Daniëlle Boer wants to always keep busy

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 Daniëlle Boer's story below.

Daniëlle saw much of the world before settling down at TMZ. She chose to study journalism in Zwolle after high school but figured out that this study did not suit her when she was sent out into the streets in the first weeks with the task of putting together an item. “I had no idea what to do”, she laughs. She then decided to stop and started working in the butchery of supermarket C1000 in Almelo – she always wanted to keep busy – and took her time to discover what she was passionate about. That turned out to be social work. The study turned out to be perfect for her. She did an internship at Jarabee and temporarily worked with the homeless team. “I had a great time”, she remembers. “It was only a one-year contract, though, and it ended." But, as mentioned, Daniëlle wanted to keep busy, so she started working as an intermediary in Zaandam. She lived in Amersfoort with two housemates at the time. That was amazing, but the long days and hard mentality did not suit her. She returned to Almelo when the company where she worked went bankrupt.

This was a relief because her family lives there too. She is very close with them: "I am a real family person", says Daniëlle. “I have three sisters and cousins with whom I regularly meet." The strong family ties did not stop her from making a big move sometime later, though. She decided to go to Australia after working in several more temporary positions in the healthcare industry. "I told myself it was now or never." She bought a ticket with an open return date because she decided to stay as long as she enjoyed herself. And she certainly did: she met Niels there, now her husband. He worked at the travel agency where she booked her ticket to Australia in Alkmaar. That company also had a branch in Sidney, where he had to go temporarily while she was in Melbourne. They kept in touch, and she returned to Sidney. "I was still planning a lot in terms of travelling, but I stayed with him in Sidney", she says. We lived there for about a year before we moved to Almelo. This is where she started working in elderly care, a sector that suits her very well. They lived in Alkmaar for two and a half years but decided to return to Twente when a desire for children arose.

It took some time, but the children came: their son Jack is now three, and Luuk is one. Nils started working at Makro and Daniëlle at TMZ, where she is very happy. She does not see herself leaving Twente any time soon. “Just leave me where I am; the warm and friendly atmosphere, the beautiful green surroundings and the no-nonsense mentality: that is exactly how I am as well.” Twente has everything you need, according to her. You can go shopping in Enschede, hang out on a terrace, stroll through Ootmarsum, soak up the atmosphere in Tubbergen or walk through one of Twente’s many forests. Daniëlle feels completely at home.

Twente lives

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.