Who has the chance to work at the World Cup in Qatar while studying? Alexander, who attended school in GESS from 2016 and graduated in 2019, is one of them. Here he tells us about his global lifestyle after GESS and how his stay in Qatar came about.
What did you do after your Graduation at GESS?
I moved to the Netherlands straight after my graduation to study Hospitality Management at Hotelschool The Hague.
How has your time in Singapore and at GESS shaped and influenced your life?
During my time at GESS, I met my best friends, whom I still keep today. Although we are scattered geographically in Germany and the Netherlands, we have always managed to organise an annual trip together. This tradition of ours started with our first trip to India in 2017.
I have Singapore to thank for my choice of study. At the age of 17, I had the opportunity to work part-time in a swimming school, where I realised that I really enjoy interacting with customers. A year later, I changed my part-time job and started working at Hans im Glück, a German burger grill at Orchard Road. At 18 and in grade 11, it was my first job in the hospitality and service industry, and I was surprised how much I loved it. I was able to use my five acquired languages in an international environment, communicate with customers and always make their dining experience a great one.
This job was certainly the foundation for my decision later to study Hospitality Management, which I have not regretted to this day, and for that I am very grateful to my time in Singapore and at GESS.
What are your favourite memories of your time at GESS?
The school trips were incredibly nice. In Grade 10, we travelled to India and then our Abitur trip to Tokyo was unique. But I would say one of my favourite memories was going to the Southeast Asia Games in Jakarta in Grade 10. I made great friends with students from other schools, whom I still meet regularly. Furthermore, growing together as a team and training hard for months to lift the trophy at the end is something I will never forget.
What do you miss about Singapore and your life here?
The good weather and of course the food!
Back then, I often met up with my friends at the Sixth Avenue Food Court to have chicken rice or ice kopi. I also have fond memories of my trips to Sentosa.
Where are you and what are you doing now?
I left the Netherlands at the start of November after completing my university classes. After a week’s holiday in Iceland, I left for the World Cup in Qatar. I worked there for three weeks and then flew straight to Spain, where I am currently writing my bachelor thesis. I’ll be moving to Frankfurt, where I’ll do my last internship, and hopefully attain my university certificate in August 2023.
We are curious about your stint at Qatar’s World Cup – how did you manage to land that?
Since 2022, I have been working part-time for an Austrian catering company that is responsible for the entire F&B of the paddock clubs (that is, for all VIPs) in Formula 1 worldwide. The same company manages F&B in all VIP areas in the stadiums in Qatar. I was asked if I would be interested in working there for three weeks and I said yes!
I flew in a week before the World Cup started and helped with the set up. After that I worked as a service worker in five different stadiums until the end of the group stage. Overall, it was a fantastic experience. Most of the staff there were around my age, students who also work part-time for the company and came from all over the world.
The working days were very long, but that’s something you must get used to if you want to work in the hospitality industry.
Because I worked in the VIP and VVIP areas, I was able to see and meet some celebrities and sometimes even watch a bit of the game. But only for a few minutes!
