Christo Boshoff

Christo Boshoff arrived in the Netherlands in June 2021. Read more about the story of Christo.

Christo, why did you emigrate to the Netherlands?
I decided to move to the Netherlands mainly because it’s a first world country in Europe where I can develop my career and have a stable future. The three main factors I considered were their stable economy, the highly skilled immigrant program offered, and then finally the perfect location within Europe for travelling.

Can you tell us something how you do like the Netherlands?
I really appreciate how the Dutch people are so efficient and competent. Everything is super safe, and Dutch people trust and respect each other. People spend more time outdoors when possible, because it’s safe and easy to do so.

A balanced lifestyle is advocated, and overtime is a rare occurrence. You will find that there are a lot of older software developers in the Netherlands than in South Africa, and that business analysts and product owners are a lot more technical.

Houses are very expensive and a lot smaller here compared to South Africa, but interest rates for a mortgage is about 1%, and you don’t need a large yard because there are safe parks around in neighbourhoods, and you get other recreational establishments like swimming pools, as well as hiking and cycling trails.

The Dutch people don’t like debt, so one should get used to a maestro debit card.

Retailers have truly legit specials, unlike the South African market, and there are a lot of online shopping stores available. General retailers don’t sell varieties of red meat, but you can find awesome red meat from online shops.

You can engage in private lease on most car brands with flexible options to meet your lifestyle.
Most people drive small cars, no more huge SUVs like Toyota Fortuners, because cars are very expensive compared to South Africa, but you will find that the public transport and bicycles are readily available and affordable.

Please tell us something about the projects you are currently working on.
I am working within a team that has dedicated developers, testers, business analysts and product owners with a shared scrum master. We work as a team and make decisions as a team and are led by a lead developer.

Everything is done in English including documentation and coding, some technology is still out of date, but everyone is keen to upgrade to the latest and greatest inventions, which gives me the opportunity to share my knowledge and make a difference, and furthermore colleagues are a lot more susceptible to innovative ideas and advice.

Did the process of emigration go smoothly?
It was really easy for me, being single meant less paper work, and I arrived in the Netherlands 60 days after signing my contract. The difficult part was in South Africa, the documentation and processing in the Netherlands was quick.

Can you explain to the South Africans who are considering to go overseas how you did experience the support from us?
summit developers know all about the problems in South Africa, and can relate to the needs and shortcomings you might experience, they really made it easy for me to understand the process, and also facilitated the process every step of the way. I cannot imagine such a soft landing without them.