at the company Think Modular Digital Solutions were very interesting and diversified. Among others this enterprise is developing e-learning applications and platforms for digital collaboration. It was my job to design illustrations and icons for these applications. And I even became a test user. I liked it very much also because I was allowed to work on my own from the very beginning. My creativity was allowed full bent while applying lot's of knowledge from my traineeship.
3. Did you apply for this training?
I applied at GoForEurope, a company that is specialized on foreign practical trainings. From internal point of view, it was my commitment and my good school grades that made this experience possible, of which I am very proud.
I travelled together with three more trainees within the GoForEuropa programme. We lived together in a flat and shared lot's of common activities besides work. It is good to always having sparring partners around.
4. How did you get funding for your stay?
I applied for an Erasmus+ scholarship, which was granted. Normally, I would have had to contribute 250€ out of my own pocket, but thankfully, Janoschka took care of that for me. This means that I didn’t have to pay anything for the trip itself, except of course personal expenses like food and excursions.
I got all the information from the material my manager gave me, and she also made sure that it all came together in the end. The support has been brilliant, both financially and in terms of the advice I was given.
5. What would you say to others, who are thinking about doing work experience abroad?
Don’t think about it too much, just do it! Honestly, in hindsight I must admit that I thought and worried about things far too much beforehand. Ultimately, I’m glad that I got over my fears and threw myself into this adventure. I wouldn’t miss my new friends, the professional experience and the encounters I had during that time for the world. Also, being able to navigate my way around a foreign country in a foreign language, as well as doing my work, has given me a huge sense of achievement. So, off you go, I’d say!
Questions?
