Working Life in Amsterdam and Living in Amsterdam
Hello everyone again!
Life abroad our dialogues continue. We talked with Sema, who moved away from the comfort zone just like us and moved to Amsterdam about 2 years ago, about ‘life and business life in the Netherlands’.
Here you go
Hi Sema, welcome to the blog! Let’s start with the most classic question, can you tell us a little about yourself? What you do, what you like, work, life… you can start by talking about anything about yourself.
Hello! I am Sema, I graduated from Istanbul Technical University, Industrial Engineering in the summer of 2013.. Then there is always indecision, it goes on and on, whether it is a master’s or business life, Turkey or abroad… Like every Y generation youngster, I love to travel and experience new places (for example, those lovely sweet cafes!):. Besides traveling, I have been interested in latin dances for about 4 years.. I love dancing because wherever I go in the world, I can find a salsa night and meet and talk to new people right away, my second common language after English.
How did the idea of abroad come about? And why the Netherlands?
Actually, the idea of going abroad started to occupy a corner of my mind close to graduating, I just didn’t know where to start because I couldn’t say that I should leave everything aside and read a little more financially..
I started working as soon as I graduated, but at the same time I was making plans for my master’s degree abroad.. I first applied to a program in Berlin, both because the tuition fees were relatively more affordable and considering the job opportunities afterward, and I was rejected.. All my future applications abroad (job or master) were rejected, until May 2016!
My application for master’s in Germany was rejected because my average was not sufficient, so I started looking for job options at that time. I thought I’d head for it and started my searches for positions in big companies that require both Turkish and English.. In the first place, of course, there was Dublin, I went through the interview process first with Google and then with Facebook, but at one point it was always negative.. I continued my search regardless of all these negative feedback and the comments of my friends around me that “it’s fine, but you are not an EU citizen, it’s very difficult”.. Then the Dutch postings started to interest me because they weren’t looking for conditions such as EU citizens, work visas, especially for their postings in the field of technology.. So I took the first step towards Amsterdam. Of course, I started getting rejections again from the applications I made before (one of them is the company I work for now) and I’m wasting time, I think this job will not be possible without a master, so I turned my route towards the master’s again..
On a weekend when I was so bored with these efforts and took myself for a walk in the arms of Rome, I said, what a beautiful city, why don’t I apply for a master’s degree here?. I applied and got accepted.. After that, I call it a bit of a turning point in my life because I don’t remember how everything happened all of a sudden, how I made these big decisions.. I met my boyfriend while I was dealing with visa and work for Italy while looking for scholarship opportunities and accommodation there.. He got his master’s degree and stayed there, learned Italian, works and lives like a rose, I said, “Okay, I’m on the right track”. While the preparation process for Italy was going on, I saw that I am not alone on this road anymore, I have someone I love and trust with me! Then, hooop, I received an interview invitation from a company from Amsterdam in my mailbox, I accepted the interview saying I would be eliminated anyway, and I went through the processes one by one.
I don’t know if it’s luck or bad luck, but Roma’ either the day I buy my one-way flight ticket, my current company called and offered a job.. I stopped and looked, I got the offer I wanted so much, on the one hand, the idea of studying in Rome, on the other hand, my boyfriend who was going to move to Rome for me, finally we thought, we moved and we chose Amsterdam.. The idea of both having a work permit in Europe and working in a fun technology/travel company as I always wanted was very appealing to me and I moved to Amsterdam with my boyfriend.
Have you had any previous experience abroad?
Yes, I have an adventure in Cologne for 7 months, albeit a short one. I spent a semester at the University of Cologne for Erasmus in my third year of university.. In fact, it was this experience that prompted me to apply for Germany’s master’s degree as soon as I graduated. I loved the order, living standards and German(!) there
How was the job search process? And how long did it take to find a job? Are there any sites you use to look for a job? Did you speak Dutch during this process, or did you have the chance to learn it later?
The job search process in Europe was definitely not easy. When I think through the whole process (from my first application to getting accepted), it took almost 1.5 years.. Of course, this time is not the same for everyone, but it took too long for me.. Maybe I wasn’t applying for the right postings or there was something missing in my application.. Of course, I learned a lot during this process..
I was working as a data & system specialist in the human resources department in Istanbul and I generally applied for data analyst postings.. I was carefully examining the requirements of the advertisement, especially in the applications.. Certainly, this extra effort during the interview process had its advantages.. But the main reason for my success in this process was that I applied for a job that was very suitable for my experience and skills, because many companies in Amsterdam are interested in your experience in the field you are applying for and having the technical skills required for the position.
While I was looking for a job, I generally searched on LinkedIn, but not every company advertises there, so I determined the technology companies in Amsterdam from LinkedIn, researched their career sites one by one and applied.. Apart from that, I can say that career sites called “Indeed” and “Expat Jobs” are also used a lot in the Netherlands..
I didn’t know Dutch at all. It’s been 1.5 years since I lived here, but my Dutch level couldn’t go beyond saying my name.. Because everyone in the Netherlands has a very good command of English (especially in a city like Amsterdam where there are a lot of expats) and I never felt the need for Dutch. Already at work, we are the only Dutch human intern in our team of 12, so I don’t have much motivation to learn Dutch as the language of the company is also English.. Of course, if you know well in the job search process, it can be helpful, but I didn’t know how helpful intermediate Dutch would be, most job postings are always in English.
