From the Black Forest to Canada

Ailine Selinger has been working for JYSK Canada since July 14th. How it came about and what the German Country Manager Christian has to do with it - GOJYSK.com asked Ailine.

Coquitlam near Vancouver. Ailine Sellinger has been working here for a few months as a Store Manager Assistant in the smallest and also the first JYSK store in Canada.

Prior to that, she worked for JYSK Germany for eight years – with a short break. Here she had worked her way up from trainee to Store Manager.

"At the age of 18, I began to study the English language intensively through series and films. Because of Canada's big film industry, I came across the country and fell in love," says the 24-year-old.

The direct way

The final conclusion was made: It goes to Canada. The employer of choice was also quickly found: JYSK.

“The company has always been good to me. JYSK offers its employees something that is not a matter of course. That's why I looked for contact with Canada.”

Ailine did not hesitate and wrote an e-mail – to Christian Schirmer, Country Manager JYSK Germany.

“At JYSK you can contact anyone at any time. Christian was able to give me the right contact person straight away, so everything went his way,” says Ailine.

Shortly before Christmas, she received the long-awaited visa with the support of a Canadian law firm:

"I kept my mouth shut until Christmas," she laughs.

New challenges

It started in June. Many new impressions awaited - and also one or the other small language barrier.

"The other day I asked our warehouse worker to wrap a chair in foil and used the word 'to stretch'. Because in Germany we wrap products with stretch film. Later, when I got to camp and he was bouncing on the office chair to stretch the chair, we both had to laugh,” says Ailine.

Since then she has known that 'to wrap' is the right word. But the new Canadian-by-choice is not only facing new challenges professionally. Skydiving, bungee jumping or mountaineering:

"In the last few months I've experienced so much in my free time."

She is not homesick for Germany.

"The only thing I miss is my mother's cooking skills," Ailine smiles.

Her tip for colleagues who also want to take the step abroad?

“You have to be damn well prepared and not shy away from every unplanned thing. Things happen and you have to take them as they come.”