Day in the Life: Floor, Trainee at Royal BAM Group
A career in tech doesn't get more hands-on than what Floor, trainee at Royal BAM group, does every day. Working for a construction group means Floor's day-to-day is all about building the next big thing (quite literally). As a rotating trainee, she is introduced to an entirely new role every six months: so far, she's worked on process management, construction, and HR strategy. Dive in to a day with Floor to learn more about the exciting projects she's working on and how she balances academic, professional, and personal life. What will she build next?
Name: Floor
Job: Rotating Trainee
What do you do in your role?
I’m a trainee at Royal BAM Group, a leading construction company. What makes this program unique is the freedom to design your own journey. Every six months, I step into a completely different role—strategic, operational, or hands-on. This way I can experience the full spectrum of the industry. So far, I’ve worked on sustainability and process management at Schiphol Airport, spent six months on a construction site as a carpenter (and followed the MBO opleiding Timmervrouw/ carptenter niveau 2), and now I’m exploring the people strategy, safety and leadership development within HR. It’s a rare opportunity to see how every layer of the business connects.
Here’s what a day in Floor's life looks like!
As a carpenter, most of my time is spent on the construction site. Come with me to work!
5-6 AM:
I wake up and get ready for work. My breakfast and lunch I've already prepared the night before, which gives me a head start for the rest of the day.
6-7 AM:
We start the day early on the construction site, which means barely any traffic or people on the train. I change into my carpentry outfit. We chat, drink our first cup of coffee, and with our site manager we talk through the planning, safety checks, and who's doing what. Currently, we're building a new apartment complex that contains 66 apartments.
7-9 AM:
Time to go outside. Today I'm working on one of my first independent projects; building my own ceiling. I make sure that I take all the tools and equipment I need to the spot where I'll be working for the day. Then, I check out the construction drawing I had made earlier and figure out a plan. It's physical work, but also very precise... therefore, I make sure to measure a couple of times before I start sawing. Once I have my list of measurements for the wood, I go down to the saw station.
9-9:30 AM:
Breakfast and coffee break. We meet up in the 'keet' (construction canteen) for breakfast. Everyone takes out their own food and stands in line to wash their hands and get a coffee or tea from the machine. This is where you really feel the culture on-site in my opinion: there is such a strong sense of routine in the way we work, but also lots of dry humor, good stories, and conversations about solving complex issue that may arise. It's a world of its own, but I've learned it's so gezellig, down-to-earth and a strong community culture (looking out for each other, sharing knowledge to help each other out, a culture based on trust).
9:30-11:00 AM:
Back to building. I head down to the saw station, which is on the other side of the apartment complex. This is a bit of a walk, which I don't mind as the weather is quite nice. I take my time to cut the pieces of wood according to my measurements and talk to some colleagues that are also in and around the saw station.
11-11:15 AM:
Time for another quick break. Tea and a piece of fruit and a snack. We talk some more about our weekend plans.
11:15 AM-1 PM:
I walk back to the saw station. Once I have cut all the wooden panels to size, I make sure to break the rough edges, plane and paint the sides of the panels. In the saw station the music is always on, so I find it relaxing to be here and do my thing. When I go back to my work spot to install the wooden panels, my mentor stops by to see how I'm doing and to check if he can help or share any tips.
1-1:30 PM:
Lunch! We all brought our own sandwiches and eat together while we have a laugh about something we saw on the news or a story from back in the days on the construction site.
1:30-3:30 PM:
I finish installing the wooden panels and with that finish my very first own project: a ceiling. It sounds a bit stupid, but honestly is such a rewarding and proud feeling as soon as I'm done. I built that, with my very own hands.
4-5 PM:
I usually check my mail when I get home, to make sure I didn't miss out on any updates from the traineeship program. Besides that, I have recorded some videos throughout the day to be able to post an update on my construction instagram (@floordoethetvoor).
6-9 PM:
Every Monday night I go to school after work (MBO Niveau 2 opleiding Timmervrouw/ carpenter) to work on homework exercises and the theory behind carpentry.
How do you unwind at the end of the day?
What helps me the most to unwind after a busy workday is a workout (I like any type of ball sport). Right now I'm really into padel, but have been a field hockey player all my life. Besides that, crafting or dinner with friends!
What do you love about your job and your employer?
I love that BAM gives me the space to create my own path. I’m currently exploring the abstract world of strategy, but also experienced the very tangible reality of building homes, and everything in between like shaping sustainability processes. That mix keeps me curious and energized! BAM’s mission to transform the construction sector, originally a quite traditional, conservative and fragmented sector, to a sustainable, innovative, and inclusive sector resonates deeply with me, and the culture at BAM makes it even better: down to earth and ambitious, but with a lot of pride, humor and amazing colleagues, whether you’re in a boardroom or on a building site.
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