Relocating to a new country isn’t a small thing. Leaving your family and friends to persuit a new career can be really exciting, but also a little bit scary. In the first half of 2021 the Coffee IT team was joined by Francisco from Porto, Portugal. This is how he has experienced his first few months. But first, let’s get to know Fransisco a bit better.
Who are you? What do you do at Coffee IT?
My name is Francisco Tavares. 22 years old and born in Porto, Portugal. In the beginning of 2021 I moved to Utrecht, The Nederlands and started working at Coffee IT as a backend developer.
What made you decide to relocate to The Netherlands?
A friend of my lived in Enschede during his master-degree. I visited him for a couple of days and we literaly traveled all over the country. From East to West, from North to South. I really like the architecture in the different cities and the vibe The Netherlands overall has.
I’m originally from Porto, Portugal. The sun, beaches and food are nice, but the opportunities for developers aren’t that great. Trough LinkedIn I came in contact with Anniek, the recruiter at Coffee IT about the open position at Coffee IT. Because of my short holiday in The Netherlands, I knew right away that I wanted to work and live here.
What was your experience with the relocation process like?
I knew that relocating to Utrecht wasn’t a small step. Luckily the HR-team at Coffee IT helped me a lot with all the logistics. In my first week I was flown over to the Coffee IT HQ to meet my new team. I stayed in the hotel next to the office and picked up all my documents at the Dutch embassy.
A couple of my new colleagues showed me Utrecht and I had a nice first week. After that week I worked remotely for Coffee IT in Porto for a couple of weeks before moving permanently to Utrecht. The Coffee IT team even helped me getting an appartement nearby.
How was your first month?
Definitely fun! The whole Coffee IT team made me feel welcome. Of course it’s a big transition. But I got all the time I needed from my team. I’m learning a lot from the senior developers in my team. Also after working-hours I’m enjoying The Netherlands and Utrecht.
What makes working at Coffee IT fun?
I would say the culture. I spoke to a lot of companies and recruiters prior to Coffee IT. They all say they have a fun team, play games on the PlayStation everyday and do sports together. But the team at Coffee IT is definitely close. Example: together with some colleagues i’m at the local pool every week at 7:30 for some lap swimming.
What did you learn about the Dutch culture already?
I read online that every Dutch person is fairly introvert and prefer to be on their own. Nothing is less true. Dutch people are really open and like to meet new people. In my first week at my new appartement I already made some friends.
Of course the food is way better in Portugal?. That’s the one thing I really miss.
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