1. You have spend some time in South Korea. What was the purpose and what is your fondest memory of that time?
I was studying at Seoul National University for one year as an exchange student in the department of English Education.
It is hard to choose my fondest memory as I have had so many amazing experiences and met so many lovely people. One memory that leaves me with nostalgia was riding a tandem bike around a lake with one of my best friends, getting caught in a downpour, and the hot and spicy BBQ afterwards.
2. Why did you choose to work in the relocation business?
I always liked to help people and get to know friends from all over the world, being able to see things from different perspectives and to learn new ways.
I started as a Buddy for exchange students, made it a little bit more professional through the student organizations IAESTE and AISEC and then upgraded and took care of international PHDs and guest researcher as part of the international office from TU Chemnitz. I assume taking care of international employees (first from the HR perspective and now as a service provider) was the natural next steps 😉
3. Describe your area of responsibility at the company in two sentences.
Taking care of the Operations & Quality Management as well as being responsible for relocating our Executive Clients.
4. What’s your best advice for your transferees?
Be open and come out of your comfort zone. Being in a new environment, some things may seem strange at first but you can learn more from different perspectives than from routine.
Be brave and embrace the challenge. Moving into a new country is not always only heights but there will be lows as well which will help you grow and sometimes create the best memories.
Be social, meet the people, learn the language and have fun but also always take the time for yourself to reflect. =)
5. Interesting fact about you?
I learned more than 8 languages, which does not mean that I speak them fluently but I got around a lot and think language teaches you more than the simple fact of communication but gives you a deeper understanding of the person you are interacting with; so even a simple hallo in the native language and open doors you may miss otherwise.