'Low salaries' versus 'good career opportunities'

The question why talent leaves Twente pops up more frequently nowadays. Both in Dutch national newspapers and by the UT’s own University Innovation Fellows. How do current UT students feel about staying or leaving?

Yifei Yu (25), Civil Engineering

‘My friend recommended me to study in Twente and my university back home in China had a cooperation programme with the University of Twente. So that’s how I decided to take up a Master’s programme here. Currently I am doing a research honours programme, and I want to continue with a PhD. I do not know how things will be in the future. You can get a good salary, but I have a lot of family back in China. Here, I will be on my own. I can develop myself and there are opportunities, but it will be hard.’

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Shivaprasad Jakhan (24), Business & IT

‘I came to this university because it offered the course I was looking for. After I finish my Master’s programme, my priority would be finding a job in Enschede. The town is really beautiful and there are many start-up companies. I think there are good opportunities to begin a career in Twente. If that does not work out, I would try to find a job in another part of Europe.’

Anton Atanasov (26), Electrical Engineering

‘I really love my study, but when I am finished, I do not intend on staying in Enschede. The engineering salaries here are incredibly low. I don’t know if I will go outside of the Netherlands, but I will look outside of Enschede for sure.’

Thijs Berends (21), Creative Technology

‘I was looking for a technical study, but my subjects in high school were socially oriented which gave me only a few study options. That is the reason I went to the UT. I was born in Drenthe, close to Enschede. At the moment, I am busy organizing the Kick-In. I still doubt about what I want to do after that. If I have the choice, I would stay here because of my roots. I like the calmness of Twente; I am not the person for busy city life.’

Florin Pausanias (25), Industrial Design Engineering

‘So far, this is the best period of my life. I like my study a lot. It offers me a lot of flexibility and, besides that, the curriculum is quite wide, but still you can choose a specialization. The guidance from the teachers is quite nice as well. For the moment, I still want to focus on my Master. I do intend to stay in the Netherlands, but I’m not sure if it will be in Enschede. I have some opportunities here, but it depends on what comes along the way.’

Portrait photos by: Hung Nguyen.