Mr Rafał Jabłoński will answer a few questions about his career at NL Jobs.

Hello Rafał! You are one of those people who have been working with us for a long time (several years) and at different career levels. What did your start at our agency look like?

In the beginning it was not easy, a new country, a new environment and a language barrier. However, I knew I had nothing to lose, I could only win because the salary is much higher than in Poland.

Why did you decide to work in the Netherlands and why via NL Jobs?

In general I was a young student and (like every student) I had some dreams, in my case it was to renovate the house, to earn money for a wedding party and to buy a nice car, I chose NL Jobs because I heard good experiences about this agency of my current wife, who was there a few months earlier.

Did you feel confident as a NL Jobs employee - was everything legally correct?

I felt safe. The Netherlands is a quiet place and that's where I met interesting people, who were in another country just like me. When it came to the legal side, everything was clear, all you had to do was read your contract - it was in 2 languages: Dutch and Polish.

What is it like to live and work in the Netherlands as a NL Jobs employee?

When it came to the apartment, I couldn't complain. During those few years I lived in different parts of the Westland: from The Hague to S-Gravenzande ending in Wateringen. When it comes to work, I have good memories and to this day I am in contact with people who still work there (like Looye ). I also try to visit this company when it is possible.

At NL Jobs you have gone through different levels of work. How did you get promoted?

Like every employee, I started my working career at the table where we packed tomatoes, but that didn't go well. Then the band leader put me at the end of the band, there I was like a child in a candy store - great choice! I worked in this job for a few months. Once I mastered it well, I thought it was time to learn something else. Right now there was a vacancy on quality control, so I thought why not.

My employer noticed my desire for further development and offered me a team leader position. Months passed, our business grew rapidly and one shift was not enough to fulfill all orders. To make this possible, we had to have a night shift, this was my chance for promotion. Eventually I became production manager of the night shift. 

Why did you stay with NL Jobs for so long? There are so many other opportunities in the Netherlands

NL Jobs was the first agency I worked for. Everything was fine, the salary was always correct, the accommodation was ok, all this felt comfortable.

What do you do now? And what are your plans for the future?

I am currently working at the NL Jobs office in Opole. I coordinate the work of recruiters in Poland. I can share with them all the experience I gained during my stay of several years in the Netherlands. We mediate when travelling to the Netherlands for work purposes. We do work with dozens of companies in the Netherlands to whom we supply employees. My plans for the future - hmmm ... a good question - time will tell: P