The Journey to Belgium – Carlos Vinas’ story
Meet Carlos Vinas!
Carlos Vinas, Consultant Satellite Testing
Carlos Vinas joined VeroTech in 2024. From early childhood, Carlos has always been fascinated by space and his father encouraged him to walk down the road as an engineer. A career as aerospace Engineer in Ecuador didn’t seem evident and led him to work first as an mechanical engineer. After working in the semiconductor devision of Bosch in Hungary, he finally decided to take his career to the next step. At VeroTech, he finally was able to realize his love for aerospace and started to work as a satellite test engineer!
His Journey to Belgium
We asked Carlos to share more about his experience living in Belgium so far. He spoke in detail about the practical aspects of the Belgian lifestyle.
“I like the way of life in Belgium, I was surprised by the amount of things that are handled by the employer, from transportation tickets to bicycle allowances. I enjoy the variety of food available at the supermarket and restaurants, as well as the hundreds of different beers and the ease of travel within and outside the country.”
Settling down in Belgium has been relatively smooth for Carlos, even though the housing market is fast paced in Antwerp. Besides that, VeroTech provided assistance during his relocation.
“Apartment hunting was quick, and the real state market in Antwerp moved very quickly. I like my new neighborhood and settling in so far has not been difficult. Verotech helped me with accommodation during the first two weeks of moving into Antwerp which proved to be enough time to find a place to live.
Additionally, there were systems errors with my travel pass, but HR was very helpful in getting me to resolve these issues. My next struggles were finally getting the residency validated in Antwerp from the city office, which is a matter of waiting. Getting a Belgian bank account is also more difficult than you think when you don’t have a Belgian ID.”
When we asked Carlos for advice for other internationals planning to move to Belgium, he shared the following things:
“Have a list of potential apartments to visit one week before you travel and book the visits for the week that you will arrive. Apartments go quickly and unlike in other countries, the landlord selects you. It feels like applying to a job! If possible, do everything face to face and don’t trust the websites. Last tip: It’s just rain, it is not going to hurt you! Don’t let a rainy day keep you from exploring the city and the country there is a lot to see, taste, and listen!”
