Feature articles, posted March 30th, 2007

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Finding decent work in Maastricht for an expat is next to impossible, especially when you’re a Canadian who only speaks English and secondary school level French. The only readily available option is working at a call centre. This was disappointing after finally finishing two university degrees, but I had to pay the bills and maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. So I went through a surprisingly long hiring process and was hired by DaimerChrysler in their UK market.

The DaimlerChrysler Customer Assistance Centre (CAC) opened in Maastricht on 15 October 1998. There are currently over 700 staff with 17 nationalities represented at last count. The CAC offers roadside assistance 24 hours a day in 13 European countries: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom/Ireland.

I work for the Mercedes Benz UKS24 (UK Service 24) ‘market’ which gives 24 hours a day assistance to British and Irish drivers when they’ve broken down. Besides Mercedes Benz, CAC assists Maybach, Mercedes-Benz, smart, EvoBus, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Mitsubishi Canter brands. Other than roadside assistance, there is also a customer service department dealing with inquiries and complaints. Since opening in 1998, the CAC has created over 5 million breakdown or customer service related ‘cases’.

I don’t know the first thing about cars so I was a little apprehensive. As it turns out I just organise assistance and don’t give technical advice. This sounded OK. I’ve since learned that there is a vast matrix of solution options when you help a customer. Plus it’s very busy – the average number of inbound calls per day at the CAC is 8,096! There are very complicated procedures to learn and now I understand why the hiring process was so thorough.

As far as call centres go, this is the crème de la crème. We were trained for almost a month to learn communication skills, several computer programs and a little about how cars work as well. We are expected to work hard but there are perks. Not only is there free unlimited coffee, but if you are hired under contract most transportation costs are provided.

“Location location location”
Part of the hiring process involved attending a two hour info session on the CAC. We were told that DaimlerChrysler chose to locate the CAC in Maastricht over other central European cities because of the highly qualified personnel with excellent language skills. This is a nice way of saying there are a lot of over qualified expatriates who are willing to work in a call centre because they cannot find jobs in their native language. This is held true in the profiles of CAC employees below – most could not find any other work in their native language.

Maastricht’s central European location has meant that 67 percent of employees are from the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion. DaimlerChrysler chose to represent the three countries in the choice of names for its three buildings. The building facing Germany is named Aachen, the one facing Belgium is called Liège and the middle section, holding the reception and restaurant, is named Maastricht Plaza.

Shift Work
Something new about this job for me is that we work shifts – three ‘earlies’, three ‘lates’ and then three days off. I can start at 7, 8 or 9 for the early shifts and then 12.30, 14.30 or 15.30 for the late shifts. This is a totally new experience for a regular 9-5 girl like me. Sometimes I work until midnight on a Wednesday or start at 7 on a Sunday morning. This can be difficult but overall I like it. Not much is open on Sundays in Maastricht so I prefer working and then having time off during the week when shops are open.

The work itself takes some time to learn, but after you become familiar with the complex matrix of solutions in a few months, there aren’t many challenges to the position. It can be boring at times. Plus you’re locked to your computer station and even toilet breaks need to be logged in the computer. It feels a bit like ‘big brother’ which is never fun. Lunches must be 30 minutes and there is little flexibility to when you take them during your shift. On the bright side the pay is good and the people are very diverse and fun. When we have slow periods, everyone is joking, telling stories and even offering relationship advice.

Very international staff
So who works for a call centre in Maastricht, Netherlands? There are around 90 employees is the UK market and I really didn’t know what to expect before meeting my colleagues. I was happy to find many were in the same situation as me. They’ve followed their hearts to the Netherlands and haven’t learned Dutch yet. There are countless international couples in the office. The English speaking partner was brought here by their Dutch partner. The CAC is one of the only places they could work in their native language. Many also have degrees or past careers. They gave up jobs for love.

I think this partly explains why my colleagues are friendlier than average. With so many romantics in the midst, the crowd is caring and there is always a birthday or ‘get well soon’ card circulating. And staff is young with an average age of 32. This also helps promote a fun loving atmosphere. When the phone isn’t ringing off the hook, there’s always someone telling a joke (often lewd) and it feels like hanging with friends more than an office. For the night shift, staff bring in a poker set and lay out a smorgasbord of goodies for everyone.

On a quiet Sunday, you can hear joking, farting and sometimes South Park episodes on someone’s mini DVD player. It’s a definite ‘work hard, play harder’ atmosphere. But at the end of the day, we are evaluated based on our statistics. These are a combination of quickness, accurateness and productivity. We are measured for every inbound and outbound call so we can’t get away with much delinquent behaviour.

S24UK staff profiles

Tanya Becker is in her late 20s and moved to Maastricht from Johannesburg, South Africa last year. She moved with her boyfriend when he was transferred with SAPPI (South African Pulp and Paper Industries Limited) from South Africa to The Netherlands. She enjoys living in Limburg. “Europe is on our door step, so the travelling to other countries is easy.” Not everything has been easy though. “Finding a job for English speaking people was the most challenging part. And getting something done ‘straight away’ takes a lot of time…My landlord still needs to fix my heating and sort out the mould problem in my spare bedroom and this has been going on for nearly 18 months.” In South Africa, Tanya was a travel agent and she is also a fully trained beauty therapist and nail technician. She’s worked at the CAC for four months and she applied for the job simply because it “was the only place that employs English speaking citizens”. This isn’t a career change for Tanya, although “the people here are great”. But “I really do not understand how some have been here for six years!”

