I learned my trade on the job site, from scratch. If one loves what they do, they learn and grow
Costel Bursucanu is 42 years old and comes from Brăila, Romania. He joined the RCBB team 4 years ago as a carpenter, contributing to the completion of 8 construction sites, all in Munich. Carpenters makeup almost half of the RCBB Gruppe team and, like their fellow craftsmen, are an indispensable part of every construction site. What does a carpenter do on a construction site and how can someone end up practicing this trade? Let’s find out!
A professional journey that started from scratch
Mr. Bursucanu came to Germany in 2011 to work in construction, after years of working in Romania in other fields. He specialized as a naval locksmith, but life had different plans for him.
“I started from scratch in Germany, without any experience in carpentry. I won’t say I couldn’t hammer a nail or hold a hammer. However, I knew nothing about construction plans and wasn’t familiar with the German system. I hadn’t even worked in the field in Romania. But I liked what I was doing and I enjoyed learning it,” says Mr. Bursucanu.
“I didn’t learn my trade like one does in school, no one sat me down to explain it to me. I saw the plans laid out on the floor and I looked at them. I watched my colleagues and saw what they were doing and how they were doing it. One day like this, the other like this, until I started tracing myself. After that, I would call a colleague with experience to look at my work and tell me if I had done it right and what I needed to correct, improve or add. And that’s how I got to the point where I no longer needed someone to check my work,” recalls Mr. Bursucanu.
Meanwhile, he noticed his colleagues started to trust his abilities: „You put the plans in my hands and I can do my job without any issues,” says the carpenter, concluding that “if a person likes what they do, they learn very easily!”
What does a carpenter do on a construction site
Carpentry is one of the basic trades on a construction site. Carpenters make up about 40% of the total employees of RCBB Gruppe. Mainly, they build formwork for slabs and walls. Their activity starts with reading the construction plans and it comes to life by pouring the concrete and stripping the surfaces once they are dry.
“It’s a beautiful job!” says Mr. Bursucanu. And every workday can be easy or difficult, depending on your attitude and the organization you show: “If you know what you have to do and plan your day as best as possible, you can make it as easy as it can be. On the other hand, if you think it’s difficult and you can’t do it, you may not be able to get through the whole day properly.”
“We do encounter problems on the construction site, but if you have someone to collaborate with and someone to consult with, we solve them. I work well with the site managers, but the most important thing is the team you work with. If the team is united and knows what to do, things go well. But when one person pulls one way and another pulls another, it’s difficult. Similarly, if someone doesn’t know or do their job, they hold you back as a team. And then, the rest of us have to work harder to cover that gap,” explains the carpenter.
The sacrifice of being away from family
The distance is one of the biggest challenges for Mr. Bursucanu. With two young children at home, a 4-year-old boy and a baby girl just a few months old, the longing is hard to bear. “It’s painful to know that they are growing up without a parent by their side. I worry that one day they will reproach me for not being there for them,” he confesses sadly.
However, Mr. Bursucanu hopes that his sacrifices are not in vain. “Everything I do, I do for them. I want them to have a better life and to understand that all our efforts and sacrifices are for their well-being,” he explains. It is the role of the parent to sacrifice for the children, just as our parents sacrificed for us to have a better life. He wants his children to be healthy and to understand that he always puts their well-being first, even if it is difficult.
The constant thought of returning home
Many of those who work abroad in construction always keep in mind the thought of returning home. There, family, friends, loved places, and the feeling of belonging await them.
Mr. Bursucanu also wants to return to Romania but admits that now is not the right time. “I always say I’m retiring, but I haven’t done it yet. I have to think about my family’s happiness too. Family is the foundation,” he says.
In the meantime, Mr. Bursucanu tries to make the best of his life away from home and to bring joy to those around him. He does this through cooking, his passion since childhood. On every holiday, but also without any special occasion, he prepares delicacies that he shares with his colleagues. “Sweets are my downfall,” he says. He learned to cook just as he learned carpentry, through practice. He used to test recipes by ear with his brother when his parents were not at home. Nowadays, he brings Romanian flavors to Germany, preparing traditional sweets and dishes.
On the occasion of the sixth anniversary of the founding of RCBB Gruppe, we look at the professionals who are part of our team, talking about some of the vital trades for the existence of a construction site. This interview is the third in a series of six materials that we will publish in the following weeks.