Now back in Panama, repat partner Cesar Garrido reflects on his two and a half years in Amsterdam: “For family and personal life, it was a great experience. But professionally it was a little tough.”
On second thoughts…
When his wife Euridice began her role at head office in Amsterdam, Cesar initially stayed behind so he could continue his career as the National Business Manager of Kimberly-Clark in Panama City. “Some months later, when we discovered Euridice was pregnant with our second child, I decided to quit my job and relocate,” says Cesar, a Venezuelan with expertise in marketing, sales growth, and go-to-market execution. Since 2014 he and his wife have called Panama home.
Feeling restless
It was only after relocating that Cesar realised restarting his career in the Netherlands wouldn’t be straightforward: “In one instance, I was a candidate for a role but in the end they went with someone who spoke Dutch and had experience in the EU. For another position, after considering my previous experience as a Country Manager, an interviewer worried that I would be bored by a more junior role. At that stage I was more worried about being bored at home!”
Still worth a shot
Although he found a role with a Colombian company, ultimately it wasn’t the right fit. “I also launched a company introducing Baby Care brands to e-commerce platforms in Europe. It wasn’t lucrative, but it was worth trying,” says Cesar, who found other ways to stay active with the support of his wife’s employer. For example he studied a master’s in Sports Management and Legal Skills with FC Barcelona. “From the beginning of my time in the Netherlands to the very end, Josien, a consultant from Global Connection, was a great help, whenever I had questions about what I could do with the support on offer.”
Home sweet home
“Eventually, my wife started to consider returning to Panama, so I turned my attention to the Panama job market – I secured a job before we’d even moved back,” says Cesar with a smile. “I would have loved to find an ideal job in the Netherlands. I tried everything in the playbook. I even used a coach. But in terms of my profile, I would have needed to be fluent in Dutch and had European experience. Still, we had some wonderful times so no regrets. It was great for Euridice’s career as well as my daughter’s education. And my son gets to tell everyone he was born in Amsterdam!”
Photo: Cesar, Euridice and their two kids on holiday
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