Business travel can be a challenge when you have children. However, there is a special Erasmus+ funding line for staff for exactly this purpose. In March, TUM employee Marita Mau spent two days at Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU) for on-the-job training as part of her work for EuroTeQ Engineering University – together with her husband and daughter.
Marita Mau is a Senior International Strategist at the TUM Global & Alumni Office. She has been one of the key members of the TUM EuroTeQ team since the launch of the alliance in 2020. Due to the travel restrictions at that time and a subsequent one-year parental leave, she could only get to know her colleagues and the campuses of the EuroTeQ partners personally to a limited extent.
However, close coordination with the Czech colleagues in particular is of crucial importance, as TUM is primarily responsible for EuroTeQ project management and CTU is the lead partner for communication within the alliance.
"I work with my colleagues in Prague on a daily basis, but I had never seen the CTU campus before. From my previous work experiences, I know how important it is to meet colleagues in person and get a better feel for the other university. While video conferencing is a great tool, it makes a big difference when you can see where the other person is working. You get a feel for the campus, the students' daily life, and the working conditions of your colleagues at the university. This is a tremendous help in compensating for distances and potential cultural differences."
Through the Erasmus+ staff training program, Marita and her CTU colleague Romana Pikulová organized two working days at CTU. They set an agenda that included a compact communication workshop and meetings with crucial EuroTeQ colleagues. Since travelling with a small child under the age of two is difficult to organize, Marita decided to take her family with her. Prague is around 380 km away from Munich, so the three of them boarded the train and looked forward to visiting the Czech capital together.
The family was given a very child-friendly and informative tour of the CTU campus before the group split up and the work program began. The meetings were very productive and advanced common themes of the EuroTeQ communication strategy.
"I was able to fully realize my work goals. In the afternoon, we went to see the city and used the many recommendations for things to do with a small child I had received from my colleagues. On Saturday, when the meetings were over, Romana joined us with her daughter and showed us her favorite places in Prague. I highly recommend a staff exchange and encourage other parents to bring their families. It was a rewarding experience."
Interested to do a staff exchange at a EuroTeQ Partner?
Every EuroTeQ staff member has the option to apply for funding for a Staff mobility for Training or Teaching at a partner university through the Erasmus+ program.
