Chris van Niekerk

Chris lives in the Netherlands since the beginning of October 2023, together with his wife and two children. Read more about the first experiences.

Chris, why did you emigrate to the Netherlands?
It seemed like a good opportunity to expand out horizons as a family and to get better future opportunities for our children. Additionally to get some overseas work experience and to travel a bit as so many countries in Europe is so close by and easily accessible from the Netherlands.

Can you tell us something how you do like the Netherlands?
So far we are enjoying it and the weather haven’t been as bad as we expected. The biggest differences are the culture and language, but not in a bad way. It is just different. But still something to get used to and learn. Also it is good to not assume that you understanding everything what people here say in Dutch, especially coming from an Afrikaans background and while you are still learning the language. It is better to validate those assumptions.

Please tell us something about the projects you are currently working on.
I’m working on the iot side for an urban mining company and they have some exciting projects coming up in that space which should be nice to be a part of. They really value work life balance which is great for someone who have small kids.

Did the process of emigration go smoothly?
It had its ups and downs, but overall it went very quickly from accepting the offer to getting to the Netherlands. The longest part of the process was all the admin that needed to be done to get the right documents in South Africa. The part in the Netherlands went very quickly and the next thing we knew we were on a plane to the Netherlands.

Can you explain to the South Africans who are considering to go overseas how you did experience the support from us?
The support from summit developers was very good and they assisted us with everything that needed to get done. Even when there are hick ups or challenges along the way, they are willing to assist you to overcome those challenges.