My Erasmus+ in Chester

On August, 24th I left Italy to go to Chester, in the United Kingdom for a month. I was not alone, I was with nine girls and one boy.

Before leaving for this experience, I attended the First Certificate course and I took the exam. To be selected, instead, I had to write my own curriculum and take part in a kind of job interview with two teachers.

In July I attended a meeting with some expert people about what we would have found once that we were in Chester.

The hotel where I workedTwo weeks before leaving I got a mail that told me what my work placement was. I was in a hotel called Macdonald Craxton Wood Hotel & SPA. It is a luxury hotel just outside Chester and it is surrounded by the countryside. It is well known for its new SPA and for its perfect location for weddings.

In fact, every week, there were at least one wedding and a couple of meetings per day, thanks to its five meeting rooms and a building built just for weddings and big events.

The hotel has also a large SPA where you can get beauty treatments, massages or you can just use the gym or the pool.

What I did in the hotelIn the hotel I did not have just one assignment. In fact, in the first week I was in the kitchen and in the restaurant; after that, I worked also at the main reception, at the SPA reception and in the housekeeping.

I was not alone, I was with another girl and in the first week we worked together. We worked six hours per day, from 9AM to 3PM.

I liked most the SPA reception because the staff was friendlier than in the other departments.

First week: kitchen and restaurant

In the first week, I worked as a kitchen and restaurant helper. In the morning I had to help preparing and serving breakfast at the tables, clean the tables and the restaurant and then, after lunch, I had to set up tables for dinner. I sometimes had to help also at the bar.

I also had to help to tidy up the kitchen, so I had to clean and then put the plates on the shelves.

Second week: SPA receptionThis was the job I liked most! I had to stay at the SPA reception and greet the guests when they arrived; if they had booked an appointment I had to make them fill up an information schedule. If they were here to use the pool or the gym, I took their card and I gave them a towel.

I sometimes helped cleaning or tidying up the cabins where they had the massages. If I did not have anything to do, I worked at the computer and I put the guests’ data in the company website.

Third week: main reception and housekeeping

In this week I stayed in the main reception and I helped with the housekeeping.

In the reception I greeted guests when they arrived and I did some computer work, such as reservations or emails.

In the housekeeping I helped cleaning the rooms and setting them up for the new guests to arrive.

On the last three days I came back at the SPA reception.

In the hotel I had three supervisors, who followed me during my internship.

At the end, they gave me some positive feedback and I even got a reference letter from the SPA manager!

I also received my Europass, which is a certificate that I got because I took part in the Erasmus Plus, and a certificate from the hotel.

I was very happy about it because in the hotel I found people who helped me with everything I did not know or I did not understand. I also met a girl who was one year older than me and we worked together in the SPA.

What did I learn from this experience?Taking part in this experience taught me a lot of things. Firstly, I am more responsible because I was “alone” far from home.

Then I learnt how a hotel works and how to overcome challenges, such as problems or doubts. I improved my English and I learnt new words, even if it was tiring listening to English all day long, especially on the first days!

I also learnt how to live in a different country with a different culture and get used to it, even if my culture and the one in Chester were really different.

My host family In Chester I stayed in a host family that was 15 minutes on foot from the centre. I was not alone, I was with another girl, Chiara. We were hosted by a woman, Sophie, and her son, Callum. During a month we have been talking to them a lot and they made us feel like home.

We also celebrated Sophie’s birthday! We cooked Italian ravioli and we bought her a cake.

The other side of my experience During the weekends I visited Chester and some nearby cities, such as Shrewsbury, Liverpool and Manchester.

Shrewsbury

Liverpool

Manchester

And, of course, Chester

Some time spent together

At the end I was sad to leave Chester but I was happy to go back home and see my family and friends again! I hope to go back there one day but as a tourist.

I suggest everyone to take part in this experience or in other experiences abroad because it helps you a lot: you improve the language, you get to know other cultures, you meet new people and you learn how to behave in the world of work. You also learn a lot of things and, most of all, you learn how to become more responsible on your own!

Made by Asia Mariancini