Finding a house in Germany is on its own. a process.. What was it like to find a house in Amsterdam? What was the most challenging thing for you during the moving process?
Of course, Amsterdam was nothing short of Germany! The process of looking for a house in Amsterdam is normally very difficult and you have to make an offer through a real estate agent, but my company has been very supportive of us in this process.. First, he gave us a house where we could stay for 1 month and directed us to a real estate agent who would support us in the house search process.. We visited many houses that fit our budget and we liked them, but they rejected our offers a lot (always red! It’s been a part of my life :)) because there were a lot of people who work like us for a house in the center of Amsterdam, and because my boyfriend couldn’t find a job yet, we couldn’t be the favorite of the hosts.. At the end of a 1-month struggle, we found the house we were looking for (of course, the fact that our landlord is a sweet Turkish couple who went through this process years ago also has an effect). In general, in order to keep the house you like, the financial gain must be 3 times the rent and it is necessary to bid quickly, I have heard of people who bid even above the desired price..
How is your office life in Amsterdam? What kind of pros and cons do you see when you compare it with your office life in Turkey?
I was working in a traditional company where there was more hierarchy in Turkey, so when I compare it with here, there are huge differences. My favorite thing is that if there is a meeting in another office during the day, jumping on the bike and changing buildings, although it may seem tiring at first, it is a good break to relax mentally.
The biggest difference from Turkey is They attach great importance to work-life balance.. Having time to do other things when I get off work in the evening. Another good thing is that it is an international environment and they attach great importance to “diversity”.. I think I mentioned, the team I work with is around 12 people and we each come from different countries.. Even during lunch, we talk about cultural things and places to visit.. I always learn new things from them..
I think I always talked about the positive aspects compared to Turkey, but when I look back on my business life there, it seems like there is nothing else I miss other than my colleagues.. I think the things I remember running in Istanbul traffic in the morning and evening, being locked in the plazas, being longing for green, made me think that there is not much positive aspect at the moment.. Working in Istanbul is really hard, especially if you don’t earn a little above the standards.. Here, however, almost everyone has similar living standards.
Do you have any difficult moments in Amsterdam? For example, the moments when you want to go back, when you miss Turkey.
It is difficult, of course, staying away from your loved ones, the moments I miss the most are those about them.. Especially when I go to the Salsa dance night here, I immediately think of my friends in Istanbul, especially if one of our favorite songs plays, I immediately miss and get emotional, I can’t dance in that song.. But other than that, there were never moments when I said “no, I can’t get used to it”. Especially the expat population in Amsterdam is very large and a lot of things have been thought for foreigners to adapt easily.. There are processes I remember in Germany at the time of Erasmus, they were very prescriptive, but I did not see them in Holland.
What is your favorite and least favorite thing about living in the Netherlands?
My favorite part is to jump on a bike and ride a bike from the riverside, through the forests and explore new places.. Indeed, one finds peace in green and blue.
The thing I dislike the most is the wind, the wind and again the wind! Sometimes there is so much wind that riding a 1km bike to work in the morning feels like 10km.. It’s a beautiful country without the wind 🙂
Living abroad seems like a rosy life from afar. We know that it is not so.. Do you have anything to add about this?
I totally agree. First of all, adapting and enjoying the moment is a process in itself.. When I first came, my contract was timed.. Companies avoid giving an indefinite contract for two years because when there is an adaptation problem to the company, they can easily dismiss them when the contract expires.. For me, 1.5 years passed with the stress of this and my contract has just become indefinite.. Other than that, even if I had come here alone, I think everything would be a bit more difficult, it is really difficult to establish a friend environment like in Turkey.
Your current awareness, what would you do differently or pay more attention to before you went to live abroad?
I think I’ll do it differently first thing would be to invest more in myself in my technical skills to advance in technology. Maybe I would have studied computer engineering. Secondly, I would gain some experience in an English-speaking country to improve my English very well.
Some travel! We know that traveling is easier when you live in Europe. Do you have time to travel a lot? Where did you go?
Yes, of course! We try to take a long 2-week vacation away once a year, a visit to Turkey 1-2 times, and a trip to Europe as much as possible.. Since my arrival, we have visited European cities such as London, Berlin, Sicily and Bruge.. Of course, there are plenty of places in the Netherlands.. This year, we have different cities in Spain, Portugal, Italy on our route.
If there is one, let’s get one of your favorite country and city?
My favorite city Seville, Spain (may also be influenced by the ‘Ferial de Abril’ festival, which we coincidentally stumbled upon). The city’s sincerity, cuteness, of course, warmth and attracts the food.. For my boyfriend, we always recommend Northern Italy, especially Florence, Bologna, Rimini, as our favorite cities.
The golden question is, do you plan to return to Turkey in the future? ?
Although returning isn’t in my long-term plans right now, I certainly can’t imagine myself living here all the time.. I think that one day I will definitely go to Turkey or somewhere else in Turkey’s climate.
Is there anything you want to tell our followers that we forgot?
I think it really is If they want to work abroad, they should start the job search process without being pessimistic.. Regardless of the rejection answers they receive, let them find what is missing and complete it and try until they find the job they want.
We have come to the end of another nice conversation.. Maybe we’ll see you again in new articles
We are on Instagram and we are waiting for you. Even Sema is on Instagram ?
https://www.instagram.com/semakaran/
https://www.instagram.com/yoldabiblog/
