Lakshmi Bharathi (29) is an Electrical Functional Design Engineer at GKN Fokker Elmo. In this Talent Talk, Lakshmi shares her experiences with WFS PRO, she talks about her pre-boarding and relocation to the Netherlands, among other things. She is from India and moved to the Netherlands with her husband for this job.
Lakshmi explains how she came to WFS PRO: "Friends of mine were already working there, so I knew it was reliable. Besides, my husband was also placed through them." Her husband was placed through WFS PRO at GKN Breeder Elmo in employment. Lakshmi herself is seconded to GKN Fokker Elmo, through WFS PRO. They even work in the same department there.
During a job interview with Puk, Recruitment Consultant at WFS PRO, Lakshmi mentioned that her husband also needed a job if they moved to the Netherlands. WFS PRO helped her husband find a job with GKN Breeder Elmo. Initially, Lakshmi had no plans to change jobs and move abroad, but after talking to Puk, she changed her mind. "At that time, I was working for the best aviation company in India. I had no plans to change jobs, but Puk convinced me by arranging my husband's job, housing, visas, etc. He even put me in touch with people working at GKN Fokker Elmo so I could talk more about the experience, salary, savings and so on with someone who had gone through the same process. Puk was very helpful."
Moving abroad for work, especially from outside the EU, is a big step that requires many arrangements. "My husband and I moved together, and Monique really helped us a lot. Monique explained the whole process of applying for a visa and how to complete the process from India to us. And when we arrived at the airport, someone was already waiting for us to pick us up. Also, the house was already arranged for us." Monique founded Dutch Expat Solutions, they support WFS PRO with immigration issues. Together with Dutch Expat Solutions we arrange matters such as visa applications and support in finding suitable housing.
Support during the immigration process is not obvious, according to Lakshmi. "I heard from other companies that they would only arrange a hotel for 1 month and you had to find a house yourself." But support during a move abroad is important, she explains: "WFS PRO handled this really well. The Dutch classes are really useful for making contacts. If you are planning to move abroad, WFS PRO is the best place to work. The initial setup was really smooth, and you know the people you can reach out to ask a lot of questions. The fact that WFS PRO helps with things like arranging a house and a visa, and also helps with taxes is really important when you're moving abroad."
