Employee story
From intern to trainee assessor to inspector of the inspection body – Jannes has already held a number of interesting positions at ESE. He tells us what they were here
After I graduated from high school in Emden, I went on an FSJ to find out what I actually wanted to do. I then started my Bachelor’s degree in “Passenger Transportation Management” at Ostfalia in Salzgitter. I also completed a Master’s degree in “Transport and Logistics” there immediately afterwards. During my bachelor’s degree, I had Lars Schnieder as a lecturer for rail transportation technology, among other things. As Lars kept telling me about his work as Head of the Assessment Service Center at ESE, ESE stuck in my mind and I ended up doing my bachelor’s internship there. After the internship, I stayed on as a working student at ESE. During this time, I was able to work on several projects and accompanied Lars twice to contract negotiations and project support.
On-site scrutineering at the track is always very varied as an expert or test assistant. The preparation and completion of an acceptance are then tasks that have to be done at the desk, such as checking the construction documents. So it’s a good mix.
Another special feature is that we are often on site at off-peak times or at night. This is because if changes are made during operation, they can of course only be checked when there is no operation. So we’re often on the line between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. during off-peak hours, before the morning rush hour starts again. This form of variety was a major factor in my decision to pursue a career as an expert at ESE. At the end, we sign as assessors that the assessed status of the system is safe for passenger operation or the respective target status.
I have now been working here at ESE for a good two years. I also currently support vehicle registrations as a service provider, particularly for Deutsche Bahn. Here I take on the role of risk and safety manager. I am therefore not only familiar with the appraisal process, but also with safety and risk management and project management.
Since the turn of the year 21/22, I have been going through ESE’s assessor-trainee-program at the Assessment Service Center, which is offered by the inspection body in cooperation with the Academy. The aim of this is recognition as an ESE assessor.
The assessor-training is a good mix of theory and practice. The program consists of basic training courses as well as in-depth training courses depending on the specialist focus of each individual participant – in my case, in-depth training courses from the rail sector. During our training, we also gain practical experience in specific projects planned by our lead assessors. Through so-called observation reports on the (co-)work on the projects and proof of successful participation in the training courses, I finally receive my recognition as an ESE assessor in our inspection body.
For me, the trainee program ends at the end of 2024 – pretty much exactly on my fifth anniversary at ESE.
“I particularly like the variety that my job at ESE offers me.”
One thing I really like is the low hierarchical levels we have here. It’s nice that everyone here, right up to the management, is on first-name terms. You can contact all the business managers at any time, which I feel is a privilege these days, especially given the size of our company. The independence and freedom of choice that I have here are also particularly important to me. I can talk to the customer alone, make decisions myself to a certain extent, and always have the feeling that I have the trust of my managers. I also particularly like the variety that my job at ESE offers me.
No one could give a better insight into our everyday life than those who experience it every day. Therefore, we asked some of our colleagues from the various departments to describe their everyday lives and careers at ESE in more detail. This way, everyone can get a first impression of us and our diverse work.
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