Caroline (36) is originally from Brazil, but has been working in the hospitality industry in the Netherlands for years. First as a permanent employee, then through a temp agency and since 2019 as a FreeFlexer through Temper. While working at a temp agency, she came into contact with people who worked through Temper. Her interest was piqued, she signed up and since then she has been living her life the way she had envisioned it for a long time: with the feeling of freedom and not tied to a permanent job.
Tell me, why did you choose to work this way?
Caroline: "Because I think we are not here to just work the way everyone expects. Most people live as if working Monday to Friday from 9 to 5 is 'normal'. That is the system, and it's very difficult to change or to go against. But I do believe that you can take back the power yourself. I don't like being tied down by working for an employer. And Temper gives me that liberation: to choose for myself. Of course, it also comes with many responsibilities, which is fine by me, but it can also stress you out. You also have to be able to determine for yourself when you need your rest. Otherwise you just keep on going."
How do you like living in the Netherlands?
"I would be lying if I said I like the Dutch climate, but that's not a problem. I go back to Brazil every year, but I wouldn't want to go back there for good. Why not? Because I found something in the Netherlands that I didn't know yet... I have lived in different places in Europe, like Malta and Spain for example. But I only found this freedom in the Netherlands, because of Temper. In other places, you work a lot - especially in Brazil - and you make very little money. So I am very happy to be here and to be able to work in this way."
Caroline has lived in the Netherlands with her husband for almost 7 years. They are real travellers. "The first 3 years of our marriage we lived in Mexico. Then we went to Europe. In addition to the annual trip to Brazil, last year, when there was a lockdown in the Netherlands, we travelled to South America. That's what's so nice about Temper: if I want to go on holiday next week, I can just go without having to ask for time off."
What kind of gigs do you get via Temper?
Caroline: "I now often work in the hospitality industry again, but I also do warehouse work. A bit of everything, really. I think it's great that I can meet new people this way and get to see different places."
Caroline prefers to work in a wide variety of places. "I find it a great advantage to work for different clients. I would rather do that than work for the same client multiple times. I find that when I go to the same place more often, I lose that feeling of freedom a little."
Do you have any tips for beginning FreeFlexers?
"Consider carefully whether working as a FreeFlexer suits you. You are not employed by an employer, so you get to know different places. If you want to belong to one place, with a fixed group of colleagues and more stability, then working through Temper is not for you."
After Caroline's story, do you also feel the need for freedom and are you curious about how it is to take jobs through Temper? Read more and sign up here.
