{"id":3303,"date":"2026-08-11T15:25:55","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T13:25:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onderwijsregiohollandsnoorden.nl\/?post_type=verhalen_vlogs&p=3303"},"modified":"2026-08-11T15:25:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T13:25:56","slug":"the-snip-factor","status":"publish","type":"verhalen_vlogs","link":"https:\/\/onderwijsregiohollandsnoorden.nl\/en\/verhalen-vlogs\/de-sneep-factor\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ruff factor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anjali and Simon Sneep both chose teaching. She demonstrates what career transition into the classroom means, while he shows how supporting professionals also make a difference.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The transition into education is often associated with a teacher stepping in front of the classroom from another sector. But career-changers encompass more than that. Outside the classroom too, professionals are increasingly choosing a career in education. Simon and Anjali Sneep both made the switch from healthcare, each into a different role. Anjali as a Dutch lecturer in further education, her husband Simon as head of operations at a secondary school. Their experiences show that education offers more opportunities than one might initially think.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From occupational health service to the classroom
<\/strong>Anjali Sneep worked for years as an occupational health nurse at an occupational health and safety service. She found the content of her work engaging, but gradually something began to nag at her. \u2018I wanted to do something with more social impact. In occupational health services you help people, but it also remains a commercial environment. I really wanted to do work where I felt I was truly contributing to people and society.\u2019 The step into education did not come out of nowhere. Language and communication had always interested her. After her intermediate vocational education (mbo), she therefore chose the higher professional education (hbo) course in Communication. \u2018You spent a lot of time working with language and writing there. I always enjoyed that.\u2019 When she later thought about a career in education, she was still in two minds between primary education and mbo. \u2018Ultimately, vocational education appealed to me more. Students are more independent and you guide them in a different way than young children.\u2019 Three years ago, Anjali made the switch to education as a Dutch teacher at Talland College in Koog aan de Zaan. From the 2026-2027 academic year, she will continue her career at Vonk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gain experience first, then continue studying
<\/strong>Almost immediately after she started at Talland, Anjali began the Pedagogical Didactic Certificate (PDG), intended for professionals entering vocational education (mbo) from another profession. \u2019I really wanted to combine theory with practice and the PDG is a more accessible step than full qualified teacher status. This felt like a logical first step for me, because suppose teaching didn't suit me after all.\u2019 The opposite proved to be true. Anjali thoroughly enjoyed teaching and is therefore soon starting a shortened ZIB programme to obtain a second-degree qualification in Dutch. \u2018I find teaching fun and challenging. That means I have an increasing need for more theoretical knowledge of the Dutch language. Moreover, a qualification provides more opportunities. With a PDG you can work in mbo and higher education, but with a second-degree qualification you also keep other doors open.\u2019 She also sees that the demand for subject-technically well-trained teachers is growing. \u2018You notice that schools are increasingly looking for teachers who also have a strong theoretical background. That is especially important for Dutch. Language proficiency is under pressure and it is precisely in mbo that I see how much ground is still to be won. Many students have sometimes hardly had any Dutch for a year and a half or two years before they come to us. Then you can really still make a difference.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Juggling all the balls
<\/strong>Anjali completed the PDG in a year and a half, whereas it officially takes two years. That certainly required clear arrangements at home. \u2019We consciously agreed to postpone major life events such as renovations. The programme is manageable, but it is intense. You are at school every two weeks, have study days and work on substantial assignments in which you link practice to theory.\u2019 A new chapter will soon begin with the ZIB pathway. \u2019That is going to be intense again. Fortunately, I can take the shortened pathway, but with a sixteen-hour contract, a weekly school day, a lot of self-study and five daughters, I at least know I won't be bored for the next two years.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With five daughters between the ages of six and thirteen, things are anything away from quiet at home. \u2019The great advantage is that Simon and I share the same holidays. During busy school weeks it can sometimes be really hard work, but during the holidays we can truly recharge together.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Education is a serious organisation outside the classroom too
<\/strong>Simon made the switch to education about three and a half years ago. After holding operational management positions at two healthcare organisations, he became head of business operations at Jan Arentsz. \u2018Unlike Anjali, I didn't necessarily have the ambition to work in education. I saw an interesting vacancy come by and during the interviews I realised this was a great challenge.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Onderwijsregio Hollands Noorden, Simon\u2019s story is at least as relevant as Anjali\u2019s. It shows that, even for support roles, the labour market is larger than is often thought. \u2018Education is about much more than teaching. A medium-sized school is simply a business too. A business with a budget and turnover, with HR policy and IT issues, with premises and multi-year maintenance plans. They are complex organisations that have to meet high standards.\u2019 He notes that people from outside education often have a misconception about this. \u2018Many people still view education through the lens of their own schooldays. But these are professional organisations where you can contribute a tremendous amount and learn a great deal. We shouldn't pretend it's any less complex than the corporate sector. It really isn't.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Precisely for this reason, he sees many opportunities for career changers in support roles. \u2018A fresh perspective helps. Someone who hasn't spent their whole career in education looks at processes and agreements differently. That can be very valuable.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working under a microscope
<\/strong>Both for teaching staff and support staff, working in education entails special responsibilities. \u2019Education is constantly under a magnifying glass,\u2019 says Simon. \u2018Exam results, staff shortages, finances, everything is scrutinised. Given our social responsibility and dependence on public funds, that is not surprising, but it certainly doesn't make the work any less challenging.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anjali recognises that, precisely from the teacher's perspective. \u2018As a teacher, everyone has an opinion about what you do. Especially in your first year, that can make you quite insecure. You're new, you're still learning and pupils test your limits. That does something to your self-confidence.\u2019 Precisely for that reason she has a clear message for people considering a switch to teaching. \u2018Do not let the opinions of others weigh too heavily. In your first year you are primarily learning. Therefore, hold on to the reason why you chose education. Take feedback on board, but do not let it dishearten you.\u2019<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anjali and Simon Sneep both chose education. She shows what career switching into the classroom means, while he demonstrates how supporting professionals also make a difference. The transition into education is often associated with a teacher moving from another sector to stand in front of a class. But career switching is broader than that. Also outside... Read more \u00bb<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3304,"menu_order":0,"template":"","categories":[],"class_list":["post-3303","verhalen_vlogs","type-verhalen_vlogs","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onderwijsregiohollandsnoorden.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/verhalen_vlogs\/3303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onderwijsregiohollandsnoorden.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/verhalen_vlogs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onderwijsregiohollandsnoorden.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/verhalen_vlogs"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onderwijsregiohollandsnoorden.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/onderwijsregiohollandsnoorden.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/verhalen_vlogs\/3303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3307,"href":"https:\/\/onderwijsregiohollandsnoorden.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/verhalen_vlogs\/3303\/revisions\/3307"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onderwijsregiohollandsnoorden.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onderwijsregiohollandsnoorden.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onderwijsregiohollandsnoorden.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}