Return or not? More and more Dutch-Caribbean students explore that question

Do you stay where you studied after graduating, or do you return to your home island? Students from the Dutch-Caribbean islands struggle with that question. Employers are keen to have them back and travel to the Netherlands every year to persuade young people to return.

“Bon bini, bon nochi. Welcome and good evening”, begins organiser Tanja Fraai at the Return&Rise event, for people from the Dutch-Caribbean islands who are considering returning to their – or another – island. The student association Dutch Caribbean Association Rotterdam (DCA) is a co-organiser. On this sold-out Wednesday evening at Buitenplaats Rozenlust, Dutch, English and Papiamento are spoken interchangeably, just as on the islands themselves.

Remigration

Six major employers have flown in to convince young talent to return. The Central Bank of Aruba, for example, has come with a team of six. In addition to Rotterdam, they will also attend events in Utrecht, Groningen and the two-day National Career Fair in Amsterdam. The Caribbean pavilion there has grown in four years from thirty to seventy different employers. Other employers present this evening are HBN Law & Taxs, Grant Thornton, Curoil, Maduro & Curiel’s Bank (MCB) and Aqualectra. All are driven to get people in the room excited about their company – and about the ‘remigration schemes’ such as plane tickets, support in finding housing, shipping furniture, and help with repaying student debt.

Interest and doubt

One of those interested is Tamika Raap: “I came to the Netherlands with the idea: I’ll go and stay”, says the fourth-year Business IT & Management student at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. “In the final year I’m starting to feel homesick for the warmth and sociability of home, Curaçao.” She has built a good life here and, after an internship, is already working in her sector. She hopes to explore her doubts about returning further this evening.

Claudia Ponte da Costa, a third-year Medicine student and chair of the DCA, recognises that mix of interest and doubt. The islands suffer from a brain drain, with educated young people not returning after their studies. Although the medical student prefers to speak of a brain gain, ‘because the islands have much to gain and we can contribute to that’. She also has doubts about career opportunities: “If an island already has, for example, five internists, is a sixth needed? So I wonder: will I become a doctor my island needs, or one I personally really want to be?” She is considering a minor in management or finance so she can be deployed more broadly.

Disappointment

Too often, people return to the Netherlands after going back home, Fraai says. Through her company Fraaiwerkt, she has been working for years to build a bridge between employers on the islands and students in the European Netherlands. “There is a difficult tension surrounding returning. Employers have sky-high expectations and make major investments in their new employee even before arrival. Returning is not only about the practical side, but also the socio-emotional aspect. It is too often forgotten that you change in the Netherlands. You learn new workplace norms. In addition, workplaces on the islands are more hierarchical than in the Netherlands.”

What is barely said out loud this evening, but becomes clear between the lines, is that many employers find returning islanders too Dutch. And Dutch people who ‘know better’ – that is a sensitive issue in the former colonies. Ponte da Costa hears the same stories: “What I hear is that people almost expect a big celebration upon arrival. They have achieved their goal, namely studying and returning. But their new knowledge and insights are not appreciated.”

No need to worry, say the employers on stage one by one. Olivia Barreto-Samaroo of MCB elaborates: “We don’t want you to let go of everything, but when you start a new relationship, you also have to let go of part of the past.” All employers speak about opportunities for advancement and short lines of communication within companies. And yes, they admit, salaries are somewhat lower, but in return you get a better way of life, the six employers on stage insist. “You can’t put a price on that”, says Suhena Neuman of Grant Thornton. She emphasises that she has no regrets and encourages everyone to apply. The concerns from the audience do not seem to have fully disappeared.

Long-term goal

Someone who no longer needs convincing is Roderick Wouters, a master’s student in Finance & Investments. “My long-term plan is to return to Aruba, to my community. I will soon start my internship at ABN AMRO and then graduate. After that, I hope to work here for a few years. My goal really is: come to the Netherlands for study and development, and then use that for my island.”