Both at university

Andrea and Adrian Muntean graduated at the same university in Romania. Now they both work at the TU/e and that’s not a coincidence. Andrea: “After we got married and had children we tried to stay in the same place.” Adrian got a job at the TU/e as an assistant professor in Mathematics. Andrea: “As we both aspired to a university career, I was happy to start my PhD in Polymer Physics here in September.”

Eindhoven has quite good facilities for international employees, Andrea thinks. “We got an apartment right from the beginning”, says Andrea. “And both for young people and families with children there are a lot of activities. Like ‘Sinterklaas’, where you can bring your family along. It’s not trivial that the university cares about you and your family. In general it is easier to make contact because we have children. You meet other people outside the TU/e through your children at school.”

Andrea about her start at the university: “For me it was easier, for I had already experienced how my husband started and I already knew the facilities.” Her advice for new comers: “We are living our life here in the present. When we go on a holiday to Romania we like it there, but when we come back we do not try to transpose what we have there, because that’s not possible. There are so many things to do here, it is impossible not to find something which will make it easier for you to live here.”/.

“Go out! If you stay at home, you get isolated”

Omar Mubin and Nadia Omar are from Pakistan. Omar Mubin did a TWAIO program and last year he started his PhD in Human Computer Interaction at the Designed Intelligence Research Group of Industrial Design. Last year he also got married to Nadia Omar, who came to live with him in Eindhoven last January.

Nadia: “I think Holland is a nice country. Everyone is willing to speak English, except the Dutch government and the tax office. We have Dutch friends and they have been very helpful. I’m looking for a job. I’ve done my Master’s in Interior Design in Pakistan. Now I have started to learn Dutch, because the language seems to be a big barrier to finding a job. Also for English organizations where they prefer native English speakers.” In the meantime Nadia is learning Dutch together with her husband. “But I would prefer to learn that while working”, says Nadia. “I need more practice outside classes.” Nadia also reads a lot and started to do art exercises. And she still practices Interior Design. Nadia: “It is an interesting field. You get to know a lot about architecture as well.” Nadia would like to get into contact with people who share the same interests. Nadia: “We could help and learn from each other.”

Her advice for newcomers’ partners: “If I had known it would be so difficult to find a job when you only speak English, I would have started learning Dutch earlier, when I was still in Pakistan.” Another piece of advice is to go out and meet people. “If you stay at home, you get isolated. Go out, even to the market. Everyone has something different to tell you.”/.

Some numbers

A recent report of the TU/e workforce shows that almost 800 people on the payroll have non-Dutch nationalities. If you subtract Dutch people who live in Belgium, you have more or less 750 international TU/e employees on a total of 3000 employees. Expectations of NUFFIC, for example, are that the number of international staff and students will only rise.

In 2007 a survey was held among the 600 international TU/e staff members, to which almost 200 people responded; almost one third of them said they live with their partners in Eindhoven, half of that group have children. Almost one third did not have their partners with them. Using these percentages one could guess that about 250 partners of international TU/e staff members live in Eindhoven and another 250 live elsewhere.

“It is very quiet here after dark”

Before Prashant Agrawal started in Eindhoven as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Biomedical Engineering, he did his PhD in Leiden. Therefore the first experiences with the Netherlands of the Agrawal family are from Leiden. Two and a half years ago Bhawana Agrawal came from Nagpur, India, to this city. Bhawana: “Leiden is livelier than Eindhoven. Here in Waalre it is very quiet after dark”.

The Agrawal family has a son of almost a year. Bhawana: “In Nagpur my parents would have looked after him and so I could be free to go to work. Of course you have the ‘kinderdagverblijf’, but that is a bit costly, certainly when you are still looking for a job.” She has applied many times already but with no success so far. Bhawana is an architect with several years of working experience in India.
In the meantime Bhawana has picked up her drawing, cooks Indian food for special occasions and of course spends time with her son. Bhawana tells about an initiative for partners at the University of Leiden. “They publish this booklet for international employees and their partners in which you can find all kinds of activities and facilities. And if you organize something yourself, you could announce that in this booklet.” Bhawana would like to have the same initiative in Eindhoven. “It is not easy to get into contact with other partners. This would make it easier.”/.

Photo: Bart van Overbeeke