Life Update: Moved to the Netherlands, Got my MBA, and Landed a Job in 1 Year
The last time I published anything on the blog was in December 2020.
And that’s because in January 2021, I decided to move abroad. I didn’t realize it concretely at the moment, but writing this article, where I break down step-by-step how I decided to move abroad by taking my MBA, made it clear.
The where, how, and when wasn’t clear at that time, but you’ll see how I pulled the total plan together in a few months, thanks to all the knowledge I had gained as TBC.
Now I condense that story for you to see if you want to take any parts of it for yourself. And I give advice at the end for anyone thinking to do the same. I hope reading this post provides you valuable insights and practical advice if you’re considering a similar path.
So, this is what I’ve been up to the last 2 years. And if you have any questions about it, feel free to email me at justine@thebumpycareer.com~
Deciding to Move Abroad
January 2021 - (1 Year Before I Move) - I start working with a student who went from DLSU engineering to working a corporate job in Germany right out of college. Throughout our time together, this student encourages me to think about moving abroad to work as well.
I ended up asking a lot of operational questions about how she went from studying in the Philippines to finding work in Germany, which she patiently answered. My conclusion from our talk then is, “I’ll think about it.”
April 2021 - (9 Months Before I Move) - I thought about it. And decide to at least scope out definitively how I could go abroad and work. By this point, I’ve coached a few dozen people for either masters abroad applications or job interviews abroad. So I have some ideas of countries I can go to and paths I can take.
To make everything more concrete, I do 3 main actions:
a lot of desk research,
reach out to past TBC students who moved abroad to work to understand their process, and
start building a financial model of how much income and savings I have vs. how much I need to do the initial move
I set a time limit for myself of 1 month to pull together the initial research.
Why set a time limit? Because a common problem I see in TBC students when we start working together for this type of goal is that if they don’t set a deadline, they just keep researching and absorbing information. And they don’t make any decisions or assessments of what to do next because they keep worrying that there’s another piece of information out there they haven’t heard about yet. You can only get so much information before you get paralyzed from it all. The deadline keeps you focused on actually going.
I conclude that there’s 4 possible ways to move abroad.
I present the options to my partner of ~4 years because I value both his logical point of view and personal opinion on this. After all, we could possibly go abroad to either the same country or different continents depending on our choices. (And he’s good at testing my financial models and assumptions to see how sound they are or where they can be improved.)
Out of the 4 of them, Option 3 comes out as the most viable: we take our respective MBAs abroad. The ‘how I go abroad’ is set.
May 2021 - (8 Months Before I Move) - Even more desk research and interviews take place. Now at a greater depth and a more specific scope than the initial round.
I compile a giant spreadsheet that lists all the MBA programs and schools I want to look at and important details about applying to them, ranging from
the GMAT score needed
tuition costs in home country currency vs the Philippine peso at current exchange rate vs the Philippine peso at the highest recorded exchange rate
(This is an important component that people always forget. The currency exchange rate can change at any moment and so you need to assume the worst case always for your budget.)expected salary post-program
estimated cost of living for the city the school is in
calculating all the assumptions together to make my ROI equation
(If you want to know how I did so, let me know!)and everything else in between
(For example, average flight costs to Manila in December, tax rates and must-knows for expats, do I know anyone who’s lived or still lives in that city.)
I am an overthinker with a great ability to research anything through Google, and that was an incredibly useful skill while I did all this planning.
In less than a month, I put together an extensive research project about 12 possible MBA programs so in-depth that if you ask me questions about it today, I can still talk through what factors made me decide not to apply for certain programs. I might even be able to show you the (very messy) original spreadsheet that helped make my decision.
Sidenote: I am lucky to have a partner that was a great sounding board and thinking partner, plus was supportive of my plans as well. And that’s what I hope you have too: someone to talk out your career plans for the future with. Someone who’s sharp, thinks things through logically, and has your best interests at heart.
I’m happy to be that person for you if ever as I’ve been the thinking partner for 100+ students considering and applying for a masters abroad. And now that I have first-hand experience in finding out all that information and presenting it for discussion as well, I can tell what’s research-able quickly and what takes a lot more time and effort.
