Daedalian Adventures

The road ahead is rarely straight…

By Lynelle Barrett

Job Location: Tower of Babel

The Ideal Candidate: Speaks All Languages Fluently

Last Spring, I was putting a lot of energy into looking for a “regular” job. You know, the kind of job where you have to put on smart looking clothes everyday, go to a real office and play nice with the other kids. A job with paid vacation, benefits and a steady paycheck. The kind of job I have only had off and on during my life, in between off-beat, “cool” jobs that always impress people at cocktail parties.

A lot of people I know in Holland got their jobs through uitzendbureau’s (employment agencies). Unfortunately, this seems to work best if you have easily classified work experience. It is hard to convince the people at these agencies that skills used managing a national tour of Jesus Christ Superstar, designing Mardi Gras floats, fundraising for a regional symphony and restoring textiles for a museum exhibit can transfer to those oh-so-exciting administrative jobs they are trying to fill. And apparently in Europe, even a secretary at the lowest rung of the corporate ladder can speak at least three languages, preferable more. To add to the whole confidence-building experience, I’ve had someone at an uitzendbureau tell me that even an English-speaking company would not want to hire me since I am American. Apparently, Americans don’t speak REAL English.

I found the names of several websites that specialize in jobs for expats. But unless you are a specialist in something like IT or rocket science…or speak 12 languages fluently, there is are not many options. I posted my resume on a few sites, but didn’t hold my breath. It became very obvious that I needed to work hard in school and learn Dutch as fast as possible. So studying became my top priority.

Last month, out of the blue, I got a call from a recruiter who saw my resume on Monster.com. She wanted to know if I was still looking for a job. I recently finished the first textbook in Dutch school and passed the state test for Level 2 Dutch. I figured it might be time to reconsider my work situation. I brushed up my resume and pulled a suit out of the closet from the last time I tried to squeeze myself into the corporate world. Miracle of miracles, it still fit. The style was very American compared to how I see people dress for business here. People seem to dress very casual in Holland, since clothes and shoes need to allow for bike riding. But it would have to do.

The recruitment agency specialized in matching up people who speak different native languages with the companies that need them. The recruiter was from Finland and the job was to work in the Amsterdam office of an American University that is collaborating with an English University to enroll students from all over the world. I interviewed with four people in one day and then waited for a long distance phone interview with the VP in Baltimore. I had 15 minutes to impress him on the phone. No pressure.

Somehow, I ended up getting the job. Then I had to sign the employment contract. I had to rely on the advice of the recruiter and Dutch friends for the standard benefits in Holland. The benefits here are much more generous than in the US. The minimum number of vacation days is 25. Plus the usual paid holidays. Plus sick days. And vacation pay. No wonder it seems like Dutch people are always on vacation.

Next, I had to switch to evening school. As usual with bureaucracy, this involved more steps than you would think. The school office told me that because I am attending school as a condition of my residence visa, I had to do this through my social worker. My social worker required a copy of my employment contract to prove I had a legitimate reason to switch to evening school. Then I had to go back to the school office to prove I spoke with the social worker. After that, I had to wait for an official letter with my new class schedule.

Finally, I think all my ducks are in a row to start my first “regular” job in Holland. Now I just need that first paycheck to buy some of those cool, but functional, European work clothes.

Lynelle Barrett is residing in The Netherlands, where she is already thinking about where to shop for smart new work duds…even though Henry David Thoreau warns to beware of all enterprises that require a new set of clothes. Check out photos and notes of her adventures on her website at: http://spaces.msn.com/lynelleinholland