“My experience with Tempo Team”
“When I decided to venture to live in the Netherlands, I did so with high expectations and a desire to explore a new chapter in my life. I had heard about exciting job opportunities abroad, and I chose to trust a staffing agency called Tempo Team to help me make this adventure a reality.
My story began with a job interview conducted by the company Temporales in Spain, specializing in recruiting workers for Dutch agencies like Tempo Team. During that brief interview, we were asked about our reasons for going to the Netherlands and our personal interests. It was then that we learned that Tempo Team would provide us with accommodation and employment, but that the one-way ticket, transportation to the hotel, and other expenses would be our responsibility.
My experience in the Netherlands began in Lelystad, Holland, where Tempo Team provided us with initial accommodation. However, the conditions at the hotel were less than ideal. The apartments had up to four rooms, each with two single beds, which meant that we shared space with up to eight people, two per room. Sharing a kitchen, bathroom, and living room with so many roommates proved to be quite a challenge. Costs €125 per week per person.
In addition to the limitations in space distribution, the cleanliness conditions at the hotel left much to be desired. The location of the hotel in a dangerous neighborhood, with the presence of homeless individuals and addicts, further heightened our concerns. Living in that environment, albeit temporary, was a test of resilience for all of us.
The first sign that things were going to get complicated was when we were moved to another accommodation in Amsterdam Zuidoost due to an incident at the initial hotel. From that point on, things started to change for the worse. Problems with payments, changes in shifts on the same day, challenges with company leaders, and other obstacles began to arise consistently.
Despite the difficulties, the location of the second accommodation in Amsterdam was more convenient compared to our workplace in Utrecht, which was an hour and a half away by car from Lelystad. Nevertheless, the long working hours and the distance between accommodation and work remained significant challenges. Additionally, we were asked almost daily if we were willing to do overtime.
Violence in agency hotels
We had also problems with two boys (also residents) who entered our apartment and tried to rob my friend and me. In addition, in the second location at the Hotel in Amsterdam we had a fight with three boys, With this we can say that violence in agency hotels is usually very present. Please don’t take us like fight guys, we are not !
I think it’s because the mix of cultures, people of all the ages, drugs, frustration in our case with the job… this make people lose their minds and act without thinking about it.
Issues of payments
One of the most distressing moments during this experience was the issue of payments. For three consecutive weeks, I received the surprising amount of 180 euros, which did not even cover a week’s worth of work after deducting the cost of accommodation and health insurance. My attempts to resolve this issue were met with evasive responses until they finally admitted it was an administrative error and said they would try to fix it.
My friend had even more serious problems. He did not receive any severance pay, and to this day, he is still trying to contact Tempo Team to resolve this outstanding issue. Another friend faced considerable physical challenges when assigned to a job that required a great deal of strength, despite not being physically fit for the task. Despite his efforts, he was sometimes ignored when requesting a change of position.
Our experience with Tempo Team finally came to an end after five months in the Netherlands, on April 16, exactly five months after our arrival on November 11. This adventure taught us a lot about the importance of effective communication, problem-solving, and the importance of carefully choosing who we trust with our career aspirations abroad.
Despite the challenges, I will always remember this experience as a learning phase in my life that has strengthened me and prepared me for future challenges with determination and perseverance.”
Antonio from Spain.
(naam en gegevens zijn bij de redactie bekend)