With all this info, I started narrowing the scope down. Here’s 5 examples of the parameters I used to figure out which schools I would apply to:
No schools in
North America - too costly; the visa for getting a job is too unpredictable
Asia - work life balance would be the same as the Philippines aka non-existent;
Australia - neither of us felt like moving there, even after watching vlogs of how great Australia is
Top 2 school in its country / had an excellent reputation in its home country
Had at least 50 alumni working in ideal industries or roles I wanted to work in
Had existing Filipino alumni
Had to have great public transport in the area as I do not drive and did not plan on learning while I’m abroad
(If you want to know my other parameters, let me know. Always happy to share!)
In parallel, I set up calls with recruitment and admissions managers at the prospective schools that passed these parameters to get their opinions on my application. I was skeptical about our chances given average age and professional background for these programs, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask. At the very least, I could get advice on what to improve on for applying in a few years.
I drafted and constantly improved my elevator pitch of who I am, sharing current years of experience, age and life stage, personal and professional background, and everything else they might ask about.
I even end up making a slide to present in the Zoom calls as a complement. It got my point across a lot quicker, gave me structure while I spoke, and left a strong impression on the recruitment and admissions managers.
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Even though we were both on the younger side compared to the average age of people who take an MBA (which is usually 30 years old), the amount of work and international experience we had then was on par with what most people came in with. And the admission managers were clear that they’d look at our applications positively provided we come in with the average GMAT score for their school as well.
Decision making time: will we decide on a school now? And when are we going to apply for it? (It’s important to know which MBA application intake cycle you are aiming for because that also impacts your scholarship, housing, visa application process, and more.)
Conclusion: Neither of us are ready for the August 2021 intake cycle (which is usually the first). So we’ll start laying down the groundwork to aim for the August 2022 intake next year instead.
Tl;dr - It was a busy May 2021.
June 2021 - (7 Months Before I Move) - I find a highly recommended tutor and start GMAT math tutoring for 3 hours every Saturday and Sunday morning for the next 7 weeks. No definitive applications are set yet when I do this; it’s just to prepare for applications in 2022 if ever.
I decided to study GMAT verbal on my own through a book.
Advice: I highly recommend you figure out how you want to study for the GMAT as early as you can. Or see if you prefer taking the GRE instead.
Before the month ends, the admissions officer from Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), based in the Netherlands, reaches out to ask about me possibly applying this year to join the class starting in January 2022.
I talk about my hesitations and current scheduling with her. She points out that the worst that can happen is that I lose EUR100 (about Php6k) from the application fee and that I can re-apply next year with an improved application.
I discuss it with my partner and ultimately we decide to try for October aka the second-to-the last possible intake for RSM. Why? Because the Netherlands was and is my personal top choice for working abroad.
Choosing the Netherlands:
I’ll detail this in a separate post but here’s the super simplified top 5 reasons on why I chose the Netherlands.
A lot of global and multinational companies have an office or even their headquarters in the Netherlands.
You don’t need to learn the local language aka Dutch to get a job or even to live everyday life here.
You get back 30% of your taxed income if you’re hired as a highly-skilled migrant.
There’s a search year visa that comes with your study visa, so you don’t have to leave the country right away if you don’t have a job yet. This is extremely important if you are planning to find a job post-graduation.
Amsterdam is always a stop on world tours for any artist. Some even do multiple performances here. (Sounds petty, but it’s true that this was a big factor for me. I have gone to more concerts in my 18 months here than I have in my 26 years in the Philippines.)
Bonus: Every other EU country is a maximum 4 hour flight away and if I book early enough, the tickets cost about EUR100 or Php6k.
I did a lot of comparative research to make this decision vs other EU countries, and Netherlands easily came out on top. Even with the cons of high taxes, housing crisis, how difficult it is to learn how to pronounce Dutch, etc.
Working on How I’ll Move Abroad
July 2021 - (6 Months Before I Move) - This is where my experience as TBC comes in handy.
In less than 1 month, I draft and finalize my
essay, which was similar to a motivation letter on why I’m a good fit for the program
outlines and guides for my recommendation letters, to be sent to those I’ve asked to write the letters for me
updated CV
I also edit and provide feedback to my partner’s drafts as well as pull together all my needed documents.
While drafting everything, I make the decision not to get external feedback on what I’m writing because I feel I don’t have enough time. (It’s also an incredibly busy time at work and TBC that July.)
I do not recommend this move for anyone else. I could only do so because I have spent so much time architecting other people’s stories for their masters abroad applications that it was not difficult to do the same for myself. Most people spend a few months on this and multiple rounds of edits with different people, especially alumni of the programs they are applying for.
Advice: Make sure you get other people’s opinion on your writing, and that these people have successfully applied for a masters abroad as well. That way you get a better understanding of your stories’ structure and how they should flow together to make 1 cohesive story about you.
