Kobus van der Walt

Kobus van der Walt arrived in the Netherlands in October 2022. Read more about the experiences of Kobus.

Kobus, why did you emigrate to the Netherlands?
I have always wanted to live and work abroad, and when summit developers reached out with an offer that would have me relocate to the Netherlands it seemed like a perfect opportunity to make that dream come true. My parents recently moved to Portugal for retirement, so being closer to them with an EU residency permit is wonderful for more frequent visits. Finally the increasingly deteriorating outlook of South Africa, gave me the push I needed to make the move.

Can you tell us something how you do like the Netherlands?
The Netherlands is an amazing place for day to day life. It’s safe, clean, well run and very accessible. The things I enjoy the most is the public transport, and close proximity to the rest of Europe. I could easily go to France or Germany for a weekend adventure! The people are also very friendly and willing to help, and I’ve found the culture to be less materialistic with a more sustainable work/life balance. I can also say that understanding Dutch happens very quickly. Within a month I was able to follow and understand 95% of what was being said around me, speaking takes a little longer but having an Afrikaans background definitely helps with vocabulary.

Please tell us something about the projects you are currently working on.
I’m currently working at Gall & Gall, which is a retailer in the Ahold Delhaize group of companies (alongside Albert Heijn, Etos and many more). Specifically I’m working with JavaScript/TypeScript on their Master Data Management solution which holds all of the product data. This data is then disseminated to the various other systems supporting the physical stores and online channels.

Did the process of emigration go smoothly?
Very smooth. To get my visa it took 10 minutes to fill in the forms for the embassy, a visit of 15 minutes and another collection visit of 5 minutes. After which I was ready to board the plane! The slowest part was getting the birth certificate from the South African Home Affairs office.

Can you explain to the South Africans who are considering to go overseas how you did experience the support from us?
summit developers are superstars! They helped with everything from the documents, bank accounts, accommodation, transport, sim card and more. summit developers was also very accommodating and gave me the freedom to pick where I wanted to work, and I could even arrange an earlier arrival date to do some sightseeing. I never felt pressured to do anything. I’ve had an awesome experience throughout.