When the Municipality of Rotterdam asked Expertise in Labour Mobility (ELM) to organize the event “Careers Made in Rotterdam”, we got both excited and curious. Excited because it is in the nature of our company to care for internationally minded people, and a few would disagree that it is a great initiative. Curious because for the first time we had to do in-depth research very locally, right here in the city where the office is located! For this reason, the blog of this month asks: What is all the commotion over Rotterdam?

More Than a Port
It is a well known fact that Rotterdam is a world class port city. The citizens have every right to be proud of it, considering the outstanding modern architecture which it boasts. But forget the ships and the buildings for a moment because Rotterdam has much more to offer for the young cosmopolitans. For instance, the city is home to nine internationally renowned higher education institutions preparing professionals for a broad gamut of fields. The University Medical Center of Rotterdam with its state of the art research facilities is the biggest of its kind in the Netherlands and #1 in Europe for clinical care. Contrary to popular belief, the creative faculties do not focus merely on music and drawing; they generate the driving force behind video games, films, fashion, media, education and architecture. Meanwhile, graduates with a background in business get an internationally valued diploma and are provided with ample opportunities by over 24,000 domestic and foreign enterprises in the city itself. It goes without saying that the engineering and logistics departments in Rotterdam give a fair practical advantage to their students in comparison with their compatriots elsewhere.

On the subject of studying and living here, it is worth noting that Rotterdam is considered as a ‘budget-friendly’ city – a vital aspect for everyone leaving the comfort zone of their homes. Although the friendliness to your wallet could be disputed with regards to other countries, among all the major Dutch cities the price-quality ratio of Rotterdam is considered to be very attractive. Of course it all depends on the willingness of a person to invest time and effort into getting a good bargain, but there are possibilities to find decent accommodation in the city area for under €300-€400 per month.

Even if the room or the apartment is not in the immediate vicinity of Rotterdam Centrum, that is not a problem since the city has a very well developed public transport system (let alone bicycle lanes): metro lines, trams, buses, ferries, (water)taxis, and even the ‘BOB’ night bus for late party goers. The dark irony of the tragic 1940 bombardment is that it allowed for the installment of this most efficient transport system and created space for extensive modern architecture, both of which can be rarely found in the traditional European cities. Furthermore, Rotterdam has a vast network of railways, motorways and airport links, which comes in handy for international people planning to go back home for Christmas or looking for the best holiday route.

Impressively enough, despite its transportation, energy and trade demands, the city is committed to reduce its CO2 emissions by 50% and become 100% climate proof. This determination gives a certain amount of pride when riding a metro to work and is definitely something to be taken into account by the world-conscious youth. For those who want to take it a step further, Rotterdam offers over 600 ecologically ethical markets, restaurants and organisations.

Furthermore, it’s not all work and no play in Rotterdam, – quite the opposite. Whereas a lot of cities can boast a rich assortment of shops, bars and museums, on top of all that Rotterdam has been nominated as the best festival city in the Netherlands three times in the last five years. The North Sea Jazz festival, World Port Days and the Ortel Summer Carnival are among the most popular ones. Perhaps this fact gives substantial weight to the argument that Rotterdam has a trendy, vibrant cultural scene. That and a young composition of the inhabitants earned the city the title of the first European Youth Capital in 2009. Public gardens and parks should be not overlooked in the appeal of the place either. Rotterdam is actually the ‘greenest’ of the four major cities in the country and has its own beach – not bad for a major business and logistics hub.

Policy of Involvement
Fact: Rotterdam has a diverse population. A large part of it originates from Turkey, Morocco, the Dutch Antilles and the Cape Verde Islands as well as increasingly from Eastern Europe. Now that multiculturalism is being hotly debated, the Municipality of Rotterdam stands by its policies of inclusion rather than expulsion of any newcomers. A ‘Pull’ instead of a ‘Push’ method is used to create a culture of involvement for the better cohesiveness of the society. The presence of 60 nationalities in the neighbourhood watch programme, and the exchange of Dutch language lessons for migrant women from the disadvantaged areas for their company in the nursing homes are nice examples of the ‘Pull’ method. After all, according to the Vice Mayor Korrie Louwes, “Innovation begins not with money, but with establishing an inclusive culture in which it is safe to be unique and to connect with others through that diversity.” Many cities have different tourist attractions, however, it is this attitude that makes Rotterdam even more welcoming as a place to live in.

Okay, so Rotterdam does not have its own Disneyland, but apart from that the city is the full package. It would be wrong to say that our natural sense of curiosity has been completely satisfied, simply because the more we look the more points of interest we find. But don’t just take our word for it, explore the city for yourself!

Veronika Norvaisaite – ELM team

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