September 2021 - (4 Months Before I Move) - I scheduled my GMAT test for the start of the month because I heard it sometimes takes a few weeks to get the results back. I take it fully remote (which is difficult and I don’t recommend it), and I panic during the math portion but pull myself together for every other portion.
I get the results instantly, and my math score makes me think about retaking the test. It is so low that if I wrote it down here, I might die from embarrassment.
The only redeeming part is that my verbal score is a 39 and puts me near the top percentile, so that’s what I’m leveraging for my application. I hope that I don’t have to retake the test.
I send off the score and wait. And before the month ends, I get accepted at RSM.
October to December 2021 - (< 3 Months Before I Move) - I get the acceptance letter plus scholarship, and think about it seriously for the last time if I’m actually going to do this.
The deciding factor for me is that I have a guesstimate of the Philippines economic and job situation for 2022 based on what I see and hear, especially as TBC. And my decision is set.
I confirm my slot for the MBA, pay the deposit, start processing my visa, and file for resignation for December 31, 2021.
I also start buying winter clothes, selling off my things, and plan despedidas with everyone I’ll miss.
To make sure every moment I spend with my friends is unique and because I hate repeating myself, I prepare a video ahead of time that outlines the basics: that I’m leaving, where I’m going, when’s my flight, plans for the future, etc. That way when we meet, we’re talking about specific questions and topics and I really get to maximize my time with them.
Also because I had not told anyone what I was doing throughout the year. I was just too busy and I think part of me didn’t think I was really going to push through with it until the end.
It’s a fun and reflective Christmas and New Year for me. There’s a moment where I realize I didn’t even apply to another school, but I’m happy with my decision. All the research I’ve done before this point tells me that I won’t regret my choice. And spoiler alert: I was right, I haven’t regretted this move even once.
Living my MBA Year:
January 2022 - September 2022
What did I do throughout the 9 months of my MBA in the Netherlands? I’ll summarize it briefly for you.
Study (but it’s not nearly as intense as school in the Philippines, so it’s not as time-intensive as you’d think)
Learn to cook because raw ingredients are cheap and restaurants are not.
Travel around the Netherlands instead of the rest of Europe because I needed to conserve my money. (I can confidently say I’ve seen more of the Netherlands than most Dutch people because of this.)
Befriend my classmates and go out to play with them, be it a picnic, boat ride, bike ride, food trip, museum, etc.
Think about my life concretely, especially what I’ve done and what I want to do next. (I never had the time to do so in the Philippines because I was always so busy there. Here in the Netherlands, there’s a lot of free time for just existing and enjoying the moment. And being in an MBA is really a time to pause and reflect on your career.)
Work with TBC students, especially on salary negotiating which is a new primary component for Job Hunting Consultation.
What did I NOT do?
Learn conversational Dutch.
Do a lot of tourist-y things in Amsterdam. (I have not been inside the Van Gogh Museum or the Anne Frank House yet.)
Note that MBA experiences are highly dependent on both your social battery and your financial capacity so maybe you would do way more or way less than what I did if you were in my place.
My Job Hunt:
October 2022
At this point, the MBA is technically over. My classes were finished and I only had electives left. So I started job hunting seriously.
Felt a lot of anxiety about the process and the market then (which was like a mini-recession, as companies were being conservative with hiring and budgets to prepare for 2023.) And even more anxiety because I didn’t want to fail my self-expectations of landing a job in the Netherlands. Going back to the Philippines to work there was not an option for me.
This was my first time ever being unemployed and actively searching for a job, so I really had to work on my mental fortitude then. It’s given me a better perspective on how to structure conversations and coaching with TBC students who are unemployed, especially for long periods of time.
During this time, I built out my masterfile resume and then made the customized versions of it depending on the types of jobs I was applying for. Then I created the cover letter template to go with each customized version, making sure that it was easy to fill in with specific details about the company and role whatever it was.
I also formatted everything to make it easier to copy paste plus upload it into recruiting software.
Getting all this prep work done in advance saved me a lot of time during the job hunt, which I poured into researching, interview practice, and networking. Even if I had a lot of free time, I didn’t want to spend it doing repetitive low-value tasks, like editing my resume everyday.
November 2022
Still feeling anxiety about the process and the job market. I hear a lot about how bad the situation is and am calculating how much money I have left, what’s my financial runway given current spending, and what should I do if it runs out before I land a job.
