Our trainee abroad

As part of his trainee program Simon Growe (24) supported the R&M team in Turku / Finland.

Simon grew up in Hamburg, and already as a child ships have always been exciting for him. After studying mechanical engineering, he decided to complete the trainee program for junior engineers at the R&M Group in order to establish himself in the maritime industry. As part of this tailor-made program, the trainees get to know all European R&M locations. That is why Simon spent the last three months in Finland and supported the colleagues on board the cruise ship Costa Esmeralda.

As a very open-minded person, Simon likes to get to know new destinations and cultures. During his studies he had already participated in a student exchange in Portugal. The stay in Finland was therefore eagerly awaited and a great experience. In the interview, Simon says: "I have learned to translate my theoretical experiences, gained during my studies, into practical work. That is probably one of the most important things I can take with me on my further professional path. I worked as a HVAC supervisor on the ship. I had never done these tasks before and it was great. My Finnish colleagues gave me a very warm welcome. The Finns are very friendly, open-minded and humorous." In addition, Simon remembers his Finnish activities: "I have tried Discgolf, the Finnish type of sauna and ice swimming together with my colleagues. The latter was a cold but relaxing experience, and I never thought I could do it. Due to the exercise discgolf was a great activity after work to clear my mind,".

The Finnish colleagues not only tried to give Simon a closer understanding of the Finnish culture, but also to teach him the language. Although it is quite difficult (according to Simon) and the words he learned have mostly been very colloquial, he concludes the interview with a skillful Finnish sentence:

"Nähdään pian (see you soon)," Simon says with a big smile on his face.

More information about our trainee programs can be found here.

 

 

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