Robert moved to the Netherlands with his wife in 2023 to work and build a bright future. Before moving here, he lived in Poland and the UK. This is where he got to strengthen his English and has been able to speak it very well. After connecting with Port of Opportunities, Robert has been able to look around for his perfect job opportunity. By taking some interviews, he found the job that will challenge him and support him in developing his skills.
Putting experiences into work
Robert has been working for De Gezamenlijke Brandweer for almost two months now. Here, he found the perfect job to fit his interests and he found the right place where he can focus on sharpening his skills. Before coming to the Netherlands, he used to work as a driver for more than nine years, which allowed Robert to gain a lot of experience as a driver. Robert was looking for a job opportunity that allows him to have time to spend after work to learn the Dutch language. Now, at De Gezamenlijke Brandweer, he has that time because he is able to work regular hours at his new position. We asked Robert about what he likes the most about his new function and he told us that the diversity of his tasks is very refreshing: “I'm very happy with the work I get to do here at De Gezamenlijke Brandweer. This is mostly because there isn’t a daily routine that repeats itself every day. On one day, I may have to deliver equipment to the ‘kazerne’ and the factory, while on the other day I help my colleagues on the ‘werkplaats’. It really makes me happy to help my colleagues get ready for when to have to go out and help others in need.” Despite the language barrier, Robert’s colleagues are very understanding and supportive, which gives him the motivation to study the Dutch language in order to integrate more smoothly in the place he now lives at. “When I first started working here, I had many challenges, because I didn’t know the Dutch language or the region in which I work. However, my colleagues introduced me to the process step by step and with the knowledge and experience I already had, everything became possible.” Robert makes a remark that he would recommend Port of Opportunities to others. “PofO is a place that provides a great start in the professional life for newcomers. People who work here are looking for jobs based on the individual predispositions and the needs and skills that the candidates have.”
Working for De Gezamenlijke Brandweer
We had a great talk with John Voskuijl, Robert’s supervisor at De Gezamenlijke Brandweer. “Before Robert even started working here, it was a very positive fact for us that Robert has three drivers’ licenses to his name. He already showed us that he has a broad knowledge on the job he was applying for, which was another great quality we saw in Robert. Since Robert joined our team, the language barrier was a bit of a challenge at first. However, now that some time has passed, we can clearly see how much time and energy Robert is putting into learning the Dutch language. He gets along with his colleagues well and even though not all of our colleagues speak English well, it is fun to see that by using signs, they always get to solutions as a team, despite the language barrier.” John states that Robert is a great driver and that he easily picks up new tasks. He is very eager to learn and has already started to pick up Dutch words in order to smoothen the conversations with others. “We only had one conversation with PofO, but from just this conversation, we were certain that working along with PofO would be very beneficial for us, but also for others. I would recommend other companies to work with PofO too, because it results in us getting good employers with great skills, and they get to work at great places in order to live here.”