Midway through the month, I get a call back from an application that would end up becoming my full-time job today.
I start preparing for all sorts of interviews extensively, from personal history questions to what motivates me to situational questions to technical problem solving types. Whatever they ask, I’ll be ready for it.
HR schedules our first interview on my birthday, which I tell her during the interview. I jokingly say it’d be a fantastic birthday gift if I could move on to the next round. She laughs and says ‘We’ll see!’ and proceeds with the interview, which is all personal history and what motivates me questions.
By the end of it, she tells me that I’ll be getting the birthday gift I asked for. I thank her and am cautiously optimistic as I go to my birthday dinner. When I blow out the candles, I pray that I get a job before the year ends.
December 2022
I’m scheduled for 4 more interviews, all with senior managers or directors, for that same role across the first week of December. And get 9 first round interviews but 0 second interviews for other roles. (Which I attribute to the salary expectations I’m asking for, a range that’s quite high for the Dutch market but I’m not at the stage yet where I’m willing to drop 10k from it.)
I’m at that state where I’m so anxious and calm at the same time. Whatever happens, I’ll be okay. I have a plan and no matter what, I’ll adapt and get through it.
I have called my parents again and again to talk about how I am so worried and anxious about failing at this, but they reassure me constantly that everything will be fine whatever happens. They have complete trust that I will land a job here in the Netherlands, especially given my TBC process and level of preparation.
During the last interview, when the hiring manager asks if I have anything I’d like to say, I jokingly say that it’d be a fantastic Christmas gift if I get the job offer. He says “We need to finish interviewing everyone else, and then let’s see.”
I am neutral about my interviews because I feel I didn’t do as well as I could have. But also I did the best I could given everything. I’m at the acceptance stage. What will be will be. I won’t beat myself up over it.
The second week of December, I get the offer.
And as soon as I hang up the phone with HR, I let out the loudest scream possible. Every bit of job hunting anxiety rolls off me in an instant.
Back to Work:
January 2023
I go home for 3 weeks while waiting for my new visa as a highly-skilled migrant to come in.
February 2023
I start my new job in the Netherlands. And if you were subscribed to my newsletter, you’d have gotten my email of what my new salary is~
June 2023
I get the 30% tax ruling and it becomes a part of my normal payroll. I also get to go home to the Philippines for a week again.
September 2023
I finally sit down and write this article. And since starting my Back to Work era, I’ve
Flown to Bangkok a few times for a business trip ✨
Traveled to see a lot more of Europe, like Venice, Florence, Paris, Bruges, Ghent, Berlin 💖
Drafted out what I want to do with TBC next (like focusing more on salary negotiating) 🙌
And my partner landed a job here in the Netherlands too. So I’m living the double income, no kids (DINK) life now.
Everything worked out even better than I had planned.
To end this story, I’ll leave you with 3 points:
Be ready to research extensively whatever your future plans are.
Even if you know someone firsthand who achieved the same thing, you need to conduct your own research to see if everything is sound and replicable. Use hypotheses testing to evaluate your potential in achieving your future plans and have backup plans ready.Laying the groundwork is a huge advantage for whatever it is you’re planning to do.
Be it job hunting, preparing a masters application abroad, or even just making a change in your life. Actively simplify the steps for yourself, and think about what would save you effort in the future so you can actually execute those plans.Luck is a major factor.
Acknowledge that, but do what you can to minimize how much you rely on luck to pull you through. Also, don’t blame all your failures on “being unlucky” and instead take time to assess what you could be doing better.
So that’s it from me! That’s what I’ve been up to since January 2021. I hope you had an eventful 2 years as well and that you hit whatever career goals you had planned.
And if you haven’t, then it’s not too late to get started. Whatever happens next, I’m wishing you luck!
If you have any further questions about how I did all this, or if you’re interested in taking your MBA at RSM, feel free to email me at justine@thebumpycareer.com
And if you want my help in preparing for your job hunt, salary negotiation, or masters abroad application, you can also email me about it or set time to talk with me here and let’s see how I can help you~
Hi! I’m Justine
I’m the founder and writer of all things in The Bumpy Career and welcome to Job Hunting, a slot where I share the life hacks and life facts I’ve learned over the course of my internships and job hunt. I hate that all the advice is either archaic, rude, or pretentious; job hunting’s hard enough as it is, older people don’t have to be rude about it. So that you guys don’t have to go through the terror of trial and erroring this stuff like I did, I made a whole category about it for you.
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