 

Sharon Richards was born is Saint Maarten in the Caribbean and then grew up in New York City. She moved to the Netherlands four years ago with her then Dutch partner and she’s now living in Heerlen as a single mum. She moved from the US because she wanted a different experience in life. “The most challenging thing for me was the Dutch language and the culture. I only speak English and having to learn the Dutch language was really challenging for me. I started out by going to the integration program for beginners and I studied the Dutch language for six months. Learning the Dutch language was really an advantage because I can now have a conversation in Dutch. However, the language was not big deal after all because almost everyone speaks English. As for the culture I just was not familiar with not doing much on the weekends because the stores and everything seem to be closed down at 5 PM. That was something that I had to get used to being a city girl. What I like about living here is the different cultures and the cheese. I think the cheese is soo good. I like Jong kaas.” Sharon has been working at CAC since December 2006. A friend of hers encouraged her to apply and so she did. “Working here at the CAC is quite an experience, because there is always something new to learn here at the CAC, and that’s what makes it challenging.”

 

Wim Hoeberichts is Dutch and was born in Sittard. He has travelled and lived in many place. He moved back when he was hired by DaimlerChrysler in September 2002. He chose Sittard because the “houses are a lot less expensive than in Maastricht.” Wim likes South Limburg. “Life is not as hectic as in other parts of Europe. And if you are looking for the city life, there are three cities very nearby (Maastricht, Liège and Aachen).” There are some downsides in living in Sittard as well. “When you want to go for a drink with your colleagues, it is not practical to live 30 km from your work address. I also don’t like the traffic jams in and around Maastricht during rush hours.” Before the CAC, Wim studied and worked in tourism. “I worked in tourism in Cuba, Costa Rica and in an office in the Netherlands representing a number of hotels in the Caribbean.” Why the career change? “It is great to work in tourism, but the salaries and secondary benefits are mostly not good. Here at the CAC salary and secondary benefits are not that bad and I love the international atmosphere. I have great colleagues, the work is interesting and I like the fact that the CAC has a restaurant. It beats having to prepare your packet lunch every morning!”

 

Elin Johansson is from a small village called Vannas in the north of Sweden. She moved to Maastricht to be with her Dutch boyfriend. “I really like Maastricht. It’s a very beautiful town with loads of good restaurants, nice terraces and great shopping.” On top of working full time at the CAC, she’s completing a bachelor degree in Psychology which is a lot of work. Elin worked as a flight attendant prior to the CAC and she’s had this job for six years. “Basically because it was the only job I could find where I did not need to be able to speak Dutch.” But “it’s a great place to meet people.”

 

David Jacquet, a 30 year old daddy of two is originally from Texas has worked for the CAC for five years. He moved to Belgium with his family as a teenager and he lives in Housse (near Visé). He always planned to move back to the States, but decided to stay in Belgium for “romantic reasons.” He likes this region because it’s a “laid back area” and for the “countryside, standard of living - it’s great to raise kids - and the low housing and property costs”. He jokes that the most challenging part of living here is “putting up with Dutch and Belgian people” but then adds “no seriously, the hard part is just getting home sick from time to time.” Prior to working at the CAC, David was Production Manager for a ‘lifestyle’ type Belgian magazine. He changed career because he wanted an office job so he could get away from spending 80,000 km per year on the road visiting customers. Also the CAC salary is better and he prefers the shift schedule. David likes the CAC gig saying it has a “great international atmosphere, lots of benefits, good pay and fun colleagues to work with. Never having to take any work home is bliss!”

 

Jayne Price, a 40-something year-old is from Manchester UK. She’s worked at the CAC for eight months and she lives nearby in Eygelshoven. She left the UK because she “met a Dutch guy, as you do!” She likes the social way of life and she feels quite safe here. But learning Dutch is tricky. Before the CAC, Jayne “worked in Telesales for 100’s of years” and she applied here because she could work in English. “It was only job I could find where I didn’t need to speak Dutch. It’s a bit political, and can be stressful, but on the whole it’s OK.”

 

20-year-old Jemma Gough is from Wales, UK and she lives in Kerkrade, about an hour by train from Maastricht. She started at the CAC in January 2007 after moving to Limburg be with her boyfriend. Jemma’s uncle used to work at the CAC and he gave her the recruitment details. Jemma “met a boy in Spain” where she worked as an entertainer by day and professional singer by night. “So I have experience of moving abroad alone, living alone and surviving, as I moved away at 19.” After only a few months into the relationship, Jemma came to the Netherlands. “I decided it was right and what I wanted and moved to Limburg for him. I like the different culture, beautiful language - and mostly my boyfriend obviously.” She finds learning Dutch the most challenging part of moving here. “I would love to learn it, I am trying my best. It is challenging for me, as I don’t understand what people are saying, and I can’t express my views on things I’m very interested in.” Jemma feels very positive about her job. “I really enjoy it here…There are wonderful people, very funny to work with plus a great atmosphere, and I actually enjoy coming into work. The colleagues are from all over the world and they’re great.”

For more information about working at DaimlerChrysler CAC please visit their website: http://www.cms.daimlerchrysler.com/dc_cac

By Danya Chaikel

Danya Chaikel is from Vancouver, Canada and recently graduated from law school. She has a background of working with migrants and promoting human rights. Danya recently moved to Maastricht to be with her Dutch partner.

 

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