Rogier Zevenbergen has settled in Zeeland: ‘I can recommend pursuing my dream to everyone’

By means of: Britta Janssen

1 hour ago

General

MIDDELBURG/ZIERIKZEE – Rogier Zevenbergen doesn’t mind at all if you call him ‘Import Zeeuw’. He wears this title with pride. In his work, the born Amsterdammer is even concerned with attracting new Import Zeelanders. “I experience more space and peace here, both privately and in my work,” says Rogier.

With his wife Kristel – “she is a second generation Boomerang Zeelander, her mother is Zeeland” – and their three children Elise (11), Charlotte (10) and Philip (7), Rogier (41) has been living in Middelburg for almost four years now. . “I sometimes miss Amsterdam, especially the wide range of everything, restaurant kitchens, opportunities for sports, the diversity of people. But with our growing children, we are now all set here. After school we can go to the beach and the children can play outside and cycle around. I really wouldn’t let them do that in Amsterdam. And because the children enjoy it, Kristel and I also have more peace.”

Lockdown

That was different before the move to Zeeland. Then the walls closed in on Rogier, he says. After studying Work and Organizational Psychology and Social Psychology at the University of Groningen, the HR specialist has been employed as an interim worker by various organizations in recent years, such as in the financial and life sciences sectors and the supermarket industry.

His ‘residential CV’ also has a lot of variation. In his youth, Rogier lived with his parents in New Jersey and Paris, among other places. After studying in Groningen, he has lived in his hometown again since 2007. Until the corona pandemic broke out. “We had three children at home and that could not be combined with my interim jobs and my own company Amstel Lab, which helps start-ups. It was messy with homeschooling for the children and Kristel, as a doctor at GGD Amsterdam, was very busy with the corona infections. In addition, after being on a waiting list for eighteen months, we received our puppy, a Markiesje, a week before the first lockdown. The timing couldn’t have been more disastrous, but we wanted it so badly. I slept on the couch for weeks so that the puppy would bark as little as possible for the neighbors.”

There they sat, all together in their Amsterdam terraced house. “I got done with that quickly, it was getting to my throat. We have had a family holiday home in Zoutelande all my life and we went there during the May holidays.”

Touching

It was during that period that Rogier’s mother asked why Rogier, who is not tied to a fixed location for his work, did not even look at Funda for a house in Middelburg. Then things went quickly and that summer everything came together in approximately one weekend: Kristel got a job at GGD Zeeland and they signed the purchase contract for their new house in the Zeeland capital.

Their new life could not be compared to their existence in Amsterdam. “Of course it took some getting used to, but for example the teachers would come to the door to say hi. We found that touching, so friendly. People here take more time for each other.”

Crucial

Kristel, who loves the forests, and beach person Rogier are still happy with their move to Zeeland. Rogier now also professionally conveys how pleasant it is to live and work in this province. Since last year he has been employed by the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland and as a recruiter and labor market specialist he is involved in, among other things, making the municipality more visible on the labor market. According to Rogier, a good training period is crucial for retaining new employees. “If you treat and guide someone well in the first six weeks, there is a good chance that that person will stay longer.” In the long term, organizations will then have to fill fewer vacancies.

Campaign

From his position at the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland, Rogier is also a member of the Working for Zeeland network group, in which the Zeeland authorities are involved, among others. “We are going to run a national campaign about how much fun it is to work as a civil servant in Zeeland. As an Import-Zeeuw I can recommend it to everyone to follow my dream, haha. I experience more space and peace here, both privately and in my work. Life here is less hurried than in the Randstad and therefore people think about things better. Because the pond is smaller here, you get where you need to go faster. You have more influence on your life here.”

‘Good waves’

The dune area near Zoutelande is Rogier’s favorite spot in Zeeland. “I love dunes and the different dune grasses. When I’m there, I completely recharge. I also enjoy the bold colors of the beach, the deep greens, yellows and blues. I really like the atmosphere here. It feels like good waves to me.”