The Werkschulheim Felbertal celebrates its 70th birthday this year. Karin Starlinger-Baumgartinger knew at the age of six that she wanted to become a teacher. Now she is the director in Ebenau.
In their school, young people are trained to become mechanical engineers, mechatronic engineers and carpenters. To do this, they do the AHS Matura. Karin Starlinger-Baumgartinger (52) runs the Werkschulheim Felbertal with a lot of passion.
Editor: Ms. Starlinger-Baumgartinger, how are you doing in this male-dominated environment?Karin Starlinger-Baumgartinger: It was a big issue that a woman took over the management for the first time. There were still two male applicants and the club chose me. The tradition in the Werkschulheim so far has been an internal replacement. We currently have 25% girls out of 360 students.
How are you doing after the first two years at the top?I’m doing very well, despite the corona crisis. I settled in very quickly. I started with employee appraisals in the summer. That’s how we got to know each other well.
What was your motivation to report here?It was not in my life plan to run a school one day. There was an Austria-wide advertisement, and I knew the Werkschulheim from a few teachers who attended my seminars. I felt the vigor behind the school in them. That would be a school for me, I thought, and then the advertisement came.
What is the school?It is the concept with the practical doing, the manual next to the cognitive. This is the perfect floor for further development.
Are you a skilled craftsman?Not in excess. I was there while building a house on the construction site, and I can also repair things. But I got to know the details here and am so involved in the matter that I know what our people are doing here.
Is your boarding school one of the largest in the state?Yes. About two thirds of the students stay here. We have a catchment area from all over Austria, but also from Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Ukraine and Latvia.
Can you tell us a little more about yourself?I am the mother of a 20 year old daughter and I love the languages that I taught at BG Gmunden for 20 years: Italian and Spanish. It hurts that you can’t travel now. I lived in the city of Salzburg for ten years during my studies; I have grown fond of this city and the Salzkammergut as a tour guide.
What do you say to Ebenau?I drive through a wonderful area, and always from the fog into the sun. I appreciate Ebenau as a picturesque place.
Have you always wanted to be a teacher?Yes, I already knew when I was six years old. I am a passionate educator. I have three siblings and my little brother started studying with me in elementary school when I was three.
What is the best thing about your job?Accompanying young people is a beautiful and responsible job. I see the students grow up from ten to nineteen years of age.
What’s challenging?It’s unpredictable every day. You have to make decisions and show willingness to conflict. I was also a mediator, so I have the tools to do this.
What is special about this school?I think everyone who graduated from the Werkschulheim would also like their children to go to this school. Two years ago, a group got in touch with me that was celebrating their 56th graduation anniversary. You invited me to Maishofen. They are all 76 years old and meet every two years. That is the feeling of togetherness that never ends.
And when it comes to Corona, how do you deal with it?From Monday to Friday we have half of the students here, the rest do distance learning. Due to the place of residence, the division within the week is not possible. We have extremely upgraded our distance learning.
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