From Turkey to Amsterdam: A Journey to a new home

CarePay is at the forefront of revolutionary technological and social impact within healthcare. Improving the lives of many Africans. Behind this success are our incredible people at CarePay who are constantly pushing the boundaries in HealthTech.?Today, we had the pleasure of chatting with Onur Ulusu (Lead Software Engineer), who shares his experiences, challenges, and insights on relocating to Amsterdam from Turkey, and how it has been to be working with CarePay for almost a year.

Hi Onur, thanks for taking the time to chat. Relocating can be a tough decision. What inspired you to move to Amsterdam to work for CarePay?

“My wife and I have always been interested in moving abroad to explore new cultures and environments, and Amsterdam was one of the cities at the top of our list. Once we made the decision to move, I began searching for job opportunities and discovered CarePay through LinkedIn. I was very impressed by the company's mission and values. So, the idea of working for a company that is making a real difference in the world while living in a vibrant city like Amsterdam sounded very exciting.”

How was the transition from your previous location to the Amsterdam office?

“I must admit that the thought of leaving the city and country you've lived in for many years and moving to a new country was scary at first. Finding an apartment, moving your belongings, doing a lot of paperwork, and most importantly, adapting to a new environment can be daunting. But once the process started, I realized it wasn't as difficult as I feared. CarePay's support and relocation package throughout the process was very helpful. I also received a lot of support from my colleagues.”

"CarePay's support and relocation package throughout the process was very helpful"

What have been some of the biggest cultural and professional differences you've experienced since moving here?

“During my professional career in Turkey for the past 14 years, I had only worked in my native language and with people from the same nationality. Working in English with dozens of nationalities spread across multiple countries has been the biggest difference and also the biggest challenge for me. But in the end, I really appreciate learning about my colleagues' cultures, gaining a diversity of perspectives and approaches to problem-solving, and improving my language and communication skills. There are also typical differences like cuisine and weather, but eventually, you start to enjoy eating sandwiches and salads and experiencing four seasons in one day, haha.”

Ah, the Dutch weather! How have you adapted to these differences and made Amsterdam feel like home?

“CarePay has an international working culture embedded in its DNA, being founded in Kenya, opening an office in The Netherlands and Nigeria, and employing people from dozens of nationalities. I think this is naturally transferred to all our new colleagues. For example, we currently have 7 different nationalities in my team, and I find it very lively and fun to work with such a diverse group. It broadens my perspective a lot.”

What advice would you give to someone considering a career at CarePay, particularly those located abroad?

“If you enjoy working on green field projects using the latest tech stack, if you like an environment where your opinion is valued not only on technical stuff within your own team but on all matters company-wide, and if the idea of making a real and direct difference in people's lives with your work sounds extra motivating, then CarePay is the right place for you. Don't hesitate to apply or just reach out to me for a cup of coffee and join us in our mission!”

Explore all our job vacancies here ?? https://bit.ly/3FUQiu1

#newbeginnings #movingabroad #turkey #amsterdamjobs