Relocating to the Netherlands: behind the scenes with Bori
If you’ve ever moved to another country to start a new job, you know how tedious and time-consuming this process can be. Relocating is a process that takes time and usually doesn’t end the moment you land in your new country. A relocation package from your employer will definitely help, but at Sendcloud, we believe there is much more to that.
The person behind our relocation process and how proud we are of it is Bori Wintermans, our first Expat Expert and part of the House of Talent. She has been working hard to streamline our relocation procedure from A to Z, and we love the personal touch she put in each step. We met Bori to walk us through the relocation process at Sendcloud and what's behind the scenes. 🚀
Tell us about you and your Sendcloud journey so far.
Hi there! I am Bori Wintermans, Expat Expert at Sendcloud.
My Sendcloud journey started as a total coincidence! I was already working as a relocation expert, and I wasn’t actively looking for a job. One day, through a connection in the House of Talent (hi Annemijn!) I was approached to help the team brainstorm about my role so they could create a similar one, so I met the team.
Back in the day, I relocated Annemijn’s boyfriend from Argentina, so she knew pretty well what I was doing and we met a couple of times. I was like “Brainstorming? Sure, anytime, I’d be glad to help!”. But in the blink of an eye, I was sitting in my first job interview without even realizing it. It all felt really natural and when the moment came for me to join, I decided to leave my comfort zone and join Sendcloud without looking back.
If you could swap roles for a day with someone else in the organization, which role would you like and why?
I would swap roles with any colleague relocating to the Netherlands to see their perspective and test the relocation procedure from their side. We could improve our processes even more!
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How does Sendcloud support the relocation process?
First of all, we have a great relocation package for every employee that moves to the Netherlands, but I feel that's sort of a given, and we like to go beyond that.
By giving personal attention to our new colleagues, we can make the relocation process better for everyone, their family and team included. We’re there every step of the way; to take care of legal paperwork and visa support, arrange travel to the Netherlands, and help them find a place to call home. We also offer support in terms of formalities like opening a bank account or setting up health insurance.
Needless to say, the relocation adventure does not end the moment they set foot in the country. Our colleagues can also reach out to me if they have questions about the extension of their permit, taxes, relocating a partner, buying a property, and more. I love that we can go beyond simply putting someone on a plane to Schiphol and wishing them good luck with their life!
What do you like the most about your job?
That’s a very tough question because there’s hardly anything I don’t like about my job! I feel like it really fits my personality and academic background since I studied International Law and Relations. If I had to highlight one thing, then it would be knowing that by doing my best and going the extra mile, I can truly make a difference in someone’s life. Moving to another country can be scary for anyone: I like being a trusted contact person for our colleagues, someone that can offer attention and support.
And what’s the most challenging part of it?
I think the most challenging part is facing obstacles that we simply cannot go around, even if we really want to. In one word: bureaucracy. Inefficient processes, waiting lists, no clear answers to your questions. This sort of thing can be a real struggle for all parties involved.
What is the craziest relocation story you were part of?
In the middle of the heaviest Covid-19 restrictions, I relocated a new employee from Cape Town. In what was an already challenging situation, his trip was even more stressful among entry visas, tight timelines, and last-minute flights.
On the day of his arrival, I wanted to make up for the stress of the trip, so I arranged breakfast at his new apartment to celebrate the key handover. However, when I entered, the apartment was in complete chaos, and everything was in disarray. I initially thought about some last-minute repairs, but I was wrong! The landlord’s brother threw a huge house party in the middle of the lockdown, thinking that the new tenant would arrive on another day.
After some initial panic and some necessary tough talks, in the end, everything turned out fine. I had enough time to disinfect the apartment and make sure everything was in good order before he arrived, and breakfast was there as if nothing had happened!
Can you tell us more about a specific relocation case you feel proud of and why?
The current global travel restrictions did not make our lives easier at all, so I feel proud of every relocation we managed to carry out in these crazy circumstances!
One particular case could be when our colleague Miguel from Product moved here. His relocation took about five months of blood, sweat, and tears (which sometimes were tears of LOL). Since he’s from the Philippines, between Covid restrictions and local rules, time differences, and two whole continents involved, it’s hard to say what made the process the most difficult!
I am honoured to be part of the success stories of many other colleagues too, especially colleagues who left behind a difficult situation and left their home country in the hope of a better future.
Living outside of The Netherlands and curious to learn more about this process? Check all the details here!
Hi there! 👋 I am Malvina and I am part of the Employer Branding team at Sendcloud. We are a Dutch SaaS company that’s revolutionizing e-commerce around Europe thanks to our cutting-edge platform. Feel free to browse our People stories here, or our tech articles on Dev.to. Make sure to also browse our Jobs page if you see yourself as part of our bunch, we’re always on the search for our next star player!
