‘Twente Board wants to show how nice it is to live and work in Twente. I want to contribute to that’

Twente Lives

This article is part of a series called “Twente Leeft!” (Twente Lives!). You can read personal stories here about living and working in Twente. Twente is a nice place to be, according to the talents we meet. The beautiful nature, space, the down-to-earth mentality; they all characterise Twente. There are also plenty of career opportunities! Twente has many innovative, international and future-proof companies that are desperate for staff. Want to know what Twente has to offer? You can find Carlijn Meijerink' story below.

Carlijn studies Commercial Economics at Saxion University of Applied Sciences and works at Twente Board. This side job made her realise what the region has to offer. “My job shows me a lot of what goes on in Twente. The companies that are here and the innovations they are working on, I thoroughly enjoy seeing all that. I had no idea about it before I started working at Twente Board. I never talked about it with friends, either. It did, however, change my image of Twente. Twente Board invests in innovative projects and wants to show how nice it is to live and work in this region. I want to contribute to that.”

Carlijn is currently staying in Valencia as an exchange student. But Twente is never far away, even in Spain’s orange city. She is regularly in contact with her colleagues from Twente Board through Teams. “They are very involved; they still ask me how I am doing even now that I am here. I can keep working for Twente Board from here. I started working as an intern in 2018 and stuck around after that, so I saw Twente Board grow over the years. There were only four people on the team when I started, and now there are 28 of us. It is nice to see the company moving along, and I received many opportunities to develop myself, too. That is important to me, and it is one of the reasons why I enjoy working for Twente Board. I love the environment, and I can grow here."

Carlijn is an employee of Twente Board’s Talent and Business Portal. She explains what her job entails: “I spend a lot of time working on the Talent and Business portal on our website. I am also often in contact with our partners about the top vacancies, together with one of our account managers. I also coordinate a team of four other ladies who work for Twente Board as a side job, which I love doing.”

Carlijn enjoys life in Twente. “I love how peaceful the region is. I’ve learnt to appreciate that even more now that I’m in Valencia. I do like it here; there is always something going on in the streets. But it’s also quite busy sometimes, which makes me miss the tranquil moments. Twente does have that. I also like the people and how down-to-earth they are. We talk to each other in the streets and interact informally. I love that.”

Her environment makes her house a home. Carlijn was born and raised in Losser, a stone’s throw away from the Dinkel river. “My friends and family live in Losser. I value a good relationship with them. I also try to maintain an active lifestyle. I played volleyball in town at Volley’68 and enjoy going to the gym, but I also like going for walks or running. There’s plenty of room for that in Losser. I grew up just outside the village, near the Dinkel river. That’s a very nice area for walking.”

Carlijn can also be found in Enschede regularly. For her studies, but for fun as well. “I used to go shopping there with my mother quite often, and I still think it’s a nice city to shop in. It’s also great for a nice night out with friends or going to a café.”

If she had to choose between the life in Amsterdam she used to dream of or a future in Twente? It’s clear to Carlijn: "Twente. Which is different from before; I used to say I wanted to study in Amsterdam. I loved it when I got there, a big city where you have everything. But that image has changed over the years. Twente suits me better, so I do not see myself leaving Twente anytime soon."

Twente is the ideal place to live and work, according to the talents we meet. Want to know why? Read personal stories about living and making a career in Twente on twente.com/twente-leeft. Want to look for a job immediately? Then take a look at our extensive job site.