Customs Department has jobs for Sabans

The Caribbean Neth­erlands Customs Depart­ment is seeking three new of­ficers from Saba to increase diversity within the organiza­tion. One of the main bones of contention since Saba became a public entity of the Netherlands, is that high-paying jobs in Government departments such with Cus­toms, the Police and Fire De­partment are primarily taken by outsourced employees from elsewhere.

One of the requirements to obtain a job at the Customs Department is having Dutch-level certifications starting from MBO 2. Dutch courses on the island have been booming in the past few years due to Sabans wanting to increase their chances of getting a job within Govern­ment Departments.

Sabans arr mainly English-speaking and local schools have English as the language of instruction. Dutch courses at different levels are on offer at Saba Reach Foundation and are accredited by the Dutch-Flemish Accreditation Or­ganization and the Univer­sity of the Dutch Caribbean in Curacao. Saba Reach achieves an increasingly steady graduation rate of ap­proximately 20 students each year.

An information session was organized by Customs with 17 eager job seekers in at­tendance. “On Saba, there are no scan machines or search dogs. So, we are look­ing for three candidates who display qualities such as a strong attitude, being investi­gative and curious, having in­tegrity, and being passionate about this job,” said Manag­ing Director of Customs and Taxes Nichalin Martina.

Proficiency in Dutch was not a problem with the audi­ence. “I would give my level of Dutch a rating of seven out of 10,” construction free­lancer Luis Harrigan told web-based news outlet Car­ibbean Network. “The meeting was informa­tive, however, I was expect­ing more young persons in the community to attend as this is a great opportunity,” Harrigan said.

Once the selection has been completed, the Customs trainees will train and study for approximately six months to a year, with a paid com­pensation including accom­modation and tickets. Per­sons who do not immediately graduate after training will be given a second chance. Due to Saba’s family-like and small community of about 2,000 persons, inter­viewers will be looking for someone who will be strict and honest.

“Drug smugglers are get­ting more creative ideas and the new Customs Officers must be assertive and possess skills in questioning,” said Martina.

The Daily Herald.