interviews Sophie Jose
At BUas, you are not just a student number.
Sophie
Student International Facility Management
I have had an amazing school year so far, I am in a class with very fun people, but we also have good contact with the other classes. You will get to know your classmates and fellow students at the beginning of the year when the introduction week takes place: the InterSib. You will also get to know them through the practical working experience in the ‘Sibelicious’ course.
My favourite subject so far is Operations Management, a subject I feel represents Facility Management best. This course focuses on the role of a Facility Manager within a company, and the course consists partly of theory but also of practical assignments. For example, you have to create a ‘company profile’, with all important data of a company on 1 sheet. Or an overview of the workplace with furnished workplaces, as you can see in the photos. We also visited companies to see how things are going in an office. For example, I visited Essent's headquarters in Den Bosch, but also Aecom in the Aldgate Tower in London. The great thing about Operations Management is that first the theory is explained to you, then you start working on an assignment yourself and later on you can see everything you have learned in practice when visiting a company!
There are many other things that make BUas a pleasant environment, such as the beautiful new campus, nice student associations and many interesting guest lectures! You also have fairly informal contact with your lecturers, you are not just a student number and lecturers are open to good ideas, you can always say if you disagree with something or do not understand something. Everything is of course in English, but you get used to it in no time, so don't you worry about that. See you soon at BUas!”
I enjoyed every single bit of my trip to Romania and it taught me to help others
Jose
“Within International Facility Management the focus is on sustainability, but sustainability does not only focus on the environmental aspect but also the people aspect. Helping others who are in need is part of our process to become better FM managers. We went to Romania on a working trip, where we worked in the community centre in a very poor Roma village. We painted the outside walls of the community centre, painted multiple closets for inside, painted the gate, chopped wood, built roofs, built gates, and the list goes on. We all enjoyed working for such a good cause.
In the afternoons we would go out to visit hot spots. We went for a hike around our ‘herberg’, visited the city of Alba Lulia and even the supermarket was a small trip for us. Every morning, afternoon and evening a (hot) delicious meal would be waiting for us. At the end of the evenings we would enjoy some beers, wine and soft drinks among the classmates. We grew closer as a class because we honestly had so much fun and we can be proud of what we did for this community. Friday was our last day, we finished our tasks, went around the village, and had the kids come in for a few hours of entertainment. They were smiling and having so much fun. I enjoyed every single bit of my trip to Romania and it taught me to help others.”
You have to adapt to a completely new way of working
Youssef
“In the weeks prior to the registration phase of the work placement period, a ‘speed dating’ session took place. During those speed dating sessions various students from previous work placements were there to share their experiences. The most interesting placement that came to my attention was the British company MCFT. The responsibility, the learning possibilities, salary and so on really made it clear that I was going for this company.
For some reason the work placement possibility at Adidas (in Nurnberg, Germany) did not dazzle me at that moment. Maybe it was because of the person presenting it or maybe it was the thought of working at a sports company did not fit my goals. Believe me, I was really wrong in the end!
The placement at MCFT was given to someone else, but my coach suggested that I should go for Adidas: “A very sporty type like you should go to Adidas, Youssef!” So I decided to submit the request to Adidas for the Global Workplaces (facility management) department and after a week they responded and scheduled a phone interview with me. This went well and I got to the second round. I thought, you know what? This is a sports company and I am not going to wear a suit, but an Adidas outfit, and believe it or not, this is what made them decide to hire me in the first minutes already!
I had to fix an apartment, the documentation of the city hall, open a new bank account, and arrange health insurance. On the first day of my work placement I met so many new work placement students that making friends went quite easy.
We received a tour at the Adidas campus, and I was amazed at how big it was. The different buildings, facility outlets, sport facilities and so on. The first weeks at Adidas were really hard and difficult. You have to adapt to a completely new way of working and all of that while being in Germany. In this old region of Germany (Bavaria) the people are very lovely but also very traditional in their habits and way of working.
In the 6 months I spent at Adidas, I worked hard, travelled, partied, worked out, learned, developed myself, made new friends and learned a lot. It is weird how some things turn in life. At first I was convinced that the placement in London would suit me best, but eventually I could not have been happier with Adidas in Germany. This company invests a lot of time and money in its work placement students and this was noticeable from day one on. So, if you are in the position I was in a year ago and you would like to have my advice? Check out Adidas!”