“Why the Netherlands?” they asked. And now, I say, “Why not?”

When Marcé Olivier and his wife first started exploring opportunities abroad, the Netherlands wasn’t even on their list. “I was looking between Canada and Singapore,” he recalls. “And then Ir Olav approached me and they basically introduced me to what the Netherlands has to offer—and the more I read, the more I appreciated it, the more I wanted to make the journey happen.”

Just three months after signing his contract, Marcé, his wife, and their three kids were on a one-way flight to their new life in the south of the Netherlands. “That is very quick,” he says. “And it was just the fastest, friendliest, most efficient service that you get.”

One of the most noticeable changes for the Olivier family has been the newfound freedom their kids now enjoy. “We allow them to go to the park by themselves. We allow them to walk a bit ahead,” Marcé explains. “I think it takes more on us than it does on them.”

🎥 Watch Marcé’s full interview

And while the kids are still adjusting—school only starts mid-August—Marcé says they’ve embraced the transition. “They actually like the fact that they’ve got a little bit more freedom because in South Africa, we didn’t give them as much.”

Living on a single income in a new country can seem daunting, but Marcé says it’s doable. “It’s not going to be your lavish lifestyle... but if you manage it properly and you actually apply yourself to the Dutch life, then it gets considerably easier to live with the salary.”

Now based in Sittard and commuting from Brunssum via public transport, Marcé and his family are loving the small-town charm. “You’re surrounded by greenery... every direction you walk in, there is some or another monument... they commemorate a lot of their history in architecture and in art.”

Asked what he loves most so far, Marcé doesn’t hesitate: “The ease of getting around. There’s so many things to love about it. I absolutely love walking. Myself and my older son, we walk absolutely everywhere... It’s always one big adventure.”

And as for his advice to anyone considering the move? “Do your research. Make sure it is for you and just remember there are going to be tough days in between. But if it is for you, it will make it easier to progress through those tough times. Enjoy the journey getting here—and then make it your own.”

📧 Want to learn more about how to engineer your own Dutch life? Contact us: recruitment@irolav.world