Working without being able to speak Dutch
Of the employees who work for Timing, 35% do not have Dutch nationality. This is largely due to status holders and Eastern European workers who have been recruited to come and work here because of the large staff shortage. This raises the question of how you can work here without mastering the Dutch language. Christina de Vries, consultant at Timing Leeuwarden, explains how she approaches this.
Christina: “We have people working who come from Syria or Eritrea, and currently there are also people from Ukraine working. They indeed do not speak Dutch. We have vacancies for which you do not always need to speak a language fluently to work. Often a few words are already sufficient.”
Contracts in other languages
Warehouse worker, packaging worker, construction worker, forklift driver, and cleaner are all positions that require physical effort. People who do not speak Dutch can simply apply for these vacancies. Timing offers contracts in different languages such as English, Polish, German, Arabic, and Ukrainian. This way, we guide employees in their rights and obligations.
Training and language courses
For some physical tasks, training is necessary, such as forklift driver. These trainings can be followed at Timing without any costs involved. The same applies to language courses, should there be a need for them, which can be followed free of charge.”
"During my work, I have learned the important words."
The experience of Paulina from Poland
Like Paulina (21) from Poland. She has been living in Leeuwarden for a few months now, and through Timing she was able to get a job at Rentex in Bolsward. She takes public transport to her work, and her travel expenses are reimbursed. She came to the Netherlands with the goal of working and earning money for her university studies in Poland. But now she is seriously considering staying in the Netherlands and pursuing an economics degree.
At Rentex, Paulina hangs the clothes on a moving production line that takes the clothes to the next phase. Paulina: “There are many foreigners who speak little Dutch or English. Working here doesn't require much communication, sometimes with a few words or signs the work is done. During work, I learned the important words.”
Paulina doesn't speak Dutch but gives her work a ten.
Now, after a few months of work, she can already introduce herself neatly in Dutch, she says with a broad smile. Christina agrees with her: “We have employees who started working and didn't know the Dutch language at all, but at this moment they speak good Dutch.”
In September, Paulina will go to Friesland College to improve her Dutch. Timing pays the study costs. Paulina: “I give my work a ten and the people here are nice, I have already made some friends.”
Source: Leeuwarder Courant, Tuesday, July 25, 2023