From maintenance technician in South Africa to Head of Technical Services in the Netherlands

”If I had needed to arrange all this myself, I would still be in South Africa.”

My name is Evert. Working abroad has always been a goal of mine. Not necessarily in the Netherlands, but outside South Africa, so I could develop myself further in engineering. In South Africa I worked as a maintenance technician in the cheese industry. I started through school, first the theory and then a lot of practice, and that is how I earned my Millwright qualification.

Although working abroad was always the goal, the Netherlands was not specifically on my radar. Mostly I wanted to move forward. Through others I heard that Employ IR helps South African technicians work in the Netherlands. That caught my attention. It felt right from the very first contact. The communication was clear and I always knew where I stood.

Employ IR helped me with everything around my move to the Netherlands. From documents and preparations to housing and starting with my employer. Everything was explained step by step. After I arrived they arranged my accommodation and I was given a week to settle in. After that, Employ IR even joined me on my first day at work. That showed they are genuinely involved.

The first weeks in the Netherlands took some getting used to, especially the language. Understanding Dutch went reasonably well thanks to Afrikaans, but speaking it was harder. Still, learning went quickly, because the languages are so similar. Two years on, I now speak Dutch well. At work I was given room to learn, to take initiative and to take on responsibility.

Within the company I got the chance to grow. I started as a technician and worked my way up to Head of Technical Services. Through training and one-to-one guidance I learned a great deal in practice and on the shop floor.

In the beginning especially I needed Employ IR a lot for the start-up and practical matters, but even now I can always get in touch. A quick call or message is enough.

To other South African professionals I would say: if you are hesitating about taking this step, do it, but do it together with Employ IR. If I had needed to arrange all this myself, I would still be in South Africa. South African technicians have a strong work ethic, are flexible and have a broad technical foundation. We get stuck in and we solve things.

I am proud that I reached my goal: building a career abroad. Moving up to Head of Technical Services shows that hard work is seen and rewarded here.