Samuel Aikhionbare

I am 28 years old, born December 7th, 1994, originally from Nigeria but currently living and studying in the Netherlands.  

I am a diligent and enthusiastic person who is curious about the world and tries to understand how things work. I never give up, but I also know when it is time to take a break. I like to spend my time being productive or making myself useful and when it’s time to rest, I do not hesitate to do that also. 

I put my time and energy into the things I am passionate about.   

I believe life is a teacher and I try every day to learn from it and use what I learn as a guide toward the steps and directions I take.  

I am fluent in English as it is my first language but I am also learning Dutch currently since I live in the Netherlands at the moment.  

IKEA Eindhoven (Warehouse Employee) 

July 2nd, 2022 – January 7th, 2023 

I worked at IKEA Eindhoven through YoungOnes which made it convenient to work more than 16 hours a week there. As an international student studying in the Netherlands, I am only allowed to work 16 hours a week, but I am also registered as an entrepreneur at the Chamber of Commerce, which means I have my KVK number and pay my own tax myself. This allows me to work on certain platforms for more than 16 hours a week. So, I used this platform to work at IKEA Eindhoven. It was a great experience for me working at IKEA because I was working in a team again which was different from deliveries, which is mainly done flying solo. I liked the freedom that comes with the delivery companies but working in a company like IKEA was another step forward for my development. I learned to be more organized, careful, and cautious about meeting targets. Here, I also learned to ride the forklift and use the scanning machine, printer, etc. I would still be working at IKEA if only I did not move away from Eindhoven to Groningen.  

Gadero/Donovan's (Groningen) 

Febraury 1st ,2023 – Present 

I am currently working as a bartender at Donovan's Club in Groningen and on the side, I work as an orderpicker/brum operator at Gadero, also in Groningen. Both jobs are part-time on a zero-hour contract. I mainly work part-time at the moment because of my studies and most times I try to find jobs that give me as much freedom and flexibility as I can get, so that my job does not interrupt or affect my studies in any way. Another reason I am working both jobs currently is because fixed hours are not guaranteed weekly. In a case where I cannot get shifts from one job, I get from the other to be able to get enough money to manage and sustain my living expenses.  

Fontys University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands) 

08/02/2021 - Present 

I am currently in my 3rd year at Fontys. The first two years did not only develop me academically but also personally. As an institution of applied sciences, we are taught to be more practical. We put into practice what we learn from the classroom. We get actual cases and work with real-life companies. And the best part of this is working in groups which in turn prepares you for the future working in a team. It helped me build my communication and collaboration skills and taught me the importance of building a rapport with your team.