After months of hard work, we settled down to wait. So when we got the e-mail in early May – the e-mail telling us we’d made it through to the finals in Frankfurt – we could hardly believe our luck. We were one of the top teams – the last six teams – out of dozens of teams from all over Germany. And we’d been invited to the Frankfurt School campus, where we would present our idea to the jury on June 4, 2019!
Okay, so we’ve finished preparing our presentation and we’re ready to go. Travel – nerves – anticipation – fun! Back in Bavaria, our well-rehearsed team gradually assembles as we all make our way, with mixed feelings, to the train station. As we sit in our seats, we each privately visualise how the presentation will go. After several hours of travel, we find ourselves standing in the middle of Frankfurt. We quickly take a taxi from the station to the hotel. We leave our things in our rooms and then, after a shared meal, take a tour of the financial centre. And finish the evening by rehearsing our presentation for the billionth time.
“Guad moing, jetzt erst a moi gscheid Frühstücken”, as we say in Bavaria – because a good breakfast sets you up for the rest of the day! Fortified, we take a taxi to Frankfurt School. The taxi door opens and our eyes grow wide: We’re standing right in front of the Frankfurt School campus. After a few group photos we make up our minds to go inside. We’re overwhelmed. We’re actually standing in Frankfurt School’s stylish, modern building – and it’s gorgeous: Every step opens up new vistas. After registering at reception, we swiftly make our way to the presentation room. The teams will present in random order, drawn out of a hat. We all hope we’ll be the first to be chosen. But as luck has it, we’re the very last team. A few minutes later, the teams are asked to assemble in the presentation room, already packed with faculty staff and jury members. The presentations by the five teams ahead of us make us even more nervous than we are already, because they’re really good. At the same time, we’re looking forward to presenting our idea to everybody in the room. But at last, when the announcer finally says, “and last but not least, we invite the RB im Oberland team to take the stage”, our nerves disappear, and we really enjoy making the actual presentation. After 15 exciting minutes the audience applauds, and we feel a huge sense of relief. Since we’re the last group, the next item on the agenda is lunch. During the break, the jury withdraws to decide on the winners. The afternoon’s events fly by, and at last the moment of truth arrives – the moment everyone in the room has been waiting for. As the seconds tick by, team nerves are stretched to breaking point – our hearts are racing. The door opens, the five members of the jury file in. Places 6 to 4 are called out – our team isn’t mentioned. “Yes! We’re in the top 3!” What an amazing achievement! We’re all grinning like Cheshire cats. Third place is announced – it’s not us. We can hardly believe it. The last two teams are invited on stage; in a few minutes, the winner will be announced. “And the winner of the Bankfachklasse-Award 2019 is the team from… RB im Oberland!” It’s absolutely insane – we’ve won! We’re overjoyed, simply speechless. Months of work have paid off.
Would we take part in another Bankfachklasse-Award competition? Our answer is an unequivocal “YES J”. We’d also advise all other trainees to take part. Preparing for the competition helps you develop on so many different levels.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our company for giving us so much support and placing so much trust in us. We received a lot of positive feedback and warm congratulations both before and after our victory – from Board members, from our vocational college teachers, from our colleagues and fellow trainees. That made us very proud. Last but not least, we would also like to thank Frankfurt School and Springer Fachverlag for organising a once-in-a-lifetime event and giving us a truly wonderful time.
Frankfurt School gGmbH
Adickesallee 32-34
60322 Frankfurt am Main
