Meet our Hospitality Coaches at Expat Centre Maastricht Region
Moving to a new country often begins with questions. Where can you find a home? How do you meet people? Who can explain the things that everybody else seems to know? At Expat Centre Maastricht Region, Hospitality Coaches Thera Dormans, Aleksandra Italiaander and Sybille Steinert help internationals find a way forward. Each of these driven and knowledgeable women brings a different experience to the conversation.
Aleksandra: A familiar feeling
After growing up in Landgraaf and leaving the Netherlands at 18, Aleksandra has recently returned to the region after many years away. Her work outside the Netherlands has included running a hotel in the UK and training staff in customer service. She has moved between countries many times herself. That experience helps her recognise the uncertainty behind a visitor's first question.
‘I can put myself in their shoes at so many different moments,’ she says. At the expat centre, Aleksandra’s day may be spent answering emails and arranging appointments with newcomers; another may be full of conversations with individuals and families of internationals that have made their home here. What stays the same is the pleasure of seeing someone leave feeling calmer and better informed.
For Aleksandra, good information gives people confidence. She knows that an ordinary task, such as putting out the rubbish, can become difficult when the local rules are unfamiliar. Her experience in hospitality helps her make space for those questions.
Sybille: Remembering the first weeks
Sybille came to Maastricht with her partner, a researcher, and their son, who was not yet 3 almost 20 years ago. The family thought they might stay for a few years. She remembers what it felt like to start again in a place where she did not yet know the people or the systems.
‘Helping expats in finding their way, with their first steps here in the Maastricht Region – that comes right from the heart and reminds me often of our first weeks here’. Her own experience helps her listen for the practical and social needs that may sit behind a request for information.
Sybille found support through the International Women's Club South Limburg, where she met women of different ages and backgrounds. She now helps others find useful contacts and begin building their own lives here.
Thera: A local who loves to welcome people
Having grown up in Maastricht and spending decades as a buyer for international companies, Thera has also lived in England and speaks English and German. After many years in business, she wanted a role where she could use her languages and work directly with people.
‘I was born and bred in this amazing city,’ she says. Her knowledge of Maastricht and the wider Maastricht Region gives newcomers a local view of the place they may soon call home. She enjoys meeting people with different stories, from young families starting work to older people returning to the Netherlands. Exchanging even just a small piece of advice or connecting through a shared experience can make someone's day easier.
Thera also enjoys the events side of the role. Bringing people together and getting them interested in what the region has to offer is as fulfilling for her as it is for the attendees. Her colleagues have different strengths, she says, and the newly formed team learns from one another.
Three journeys, one welcome
These three dynamic ladies also share an interest in what happens after the first appointment. Thera likes helping people discover local possibilities. Aleksandra enjoys watching worry turn into relief. Sybille hopes newcomers will eventually have their own friends and sources of support. Their work is about helping people gain confidence, one conversation at a time.
These 3 journeys give the team local knowledge, experience of moving abroad and a personal memory of arriving in the Maastricht Region. The Hospitality Coaches can offer information, suggest the next step and help visitors find the right people and organisations who can take them further on their journey. For someone who has just arrived, a welcoming conversation can be a good place to begin. This expert support is offered free of charge by Gemeente Maastricht.
This new series introduces the people behind the welcome. Discover what the hospitality coaches do, the questions they receive and how they connect people with information and support. The articles explore life across the region, including all municipalities in Zuid-Limburg and Echt-Susteren, and share practical advice for settling in.
Alongside personal guidance, our website, the How to Get Started Roadmap and Maastricht Region Manual offer information you can use at your own pace. Whether you are planning a move, already live here or employ international colleagues, read on to discover how Expat Centre Maastricht Region can help people settle, work and feel at home in the Maastricht Region.
