{"id":3663,"date":"2026-10-20T11:42:44","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T09:42:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onderwijsregiohollandsnoorden.nl\/?post_type=verhalen_vlogs&p=3663"},"modified":"2026-10-20T11:42:45","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T09:42:45","slug":"suzanne-hofman-from-insurance-to-education","status":"publish","type":"verhalen_vlogs","link":"https:\/\/onderwijsregiohollandsnoorden.nl\/en\/verhalen-vlogs\/suzanne-hofman-van-verzekeringen-naar-onderwijs\/","title":{"rendered":"Suzanne Hofman: from insurance to education"},"content":{"rendered":"

Suzanne Hofman never had a set plan for her working life. In fact, she accidentally landed her first job. After seventeen years in the insurance industry, she made an unexpected choice: after a brief trial period in the healthcare sector, she switched to teaching. Now she works as a shift coordinator at Jan Arentz. A transition that not only brought her a new work environment but also revealed how much opportunity education offers for people with experience from a completely different sector.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A job that started as a joke<\/strong>
After her school years, Suzanne actually planned to work in the travel industry. Until a conversation during a team football match turned her career in a completely different direction. \u2018A teammate told me that she had been hired by Reaal. I joked: here\u2019s my resume, show it to your boss. The next day I was invited for an interview and I could start that same month. That\u2019s how I ended up in the insurance industry by chance.\u2019 It certainly wasn\u2019t a temporary stop. Suzanne worked for Reaal for seventeen years, in various positions. Until a new reorganization made her rethink her future. \u2018So I started looking around. What else is there in the world?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She researched several options and even worked in the hospital for three months. However, this did not prove to be a match. Then education came her way. Through the website of Jan Arentz, she discovered that a school also offered opportunities for someone with her background. Moreover, the interest was already somewhat piqued because she had been in contact with children in her neighborhood at the high school and helped a friend\u2019s daughter with further education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From speed to human work
<\/strong>The transition from business to school initially felt quite big. Suzanne was used to an environment where speed, productivity, and financial results played an important role. \u2018At first, I wondered if education and I would be a match. Business is a tough business. It\u2019s about capital, productivity, and speed. At school, the world is more relaxed. I had to get used to that fast-paced world while working in an organization that is much more focused on people. What does someone need from me to have a good day? That was really the moment when I had to make the switch. I also had to get used to the school holidays. I constantly felt like work had to be done. Now I value them more than ever; with two young children, it\u2019s a great solution.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning from someone with 42 years of experience
<\/strong>Suzanne came to Jan Arentz to replace a janitor who was retiring. Her predecessor had over 42 years of experience and spent more than half a year with her. Not with a formal training, but by literally taking her along to the school. \u2018I think that I had the best training I could have received. On the first day he literally took me for a walk around the school. What is here, what is happening here, what do they need from you to keep the hallways clear and the classrooms filled? Just walk through the school and see what you need to do.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That practical introduction made a great impression on Suzanne. During her years at Reaal, she attended countless training courses and seminars, but in her opinion no training can compare to learning on the job. \u2018My predecessor really spoke from the heart. That shaped me in my profession.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experience from another sector comes in handy
<\/strong>Although Suzanne entered a completely different sector, she noticed that her previous work experience was not lost. On the contrary. Jan Arentz is growing and with that come elements that she is familiar with from the corporate world.\u2018You see that speed and productivity increasingly permeating the organization; I can handle that well.\u2019 According to Suzanne, a transition to education should not mean starting all over again. Experience from another sector could actually be valuable within a school. She even thinks that she could have contributed in different ways within education. \u2018I believe that I could have contributed something different in school as a lateral entrant with experience in a certain field. There is plenty of work to make it easier for teachers. Not everyone has to stand in front of the classroom to contribute something to the education.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just jump
<\/strong>For people who are considering a transition into teaching, Suzanne therefore does not have a complicated roadmap. Her own career has taught her that sometimes you have to be brave enough to start.\u2018You can spend a long time thinking and taking courses to discover yourself. My advice? Just go for it. You won\u2019t really know if something suits you until you try it.\u2019<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Suzanne Hofman never had a set plan for her working life. In fact, she accidentally landed her first job. After seventeen years in the insurance industry, she made an unexpected choice: after a brief trial period in the healthcare sector, she switched to teaching. Currently, she works as a shift coordinator at Jan Arentz.... Read more \u00bb<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3664,"menu_order":0,"template":"","categories":[9],"class_list":["post-3663","verhalen_vlogs","type-verhalen_vlogs","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-orienteren-starten"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onderwijsregiohollandsnoorden.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/verhalen_vlogs\/3663","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\/3663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3665,"href":"https:\/\/onderwijsregiohollandsnoorden.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/verhalen_vlogs\/3663\/revisions\/3665"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onderwijsregiohollandsnoorden.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onderwijsregiohollandsnoorden.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onderwijsregiohollandsnoorden.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}