every year about 40,000 Dutch people emigrate abroad, reports Statistics Netherlands (CBS). Some of them are being sent over as expats. How do you like working in their (temporary) new home country? And do they still want to go back to the Netherlands? This time we ask Nelleke Barning in Switzerland.
Who: Nell Barning Position: Vice President, Global Communications and External Affairs, Taxation in the DSM – Where: , Basel, Switzerland. Expat-since: 2016
“I’m in charge of the communications of the world the company’s activities, food, and health. I’ve been doing that from Switzerland for almost five years. I came here for this job.”
” of course I thought about it, but on the other hand it was a no-brainer. The job is a lot of fun and it seemed like an enrichment to work in another country. Of course, I had to check with family first. My husband was right behind it, but he didn’t go.”
” for corona I went to Maastricht every Friday and then back to Basel on Monday.”
” his work takes him to Maastricht. The distance is fortunately not so bad. By car you can be there in less than six hours, just like by train, which is what I usually do. For corona I went to Maastricht every Friday and then back to Basel on Monday. During the first wave, I didn’t travel at all. Now I go there for a long time or my husband comes to me. We’ve both noticed that working remotely is fine.”
“it’s a very nice, cozy town. In the summer there are all stalls along the Rhine and everyone sits by the water. The offer of art and culture is also very large. It is just a very pleasant city to live in, which is perhaps due to its international character. You hear many different languages around you.”
” people here are a lot more social and polite, I was not used to that. Swiss think it is very important not to cause any inconvenience.”
” DSM is so international, there are about 25 nationalities in my office alone. Because of that mix I think people are a lot more polite to each other, try to feel more in what the other means. Here, people generally think a little longer before you say anything. But that’s actually the case with DSM in the Netherlands.”
” with us in the canteen you can eat really nice hot food. Lunch is more important here than in the Netherlands. There is so much choice, even sometimes the traditional Swiss dishes such as raclette and fondue. I love that. Before the coronavirus crisis, eating together was also widely used for networking, of course that is not possible now.“
” with twenty minutes you are in what we Dutch call mountains, but for the people here they are more like hills.”
“i like walking with friends, with my husband or with the children. The surroundings around Basel are beautiful. With twenty minutes you are in what we Dutch call mountains, but for the people here they are more like hills.”
“I don’t know yet. At least I have no reason to quit this job right now, it’s going very well. In private, there is no reason yet. We found a good mode together. Twenty years ago, I never thought my work would lead me into a long-distance relationship. But it seems to be working well for us.”
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