Joana Cardoso Marques, Supervising Veterinarian
Too many vets are trained in Portugal. When Joana Cardosa Marques (28) graduated in 2019 at one of the seven veterinary faculties in Portugal, she briefly worked at a pet practice veterinary surgery. This did not make her happy.
If not at a practice, then what?
"All through my time as a student, I had wanted to work in the area of food safety and animal health. This is a lot more difficult in Portugal, so I decided to go abroad. At the end of 2019, Flexvet noticed my CV on one of the many online sites that mediate people seeking jobs abroad. They suggested a job as a supervising veterinarian for NVWA."
You have to think quickly. I like that.
Bad timing!
"The timing was off, the language course had just ended in February 2020 so I was stuck at home straight after that due to the coronavirus lockdown. Fortunately, I had arrived in the Netherlands together with a whole group of other aspiring vets from Greece, Italy, Romania. And, luckily, there was also a lot of online contact with NVWA colleagues. NVWA organised extra assignments and more language lessons."
Have you had any regrets?
"The beginning was difficult due to the coronavirus crisis, and also difficult as I missed my family and friends. My partner had also stayed behind in Portugal. He is studying there to become a general practitioner. It was therefore difficult to get to know other people in the Netherlands at that time."
Did you have to adjust fully to Dutch life, or can you also stay true to your Portuguese roots?
"Dutch people are much more direct than people from the South of Europe. They like to seek out confrontation. "It's a bicycle lane!", they shout when you accidentally walk on the red tiles. I don't. I calmly wait to make my point. I also notice this in my work. It can be difficult sometimes. Some colleagues engage in discussions when something goes wrong. If someone is angry and yells at me, I say: 'Let's talk again when you act normal.' And then I walk away. It helps to stay calm during difficult discussions."
Do you learn a lot at NVWA?
"Luckily, we could start our internal training course in June and that was great! It is a very interesting course. The trainers in the slaughterhouse are also your colleagues, making it easy to talk to them."
Do you enjoy working there?
"I consider the NVWA a great organisation. It is a good employer. It is a big organisation though, so you do sometimes need to figure out where to get your question answered. I am given many opportunities and possibilities to do other activities in addition to my work and take various training courses. Working in the slaughterhouse means varied work. No two days are the same. Sometimes issues need to be resolved. You then have to think quickly. I like that."
Biography
- Joana is from Portugal and describes herself as 'calm'.
- She likes to go to the gym to relax.
- Joana enjoys cooking and is famous for the brownies she brings to work.
- In five-years' time she will have another position, as she is very eager to learn.