one: What wishes did you have for your professional future when you came to Germany?
Ali Rezaie : First of all, it was important for me to learn the language and get a school-leaving certificate. I managed to do that. I then trained as a social assistant and wanted to continue learning. My career goal was to become an educator. But I had to drop out of training because I was now the father of a little boy and living separately from his mother.

one: What happened next?
Ali Rezaie : After parental leave, I was looking for work. One day, the job centre drew my attention to an event at which the REWE programme for partial qualification as a sales assistant was presented. I immediately found it very exciting. I had already worked in retail in Iran - in my cousin's clothing shop. I had a lot of contact with customers and that was a lot of fun. So it quickly became clear to me that I would take part in the REWE programme. I've been on the programme since May 2023.

one: How do you organise childcare for your son?
Ali Rezai : It is indeed a challenge. But thanks to good, reliable arrangements with my former partner, it works quite well. The little one goes to daycare and is with me three days a week. On the other four days, his mum looks after him. So if I'm at school on one of "my" days, I finish at 3.30 pm. That's when I manage to pick my son up from daycare.

one: And when you work at the store?
Ali Rezai : Then it depends on which shift I'm assigned to. If I work the early shift, I can take the little one to the daycare centre in the morning and pick him up in the afternoon. If, on the other hand, I have to work later or be at the store particularly early in the morning, i.e. as early as 6 a.m., I have to coordinate with my ex-partner to see if she can step in. That means a lot of organisation, but somehow I manage.

one: Trainees for whom German is not their first language understandably often find it difficult to follow lessons and master the material at school. What is it like for you?
Ali Rezaie: Yes, I have to do more revision than others, precisely because I learnt German late. But I keep up well. A lack of language skills is not an obstacle. I think it's good that we write a test every week at school on what we've learnt beforehand. It's great preparation for the exam later on.

one: How do you like working in the store?
Ali Rezaie: Very well. At the beginning, I often sat at the checkout, which I didn't always like. But now I also work in other places in the store and have a lot of contact with goods and customers. It's a lot of fun, varied and helps me to understand many of the things we discuss at school. If I don't know something, my colleagues in the store support me.

one: The exam is in spring next year. If all goes well, you will then have your IHK qualification as a sales assistant in your pocket. Do you already have an idea of what to do next?
Ali Rezaie: I would very much like to continue working at REWE, but initially only part-time. As long as my son is still small, I need more time to look after him. That will certainly be easier when he goes to school. Then I could imagine going back to work full-time and gaining further qualifications, for example as a shift supervisor. I know that means a lot of responsibility and requires a lot of flexibility in terms of time. After all, shift supervisors always pitch in if another employee is suddenly unavailable. As a single parent with a young son, I couldn't do a job like this, but it would be possible in a few years' time.

one: What do friends and acquaintances say about your plans?
Ali Rezaie: They all speak favourably of me. They can see that I enjoy working with people. Sometimes they even congratulate me. They say that working in retail is a secure job for the future.