As part of my Erasmus+ placement I have met loads of new people, from GTI and also in Portugal. I have met people from different parts of Europe in my work place and I have learned to work independently and can now complete difficult tasks successful that I was unsure about at first. I have a new interest in science that I never had before and the work experience has helped in expanding my CV in terms of new skills and experiences and has given me hope to find a job in the future either at home or abroad. I have also developed my communication skills in Portuguese and English and have learned how to talk to people of different ages and positions in the workplace. I have developed my excel skills and data analysis skills, my research skills and my writing skills as I had to write a report for the European commission on my own as part of my placement. In the future my goal is to live and work abroad. I learned how to work as part of a team, especially when it comes to directions. It was a very good experience and I feel as though I have learned a lot more about myself and my future goals.
Overall my Erasmus experience was very enjoyable and worthwhile. From attending the interview to actually going abroad and doing my work placement, it was an opportunity that doesn't come along very often. Right from the moment we got to the airport I felt that this was going to be a great opportunity for me. When I got to my workplace on induction day, they made me feel right at home and I settled in as if I was part of the team. My work was similar to what I would be doing back in GTI or on work experience, which is part of my course. I was therefore able to update my skills and learn and grow as a person. I feel the Erasmus placement helped me learn more about myself and what I want to do in the future. Before going, I was undecided what I wanted to do after this course but I now know what I want to do all thanks to to the Erasmus+ placement. I also developed new skills such as communication skills as I had to interact with people who didn't have English as their first language. I also got to experience new cultures and traditions as well as trying out the different cuisine. My social skills also developed as I was socialising with people from different countries and also going abroad with two other students on the Erasmus placement.