During the Lent Half-Term Matthew, from 6.1, had the fantastic opportunity of working in Germany, soaking up the local atmosphere and culture as well as, of course, absorbing and responding in the native tongue. Here is his report of this wonderful trip which was facilitated for him by the MFL department, proving that languages can be practised in a classroom, but only truly perfected out in the real world.

‘I worked in a Café in an attractive but not overly busy part of Aachen. I had no previous experience in being a waiter so at first I found the job challenging, especially due to that fact that I had to hear and speak only German during my shifts. However, as the days passed I became increasingly confident and my ability to comprehend spoken German improved and allowed me to engage in casual conversations. The working hours took up the majority of the day but, when I was not working, I had a chance to make some really great friends with others in the group and explore the city with them. This gave us a degree of independence in navigating ourselves around a foreign city, and making sure we made our way to work on time! Other activities such as ice skating and cinema visits made the trip thoroughly enjoyable as well as beneficial.’

Well done to Matthew and all who took part in work experience programmes this half term.