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In this section of our website we bring you useful information about the Netherlands. You can find information about plans, transport, curiosities, our agency…etc.

Review – TENS Holanda

Carlos´s Experience

We are not aware of the salary we get in the Netherlands until we get here. In my case, I had already read about this. The difference between the salaries in Spain and the Netherlands is huge and not for the worse, quite the contrary. The development and progress of the Dutch society made me decide to move here with TENS Netherlands. I read a lot about the growth and progressiveness of this country. It really caught my attention and I had to experience it on my own and not from a book.

I was looking at and comparing various ETT’s and among all of them this one really caught my attention. It seemed to have good reviews and there were no problems with it. I really did that “shop around, compare and if you find something better, buy it”. TENS Holanda was the best I could find and, as the phrase suggests, I bought it. I took a chance and sent my CV to the company’s email address. It’s a very fast process. I got a call from Nerea, a really nice recruiter. She set up an interview with me and did it. I had applied for a position at an amusement park in the north of Holland, but she told me that the positions had already been filled and that I had to start with GXO Primark until there was another request from the amusement park.

I didn’t really have very clear goals when I started the process, but it was clear to me that they had to be related to improving my English, saving money and getting out of my comfort zone. I think age also plays a big role. At 24, I have nothing to hold me back in Spain and this makes everything easier. When I arrived the first day, with the nerves and everything at the beginning, I left a suitcase in a place in the house and I forgot it there. I started looking for it everywhere and I couldn’t find it. I thought it had been stolen or something, and I panicked. When I realised that it was in the same place where I had left it, it was a relief. You can see from this that it’s not so easy to get to a new place.

At the beginning everything is more difficult, but it’s like anywhere else when you start. I came with savings from Spain, and it’s from the first month that you start to save a lot of money. I am a fan of travelling, and this is what I do the most when I have free days and some money. I have already visited several cities in the Netherlands and Belgium. Rotterdam, Tilburg, Antwerp, Brussels and Amsterdam are the cities I have seen so far. But all this would not be the same if I had not had my group of friends. From the very first moment I felt welcomed by everyone.

There are a lot of Canary Islanders and Andalusians, and come on…. We are a huge family. We all get along well with each other. This relationship is very necessary to disconnect from work. They help you to rest and make you forget about any problems you may have. I am a very family-oriented person. I plan to go down to Spain at Christmas and see everyone. Then I will decide whether I want to stay in the Netherlands or not. For now, I can’t have any complaints with anyone or anything. It’s an experience that I have to recommend to everyone and it fulfils you as a person. I will always be grateful for everything that has been offered to me here. This is what has given me the opportunity to get to know the world, people and work experience.

Review – TENS Holanda

José´s Experience

I was living in Venezuela, and as you know, the situation is not the best for a stable job. I had been unemployed for some time and I started receiving recommendations on TikTok about working abroad. Many of them caught my attention. I have Spanish nationality, so I could work in any country of the European Union and I started to send CVs to all the companies that the social network was recommending me.

TENS Holanda contacted me quite quickly. There was a problem with the fact that I had a Venezuelan phone number, so we had to talk via WhatsApp, but well, we were very lucky. I set up an interview with Alonso, a recruiter who was pretty cool. It was all pretty clear, so I just had to start looking for flights to go from Caracas to Madrid and then from there to Holland.

When I arrived in Holland, I had a hard time with everything. I wasn’t familiar with the transport network in Europe, so it was difficult to get to Waalwijk. I got accommodation on the Belgian border, and it was a bit far away but I had gone to work so I wasn’t worried at all. Later on I was transferred to a village next to Waalwijk and here I am now.

The first days in my company were hard because I was self-employed in Venezuela, so following orders was new to me. I got used to it and now I am an expert in my company. I am a person who finds packing easier, but I had to get used to picking.

For me, family is sacred and that has been a little difficult for me to assimilate with the distance that exists at the moment. The good thing is that where I am right now I have a group of friends with whom I get on very well. I also like sport a lot: the gym, football…. When I arrived in Belgium, I wrote to several teams but none of them answered me. This was quite an emotional blow, but my move to the village near Waalwijk has led me to start training with a team in the fourth division of Dutch football as a goalkeeper. I have always felt that I am very good at it, and my dream here is to become a professional. So much so, that among my friends is my future agent. My work doesn’t take time away from what I want to do, and being here I’ve been able to watch the Waalwijk football team, which is in the Eredivisie, the top flight of Dutch football.

My dream is to stay here for a long time and earn as much money as possible, so that I can invest it in Venezuela and be able to follow my path as a freelancer, which was the first thing I wanted to be before coming to Europe. I may sound heavy, but I’m also thinking about football. Who knows if I won’t become the “goalkeeper” of the Vinotinto.

When I get days off, I always make it a point to go for a walk in Waalwijk, and before that, in Turnhout. They are quite different places, but I loved them both. You could even say that I know the whole town. Even the industrial estates. I also like to train on my own. I work out in the gym or try to practice goalkeeper training exercises. As I said before, I also went to watch football, just one of the days off I had. It wasn’t really the best result I could have hoped for, but hey, that’s a good sign for me….. They need a better goalkeeper.

For me, this experience has saved me a lot. I feel like a different person, and it has changed me for the better. I am very grateful to TENS Netherlands, because they not only helped me to come, but they also followed me up. This is the best thing that can happen to you, because you realise that you are not a number. You are a person and, like them, you work to get ahead. I am happy here and all I can say is thank you. Thank you for changing my life. And for all those who are hesitating to come, don’t. You’re going to have a great time. You’re going to have a great time. Take my advice, that’s what I do…