Andries Pretorius

Andries Pretorius arrived in the Netherlands in April 2022. Read more about the experiences of Andries.

Andries, why did you emigrate to the Netherlands?
I decided to emigrate to the Netherlands to have better opportunities, I just couldn’t see a future for myself in South Africa in the next 10 to 15 years. The fact that Afrikaans and Dutch are similar is definitely a tick in the pro’s column (although it is really not as easy to learn as I first thought, but it is fun learning all the differences). The other main factor in my decision was how safe everyone said the Netherlands is, and you really don’t believe it until you see young kids just cycling around the neighborhood with their friends or taking a train or bus on their own.

Can you tell us something how you do like the Netherlands?
I love the Netherlands, aside from the rather obvious things like there not being any load shedding and that there are no water supply interruptions for days without end. The Netherlands is really safe, you will see people cycling and walking around well past 9 in the evenings. The people are also usually very friendly and are always willing to help you out or in my case to switch over to English when I can’t get the point across with my broken Dutch. Another big difference is the insane amount of bicycles, you will think you have an idea of how many there could be, but it will definitely still surprise you once you are here.

Please tell us something about the projects you are currently working on.
I am currently working as a Javascript developer at a knowledge management development company which provides their clients with the tools they need to deliver an excellent customer experience. They are an amazing team and I really enjoy working with them.

Did the process of emigration go smoothly?
The process went very smoothly and was surprisingly easy, especially with all the help of the summit developers team. There was a slight hiccup with home affairs in South Africa that initially had told me that the average wait time for an Unabridged Birth certificate would take 6 months (but in the end it thankfully only took 5 weeks).

Can you explain to the South Africans who are considering to go overseas how you did experience the support from us?
summit developers helped every step of the way, they ensured that I knew exactly what to expect at each step of the emigration process, even before arrival they helped me get all the basics sorted out and after arriving, they helped me get settled in and the remaining steps sorted out. They are a team of kind-hearted professionals with great knowledge and experience with the emigration process and they are always willing to help.