If you want to achieve something, you will. It’s all down to you and how committed you are, said First Deputy Governor Sabine Mauderer at the Bundesbank's Pupils’ Day. Around 100 pupils from nine schools across Germany travelled to Frankfurt to learn about the Bundesbank’s work and its Executive Board. Overall, pupils from around 30 schools applied to attend this year’s event by submitting a video. 

Lots of questions for the First Deputy Governor

How do you actually become First Deputy Governor? How does the Bundesbank use artificial intelligence and what is its position on crypto-assets? At the meeting with Ms Mauderer, the pupils asked questions about her career and daily working life, as well as the work of the Bundesbank.

You don’t necessarily need a dazzling CV to be an achiever in Germany. Personal effort is much more important, said the First Deputy Governor in her encouraging remarks to the participants. She went on to say that Germany offers extensive opportunities, even for those without an ideal background. 

According to Ms Mauderer, women should also be bolder in their career moves. She said that the Bundesbank is an example of a great employer that actively encourages women to take on management positions. At present, 41 % of our managers are women.

When asked about stablecoins, the First Deputy Governor explained that there are use cases for stablecoins, especially in regions where many people do not have a bank account or the local currency is not stable. However, she said that it is also important to have clear rules for payment instruments such as stablecoins.

Understanding the Bundesbank

A thirst for knowledge was the chief motivation for pupils to apply: The Bundesbank’s work is central to many areas of our lives. We’d like to have a better understanding of how the Bundesbank, as a leading institution, is meeting the current challenges of political and economic turmoil, as well as many technical innovations, said pupils of the Albert Schäffle School in their application video. For their colleagues from Alfeld, gaining practical insights was key to building on their theoretical knowledge of how the Bundesbank works. The participants also wanted to make use of their visit to find out more about training opportunities at the Bundesbank. 

Insights into the Bundesbank’s topics and work

During their visit, the pupils had the opportunity to test their Bundesbank knowledge in a quiz and find out about job opportunities at the Bundesbank. They also had the chance to win commemorative coins in a guessing game about shredded money.

The participants gained insights into the world of money during a guided tour of the Money Museum. They learned how cash is made, what book money is and how monetary policy works.

The Bundesbank has been inviting pupils from all over the Federal Republic to spend a day on its premises once a year since 2014.