Working in the Netherlands: Similar start, nevertheless different paths
Difference between: Working in Syria vs NL
Today’s article will discuss the topic of working in Syria versus the Netherlands. We’ll look into work experience, making connections, and difficulties encountered in the job market.
For this topic, we talk to Mahmoud Alibrahim, a 33-year-old immigrant from Syria who has been in the Netherlands for 5 years, and Mahmoud Alothman, also from Syria, but who came to the Netherlands with his family 6 years ago from Saudi Arabia, where he had been working for about 7 years. Currently, both men are working in the Netherlands.
We discussed the following with them.
Starting your life in the Netherlands
Alibrahim and Alothman started their journeys in the Netherlands in a camp for refugees, where they stayed until they were granted a permit to stay here in the Netherlands.
For Mahmoud Alibrahim, the immediate step after that was to learn the Dutch language, which took him approximately 3 months on a basic level, and to look for a job. What made the Netherlands a good choice for him is that most Dutch people speak English so that helped him in the beginning.
“I can make connections with people in English, I can ask for help in the supermarket, and go to the doctor. I think in other countries, such as Germany, this is not the case.”
Finding a job in English would have been possible and probably easier as well, but he points out that he wanted to organize his life before. What he found beneficial, is that the government offers money to immigrants to fund schooling to learn the language. However, he had to find these steps all by himself, with help of the internet. He mentions that he did not take any information from other people’s experiences.
In the Netherlands
“We all were the same, as most of the people who come here as immigrants start to learn the language from zero” Mahmoud Alibrahim says.
Before coming to the Netherlands
Mahmoud Alibrahim studied mathematics and computer science in Syria, but he didn’t have the opportunity to finish his bachelor’s degree as he had to flee because of the war. He has worked in Sudan for one year before coming here. He read a lot about the Netherlands, the language, about the job opportunities and the people. He points out that studying in Syria was tough and that he had to read a lot of books and invest a lot of hours in his studies.
After studying and when entering the labour market, most students in Syria have clear plans for the future: They do not just want to find “a job”. Mahmoud Alibrahim points out that the job market he was interested in, computer science, and the competition around it is very different in the Netherlands compared to Syria.
“In Syria, you only have a basic level, not a proficient one. Also, in the Netherlands, the internet plays a much bigger role in people’s lives.” It’s easier to find opportunities to grow here with a computer science background.
However, a lot of difficulties in the job market arose from the difficulties with the language. Mahmoud Alibrahim points out that the level of Dutch which was needed for most positions on the job market was much higher than he had learned at that point. The municipality here helped him to get a job in the computer/software industry, but he could not keep it because he did not have sufficient knowledge in Dutch to communicate with the clients. He only worked for 3 months with them, but then he had to look for something else. So, overall, your work experience dependents a lot on your language knowledge:
“If you have good knowledge of English or Dutch, it is easy to find a job. Dutch is more often needed if you want more opportunities. I have a decent job right now, good enough to manage myself, but it is not my dream job. I did not struggle too much to find a job the first time, and neither the second time.”
Different story, similar circumstances
Mahmoud Alothman confirms the language barrier difficulties, but he also sheds a light on possible differences between regions in the Netherlands. He points out that entering the job market with a good level of English is also not always sufficient.
“My experience in the job market was hard, partly because English is not widely spoken in Limburg, so you need to perfect your Dutch if you want to get a job opportunity here. Even after I did a Master’s in the Netherlands, it was still hard for me to find a job because of the language barrier. One of my priorities was to learn Dutch and even though I obtained my B2 diploma, it was still not enough for a decent job. The opportunities I was getting were specifically directed to people with a refugee background to help them get some experience. The competition is lower for these kinds of jobs.”
If he could have done something differently, provided the chance, Mahmoud Alothman agrees that he would have put more effort into moving to the West part of the Netherlands, as people are more used to different ethnicities and he believes it’s easier to get a job there.
A challenging journey
The background might have played a role in getting a job opportunity as Mahmoud knows for sure that he was a very good candidate for most of the job opportunities.
Moreover, Mahmoud Alothman points out that he repeatedly got rejected for a job because he did not have a place of his own in the beginning (as he lived in a refugee camp). People from the refugee camp helped him find a home, although it is a matter of luck regarding the place of residence each individual gets assigned to. If he would have applied by himself, through an agency for which he would have paid 90% of his income afterward, the waiting list would have cost him around 3–4 years.
When Mahmoud Alothman finally got a decent job opportunity, the difference was made by the “new hype called diversity”. “They are paying more attention now to diversity, so I think I came at the right time.”
Building connection and life around work
As Mahmoud Alibrahim points out, apart from work, social life is quite nice: Dutch people are nice people and he feels that sharing experiences with each other is easy. They also give you the feeling that you are welcomed here and they do not discriminate. Mahmoud Alothman also points out that this openness is one of the reasons he chose the Netherlands:
“It’s quite easy to build a network here and quite easy to build contacts with Dutch people.”
Moreover, Mahmoud Alothman noticed that Dutch people also try to avoid confrontation and they like to focus on positivity. In Syria, people would always say it if you can improve something and speak very easily about it.
On the other hand, the negative side regarding life around work, as Mahmoud Alibrahim points out, is that everyone goes home early. In Syria, life does not end in the evening. Social life in Syria is more active compared to the Netherlands.
From a different perspective, Mahmoud Alothman points out that in Syria you develop friendships at work really quick:
“You can hang out with your colleagues, you usually have some friends in your workplace. I found that in the Netherlands there is a separation between friendships and colleagues. They are not expecting you to develop a relationship further than the workspace.”
Final thoughts
Overall, Mahmoud Alibrahim finds that life is stricter here in the Netherlands, which he thinks it’s better. However, Mahmoud Alothman does not see Syria as so different from the European Countries.
“Syria has been part of the Roman Empire, so people retained the cultural influences. For instance, the dress code in Syria is very similar to the one in Europe. I found a huge difference in Saudi Arabia compared to Syria, although we speak the same language, and follow the same religion. An example would be the division between men and women in certain aspects of daily life, such as restaurants. I found it really difficult to have connections, to get inside the network in Saudi Arabia, compared to the Netherlands. Here, I almost feel at home. In Syria, you have differences between cities as well, but in the Netherlands, you find more similar people everywhere.”
