Anna and Ingeus Germany transcript

Anna: I’m Anna Gaus and I’m 28 years old. I started an apprenticeship at 16 when I was way too young. I didn’t really know if it was for me, so I let my family talk me into it and I realised during the probationary period that it wasn’t for me, so I dropped out of the apprenticeship.

After that I worked in hospitality and got to know lots of people from different backgrounds, and it was clear to me that I wouldn’t stay long in the hospitality industry.

Yes, then my daughter was born that was the end in the hospitality industry because childcare time and working in the restaurant are not compatible.

Then I was at home with her and had parental leave and when she went to the day care centre it was clear to me that I had to do something. And that after I had taken care of her 100%, I now also had to take care of myself.

Till: My name is Till Baeckmann and I am a job coach and workshop leader here in Berlin Spandau. I mainly work on the EGP project “a good plan”. A good plan was developed for people who are faced with the task of bringing up their children and who do not have adequate childcare for their little ones on the one hand and are still looking for a viable path into working life on the other.

We helped in two areas: on the one hand, of course, there was the fact that she had no day care for her little daughter, and in Berlin Spandau in particular, a day care place is something very rare and difficult to find for a person who is not familiar with it.

At the same time there was the question of the vocational orientation. Her own view of herself, her self-image also played a role in the fact that she had very little confidence in herself and did not dare to consider something like a dual training programme.

Anna: I’m currently training to become a clerk in office management. I’ve been doing this for a year and a half now and I’m about to take my intermediate exams. So they were very open and welcoming and were able to understand and support me in any circumstances.

For example, there was a family matter and I then tried to explain why I can’t function at the moment the way I normally do but I never felt ignored. Private topics could always be discussed and yes, I always felt very well looked after.

So, for me it made the impact that I recognised my strengths and also my value and didn’t let myself be pushed around I would say. Instead, I knew this is where I wanted to go, and these are the steps I have to take to get there.

Till: At Ingeus we are not only job coaches we are advisors, we are encouragers, we are a provider of ideas, we are companions, we are support and all of this together has led to a very successful result for Ms Gaus in the end.