Embarking on a fresh journey, especially one that takes you abroad, can be a tough decision. In this narrative, Tomas is excited to share his personal adventure of relocating and becoming an expat in Belgium. Dive into his testimonial and find inspiration in the diverse advantages that Belgium has to offer, both as a new home and working conditions.
Out of all the companies you’ve engaged with, what specifically led you to select Verhaert Consulting?
“After being in touch with almost 10 or more consulting companies, what made Verhaert Consulting stand out for me, and which made me ultimately join them, is the wide range of engineering domains and industries they are involved with. Through them, I found opportunities within my three key areas of engineering interest. During the interview and opportunity presentation process, their team made sure at every step of the way that my preferences and requirements were met which has also been my experience while working for them. Their main focus is that their consultants remain passionate and fulfilled, doing regular follow-ups, and offering training and internal support.
Verhaert Consulting plays an integral role within the Verhaert Masters in Innovation group, Which covers a big range of product development. This includes the entire trajectory from product ideation, facilitated by their DesignLab, to the comprehensive product development process conducted within their Mechanics and Physics departments. These multiples capabilities translate into a wealthy organization where I would have many internal opportunities, serving as a consistent source of growth and potential for me.”
How would you describe your work environment?
“In my role as a consultant, my daily activities take place on-site at the Cenaero’s (Centre de Recherche en Aéronautique) offices. Here the work environment is engaging and collaborative, being in contact with people from several countries, all working on different projects related to high-performance computing (HPC). There is no lack of opportunities for collaboration, as all the different subject-matter experts are open to sharing their expertise and helping to overcome challenges.
While my interactions with Verhaert Consulting’s internal colleagues and consultant teams are not often, each time I visit the main offices, it leaves me with a strong sense of welcome. It’s always great to see again all the different projects being tackled in-house and to speak to the engineers working on them. As previously highlighted, the different internal departments at Verhaert, along with their personnel, consistently extend their assistance and support whenever required, which makes the environment every time I visit friendly and pleasant.”
What do you like about working in Belgium?
“Foremost, the first thing that comes to my mind, and also the most important aspect about working in Belgium, is the great work-life balance it offers, allowing the employee to adapt their work week to a 4 or 5 days schedule.
Regarding annual leave, Belgium provides a standard allocation of 20 vacation days. However, within Belgium’s labor landscape, the max legal working hours is 38 hours per week. For those engaged in a 40-hour workweek, an additional 12 days per year is added up, known as the ADV days. These days can be utilized as holidays in various manners.
Simultaneously, most companies currently embrace a hybrid work style, granting the privilege of remote work for a minimum of two days each week. On top of these, there’re also several very interesting benefits offered.
Another thing very attractive about Belgium, from my perspective, is its scale. Due to the compact nature of the country, residing in the countryside, nestled in the woods, or within a small town still permits the convenience of widespread work accessibility. This ensures that commute times, especially by car, remain reasonably short. Thus, being able to enjoy a nice neighborhood, and landscape while still working in the same companies as if you were in the city.”
What prompted you to initiate the process of seeking a job opportunity in Belgium?
“After living in Belgium for 2 years while I finished my master’s degree in mechanical engineering, It was clear that the calm and easy lifestyle Belgium offered made it a great choice for a long-term project. This, combined with a very wide range of industries and companies with a presence in the country, made Belgium the perfect place to look for my first adventure. I was especially interested in the automotive, aerospace, and biomedical fields, and even though is rare, in Belgium I was able to find opportunities in all three, which comes to show the industrial and technological maturity of the country.”
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