Adam masters his job even without German
Adam Jennings studied law in Lancaster and realized during his studies that law was not his dream profession. After graduating, he reoriented himself professionally and ended up in personnel development. This job gave him the opportunity to move to Austria – with a little persuasion from his wife.
Dear Adam, where are you from?
I originally come from Great Britain, more precisely from Nottingham – known for Robin Hood.
How was your start in Austria?
At first, it was a bit strange because I moved right at the end of COVID and then there was another lockdown.
I started at Go Student, a startup. It was my first time in a startup, having previously worked more in corporate environments, specifically in healthcare and retail. The speed and dynamics were completely different – an intense but great learning experience.
Fortunately, I had a great, social team at Go Student and the support of my wife Larissa, especially with bureaucratic challenges at the authorities, made it much easier for me to settle in.
Then I joined Erste Group. I had already heard a lot of positive things beforehand and felt that it was the right time to return to a larger corporate structure.
How are you feeling now? Do you feel at home in Vienna?
By now, I feel really comfortable and at home here. Vienna has so much to offer. There are many interesting places, bars, bands, and good sports opportunities, which is very important to me, also to stay mentally fit. Overall, Austria has become a great place where I truly feel good.
What differences do you see between British and Austrian culture? Also in the work environment.
There are indeed some differences. But I never felt like I had to adapt significantly to the culture. My team accepted me as I am, and I always felt very comfortable.
I think it's important to accept differences and not see them as something negative, but as an opportunity to broaden your own horizons.
We're conducting this interview in English. Is the language a challenge for you?
Definitely. I’m the only one on my team who doesn’t speak German. Still, my team makes a big effort to include me. I’m now also receiving support for German courses. That’s a great aspect of inclusion.
If I want to build a long-term career here, learning German is simply necessary – just like any other skill. It’s not a major barrier, just a factor to take into account.
Are there things that stood out to you in a positive way at Erste?
Yes, the leisure and sports club Erste Bank is fantastic! There are an incredible number of activities – from fishing to art to various sports. For me personally, football is important, but there would be so much more to discover if I had the time.
One example from employee development is our mentoring platform “MentOS,” which is already available in English and German. This greatly promotes cross-country exchange and makes it more attractive for international colleagues.
The meal plan is now also available in English, which was a great addition and very helpful.
With our new intranet called echo, the translation of many contents has significantly improved. This makes it possible to better include all countries and employees. I sometimes wonder how many people in our company actually don’t speak German and rely solely on English. Such statistics would certainly be interesting.
What would you like to improve to promote integration and inclusion?
A good approach, which I know from other companies, would be a kind of guide that familiarizes international employees with cultural characteristics – both within the company and in Vienna in general. Small gestures like these really help to feel at home.
Thank you, dear Adam, for the interview!