Patricia van Schie recently interviewed Refugee Talent Hub colleague Naiem for the magazine Venster, whose theme was The Power of Diversity.

Please note: this article was translated using a translator app

In 2015, Naiem Zayeri left family, friends, colleagues and his country Iran to build a new life in safety in the Netherlands. He lives in asylum seeker centers for two years before finding an apartment in Utrecht. “In this city I found a new kind of family. I call it my city family. The family ties are different here. In Iran you can lean on each other more. Here you are expected to be more independent. Not in a negative way, because help is always there. For example, I received a lot of help with preparing my CV, but also with how to celebrate a birthday in the Netherlands.”

 In Iran, Naiem works in the IT industry. “The Netherlands is much further along with digitalization. You can check in at the gym or train station with your phone. Iran is not there yet. As a student I already found IT super interesting and I wanted to develop myself further in this field in the Netherlands.” Through a friend, Naiem finds an internship at an IT company. He also works as an interpreter at Vluchtelingenwerk Nederland. “After six months I came to the realization that digitalization is no longer my passion. I wanted to look for a position with more social content.”

 Naiem reports to Refugee Talent Hub, hoping to find a job through their network. This works in a special way: he now works as a project manager for this organization and links people to companies. “I have only just started and still want to learn a lot. In any case, I am no longer as naive as I was a few years ago. My Dutch is getting better and better and I'm discovering the city on my bike. And fortunately that is not necessary at 50 degrees, as in Iran.”

•  Born: Iran, Ahwaz
•  Education: HBO-ICT
•  Occupation: Project Manager at Refugee Talent Hub
•  In NL: since 2015
•  Mist: His family and his Iranian identity
•  Picked up in the Netherlands: Cycling

 Source: Window