7 April 2025 - News

Interview with an expat

A few short years ago, Quentin Thomas-Oliver made the move to the Maastricht Region with his wife Hilary from Austin, Texas and the musician feels he has landed well and truly in a place he can call home. As new international residents tend to do here, he has brought with him something that adds a unique edge to the music and performance industry, and has even featured in the Groete Optoch at Carnaval.

How long have you been living in Maastricht?

We’ve been living in Maastricht for about 3 years now.

How did you end up here?

We were wanting to move from the United States to Europe and really liked Maastricht when we visited. My wife works for an international company and was able to find a position that would be based in Amsterdam, but allowed her to work from a home office in Maastricht.

Can you tell us a bit more about your Ponytrap project and your robot drummer?

I’m a life-long musician and accidental engineer. Although I am a formally trained classical strings player, my preference is for Industrial Metal music. After years of trying to find the right people to collaborate with, I decided to build a band-mate and ended up with a 4.5 metre tall robotic drummer.

We thought we already knew a lot about different kinds of visas out there, but apparently you came to live in the Netherlands with a DAFT, what exactly is that?

The Dutch American Friendship Treaty (DAFT) is an entrepreneurs’ visa. The requirement is to start a business by investing a minimum of €4500. It’s a nice visa because it allows the trailing spouse full working rights as well.

How did you know such a thing existed? Who advised you on that?

A friend from the U.S. living in Amsterdam first let me know about the DAFT visa. There are many supportive groups on social media to help learn how DAFT works.

What is it like, doing business in the Netherlands?

The Netherlands is mainly different from the U.S. in that most work situations in the Netherlands tend to be full-time contractual positions. So, working as a freelancer, which was easy and common in the U.S., has proven to be a bit trickier here.

We are called the country with many rules. Have you experienced that too?

My experience with the government, and the rules in general, has been largely positive. It’s nice when everyone knows what to expect. Also, generally, I find the rules to be largely based on fairness.

How do you like living in Maastricht? 

Maastricht is beautiful and friendly - probably the nicest town I have ever lived in.

Are there things you like less?

The Dutch habit of over-correcting the slightest mis-pronunciation, even when the words and meaning have been clearly understood, is… not my favorite thing.

Did you quickly feel at home?

Yes. Almost like I’ve always lived here.

What helped you feel involved (at home) in the city and the Maastricht Region as a whole?

We have been lucky to land in a very friendly neighborhood. Plus, the large expat community makes it easy to build relationships with people of similar backgrounds.

What do you miss most about the United States (or other countries you lived in before)?

Not much. My business was more stable in the U.S., but life in general is so much better here in Maastricht.

Do you have any advice for other international newcomers regarding living or working in the Maastricht Region?

For most practical reasons, it’s easy to slack on the language and get by in English. But, things will just be easier if you get started learning Dutch early!

Find out more about Ponytrap and the giant robot.

Ponytrap

 

Ponytrap robot
Quentin Thomas-Ovier and Ponytrap
Interview with an expat Thomas Oliver
Quentin Thomas-Oliver
Quentin Thomas-Oliver