Eefje is a bulb teacher of sixty peeling teenagers, with lollipop as a secret weapon

“Would you like to continue, Noa? It’s almost recess, then you can use your phone again.” Together with colleague Zayel Smit, Eefje keeps a close eye on the working children. “It looks good,” she says a moment later to another peeler. And: “Do you keep it a little tidy?”

She checks in a large bulb shed whether the bulbs are peeled properly and whether the containers are properly filled. “And if they’re not messing around all the time, or are wasting their time. If they don’t listen or don’t do their job well, I can be strict. But not mean.”

Paid per bin

Millions of bulbs pass through the hands of the approximately 350 employees at Borst. Eefje and Zayel have an overview of about 60 peeling children aged 13 and 14, who sit in pairs behind a cubic box. They peel the old-fashioned way and are paid per tray. “A good system”, says Eefje. “That way they influence what they earn. Some peel 15 trays a day, others only two.”

Because not everyone is equally motivated every day. “This is my last day”, says one of the young peelers. “I’m done with it. I can’t see a sphere anymore.” For Eefje it is sometimes a struggle against the reluctance. “Children who are unmotivated, that is sometimes difficult,” she says. “If they really don’t want to, then it stops. Then we send them home.”

“Do we have to lollipops“, it sounds in the bulb shed. When the children need a little push, Eefje conjures up her secret weapon: the box with lollipops. “Then I walk around to hand out lollipops and they can go back to it. “

bulb teacher

Eefje herself was also behind the cubic box at Borst about seven years ago, she has been a bulb teacher for five years now. She can be found at Borst on Saturdays and holidays. “You really build a bond with some children. Then it’s nice to see them come back a year later.”

As much as she is in her place, a switch to education is not an option. “It’s fun during the summer months, but I really don’t have to work with so many kids later on.”