'I immediately felt that this was the perfect match'

Miranda Janssens (57) worked for the municipality of Veldhoven for thirty years. Over time, her work felt too far removed from what truly inspired her. "I started looking for my dream job. And I found it in education. I knew from day one that this work was right for me."

After graduating from the University of Applied Sciences in Tourism and Transport, I joined the Sports & Recreation department at the municipality of Veldhoven. I was involved in leisure activities in the Netherlands and what the municipality can do for them. After a few years, I switched roles and departments several more times within the municipality, searching for my perfect match. I realized that my work, ranging from integration and social assistance to purchasing, wasn't a good fit. It was time to start looking for my perfect match. An exciting step.

Jump into the deep end

The municipality of Veldhoven engaged a career coach to help Mirjam find her dream job. “I knew what I wanted to do: help people. With support from my employer, I first did an internship at Summa. Making a change is always daunting, of course, but retraining as a teacher and my internship at Summa felt familiar from the start. I obtained my Teaching Certificate (PDG), which qualified me to teach. I also received a lot of input from my teacher about Dutch as a Second Language (NT2) education.”

Retraining as a teacher

“I have now been working at TaalkrachtI immediately felt this was the perfect match. Looking back on my teenage years, I always loved languages, but I didn't necessarily see myself in front of a class. That changed later in life. While working for the municipality, I realized I enjoyed helping people get everything in order and manage themselves. I was drawn to teaching, and thanks to my career coach, I made the decision. Retraining as a Dutch as a Second Language teacher allows me to provide targeted support to people as they enter society, and that feels incredibly rewarding. I couldn't have made a better move.