Our journey began on Sunday, 18 August 2024, at Zurich Airport. After a flight of just under two hours, we landed in Dublin, where we were welcomed by a member of staff from the Swan language school. From there, we went straight to our host families, who lived in the suburbs of the Irish capital. They were only a few kilometres away from the city centre, which has made it easy for us to explore Dublin and the surrounding area. As a rule, trainees are accommodated in pairs with the host families. I was in a host family with my fellow trainee Leonardo. Our host mum Sandra welcomed us with her dog Charlie. We immediately felt at home during our first dinner together and talked about a wide range of topics, from leisure activities we could do in Dublin to personal interests and politics. There was also a beautiful large park near our house, which we often visited after dinner with our host.
Refresh and deepen your language skills
On Monday morning, the day after our arrival, our programme started straight away with lessons. The first week focused on the language course at the Swan language school, where our English skills were put to the test. Before we left, we had already taken a placement test, on the basis of which we were divided into different language levels. For example, I was placed in the C1 course.
In my class, many of the other students came from countries such as Panama, Italy and Spain. Some of them were also English teachers who wanted to improve their English skills even further. Our lessons covered different topics, which I found exciting as you learnt a lot about other people's experiences and perspectives. The length of stay of the students also varied greatly - while some, like us, only stayed for a few weeks, others were there for several months or even years to massively improve their English and gain experience of working abroad.
Our teacher Joe was very creative in his way of teaching. Instead of starting each day's lesson by opening a textbook, he had us play interactive games or talk about topics that challenged our language skills. We also often worked in groups, which meant we naturally spoke more English.
After the lessons, we often went out in small groups to eat together in nearby restaurants or to explore the city.
Exciting insights into working life in Dublin
The practical part of our stay began in the second week, during which we worked in various companies. Many of the trainees had jobs in cafés or workshops. Two of my fellow trainees and I had the opportunity to work in an advertising agency. This agency specialised in designing and printing promotional items such as T-shirts, mugs and large posters. Another service was the simple printing of documents for private customers.
My main tasks consisted of helping customers with their enquiries, printing T-shirts and then delivering them. The working hours were very pleasant. We started at 10am every day and worked until 4pm. There was always a friendly and open working atmosphere. Our manager also invited us to eat together every Friday after work, which gave us the opportunity to practice our English together.
Adventurous weekend excursions
At the weekends, we had the opportunity to see more of Ireland and take part in various excursions. One of the first highlights was a bike tour through the huge Phoenix Park, one of the largest city parks in the world. We also visited the botanical gardens and took a tour of the famous Guinness Storehouse, where we learnt more about the history of Irish beer.
However, the absolute highlight of our stay was our visit to the Cliffs of Moher. To reach these cliffs on the west coast of Ireland, we took part in a bus tour with a guide. The journey there took around four hours, but during this time our tour guide told us interesting stories and facts about Ireland, which made the journey not seem too long. Luckily, the weather co-operated that day and when we finally arrived at the cliffs, we were all overwhelmed by the stunning views. We walked along the cliffs for two hours and took numerous photos of the beautiful landscape.
After visiting the cliffs, we travelled on to the nearby city of Galway, where we went out for a meal together. We then travelled back to Dublin.
During the week, we often met up in the evenings, went out to eat together or to pubs where we played cards.
Departure + summary of the trip
On 13 September, it was finally time to go home again. Swan organised our return journey and we were taken to the airport by bus. Our return flight to Zurich took off at 6.45pm and from there we travelled home.
Looking back, the month in Ireland was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that everyone who has the chance should take. The combination of language lessons, work experience and the many different experiences not only improved my English language skills, but also contributed to my personal development.
