Andrea (28) is a corporate lawyer from Bulgaria. He came to the European capital last year for a new job, and hopes to find work as a lobbyist in future. In the meantime, he is living and working in Brussels.
A familiar face
Andrea moved to Belgium from Bulgaria at the start of 2015. He explains why: 'I had a good job, my girlfriend and my family in Sofia. But my dream is to become a lobbyist. When I saw that a major company in Brussels were looking for a corporate lawyer from Bulgaria to prepare their expansion plans, I immediately applied. It's easier to become a lobbyist in the capital of Europe than in Sofia.'
Andrea got the job and moved to Brussels. 'Of course it was a huge leap, but I was well prepared.' Approaching KBC Brussels was an obvious step for Andrea: 'I recognised the logo from my bank Cibank back home, so I had a lot of confidence in them already,' he smiles.
KBC Brussels helped me with much more than I had expected.
Andrea (28)
Advice across the board
It's not easy to set up a new life in a different country, but with the right help you can go a long way. KBC Brussels was able to help Andrea with much more than he had expected: 'A lot of things that were self-explanatory at home were suddenly far from being obvious here. KBC Brussels helped me find my way.'
'We had a lot of things to arrange this year,' explains Andrea. 'A new account in order to be able to rent a flat, a security deposit and all my insurance policies. When I wanted to buy a car, KBC Brussels even helped me deal with the registration formalities when I misunderstood something.'
Well underway
In the meantime, Andrea already feels perfectly at home in Brussels. The financial advice he receives from KBC Brussels puts his mind at ease. 'It takes a lot of time and energy to sort everything out in a new country. I am very happy that it all went so smoothly in my case. As a result, I can once again look forward to the next step.'
'Thanks to my systematic savings, I have already put together a nest egg that I can use as the basis for a mortgage. My banking advisor helped me look at how much I would need and what I would be able to buy in Brussels with it. It might not be a big place, but it will be all mine!' he laughs.
