She tells it like it is

Barbara Agostino doesn't mince her words and doesn't shy away from conflict – neither within her party nor beyond. We met the liberal MP last week on a quiet Monday in her office, where an old school desk stands as a reminder of her former career as a teacher.

Lëtzebuerger Journal: In 2018, you took part in the parliamentary elections for the first time and immediately came seventh on your party's South list. Five years later, you won two seats in your first local elections in your home municipality Pétange before moving up to the Chamber of Deputies in the same year to replace Max Hahn, who had moved into government. The term "political high-flyer" is probably appropriate for you.

Barbara Agostino: Yes, but I believe that people vote for you above all when you spend a lot of time in the world of work. When people see that you work and that you are one of them. That perhaps sets me apart from many politicians.

You are not only a politician, but also an entrepreneur. First you founded your own group of daycare centres with Barbara, and now you run a restaurant at "Fouer". But you started out as a teacher. How did you come up with the idea of giving up your secure job and switching to self-employment?

When I started as a teacher at the Sainte-Sophie private school in 2008, my enthusiasm was quickly curbed because I was doing too much with my pupils. For example, we went water-skiing, had barbecues and went camping until the headmaster told me to slow down a bit in terms of activities. I immediately thought about what I could do in a future where I was my own boss and could push through my projects.

And still with children…

Exactly, I'm a qualified nursery teacher and trained teacher. I opened my first daycare centre in Gasperich in 2010, which was an immediate success because there weren't that many daycare centres in the capital at the time.