Tanja Placement Report

What is your name?
My name is Tanja

What is the name of the company/institution you are working at?
The name of the institution where I work is Towneley House (a residential home).

What is your role in this organisation?
There I’m working as a trainee for occupational therapy.

What are your daily tasks?
My daily tasks were the following:
Make tea for the residents,
Talk to the residents,
Help in the kitchen,
Doing occupations with the residents (bake, art and handicrtafts, talks).

What are your achievements so far?
I had a lot of achievements during the last 4 weeks. The language was the biggest part. I think that I improved my English skills, I understand and speak better English because of this experience here in the UK. I never worked with residents before – so I learned a lot about how to work with residents.

What were the challenges and how did you manage them?
The language was a big challenge for me. But it’s getting better and better when I speak with the residents or other people. The trips we made in our leisure time were a challenge too, like to drive with the correct bus or tube.

What are your plans for the rest of the placement to get the most out of it?
I would like to get to know the residents better and also the staff. Everyday I want to go in an good mood to work. I want to enjoy the last days with the people in the house. I would like to talk a lot in English so that I can further improve my English.

How is your cooperation with colleagues and management in your placement organisation?
The cooperation is very good. If anyone has got problems, they talk to each other. There is a good relationship between staff and management. Everyone is friendly and polite. I never saw a situation of argument. I really felt well in this placement.

How do you experience to speak another language at work?
The first time it was a little bit unaccustomed to speak another language. But after the first two weeks it was normal to speak English. Now I don’t think a lot about the words, I just start to speak.

What have you learned so far?
I learned a lot about the northern English accent. It is really difficult to understand the people. I also learned something about the British life. For example when you cross the street, you should first look right and when left. There are a lot of differences between the UK and Germany like the English breakfast with eggs, toast, beans and sausages.