South Korea (second class ordinary license). Even if you earn a good wage, you will find living in the country is expensive. Local timetables should be checked according to the city you are moving to. This is maybe the easiest way to find a student job in The Netherlands. Willem-Alexander en Maxima zijn vandaag precies 17 jaar getrouwd . Finally, expats looking for jobs and homes in the Netherlands may well encounter discrimination with brokers often acquiescing to requests from clients; 10% of 620 human resources managers interviewed by recruitment agency Unique in early 2019 said they had denied an applicant an interview on the basis of a foreign-sounding name, while 40% occasionally refused an invitation for an interview to a candidate because the candidate was deemed too old. As expats, we understand what you need, and offer the the essential services to help you move and live abroad easily. It is different to move here as a foreigner and to get used not only to life in The Hague but also to life in the Netherlands. Learn Dutch to survive in the Netherlands; As you can read in this blog, learning Dutch, the official language of the Netherlands, is essential to survive in the Netherlands. Having a Dutch partner has meant that I have my expat life, and I have my Dutch life. While the cost of living is 4.25% higher than in the US, rents are 13% lower. Unemployment figures are among the lowest in the EU, standing at 3.2% in December 2019. Click below to consent to the use of this technology on our website – and don’t worry, we respect your privacy. However, because obtaining a bike is rather cheap and many locals own their own, most bike rental places are aimed at tourists. The best places to find jobs in the Netherlands as a foreigner. Just go in and ask if they can use some extra help. Many people bike in the Netherlands. You must have had your driving license for at least one year to be able to rent a car here. 10 Issues About Life within the Netherlands That Can Make Any Foreigner’s Head Spin Nonetheless, even this place is fraught with secrets and techniques that show that the mysterious Dutch soul is a actual secret for the remainder of Europe. Why is it so? That means you can expect to live relatively close to work. You are a registered resident of the Netherlands and you have a valid residence permit. 2514JP ‘s-Gravenhage With a population of approximately 16.6 million people, it is a very densly populated place to live and is one of the most crowded places in Europe. The kingdom also has territories in the Caribbean, islands of Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, and Saba. Doctors don’t hand out medications lightly – yet the Netherlands spends approximately 10% of its GDP on health, about €4,000 per resident. Learning the local language can be tough. The Dutch Central Plan Bureau puts the average salary at a yearly gross of €37,000, or €2,855 per month, but this can differ by industry, experience, skills, and qualifications. Our world-class airport, top-ranked seaports and high-speed road, rail and broadband networks are second to none. Couples who want to adopt children must fulfill a number of conditions, including being at least 18 years older than the child they want to adopt. Expats held over 838,000 jobs in the Netherlands in 2017, according to Statistics Netherlands. … That’s just under 5% of the population, or 8.2% of the 10.2 million jobs in the country that year. Isn’t this a developed country? Everything from an evening out to a supermarket is rated on how gezellig it is; you’ll hear the word a lot. To use the chipkaart for inter-city buses, metros, or trams you need to have at least 4 EUR (4.40 USD) on your card. Can I afford expat life in the Netherlands? Corporate Housing Factory (CHF), leading corporate housing provider in the Netherlands, is excited to announce the launch of its brand-new website, corporatehousingfactory.com, which serves as a booking engine and guide for its six properties with serviced apartments in the cities of Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Eindhoven. Pick up important tips about work and its culture to survive in the Netherlands; As a foreigner you will probably have to work at some point. Unlike many other countries in Europe, in the Netherlands is not very custom to rent out a fully furnished house or apartment. Over the years, orange carrots have become so popular and widespread, it became the default color of the vegetable. 10 Things About Life in the Netherlands That Can Make Any Foreigner’s Head Spin Posted on December 10, 2020 by admin The Netherlands is a small European country that we most often associate with tulips, picturesque streets, and the joyful character of its residents. 18 teams compete here, and usually include Ajax (Amsterdam), PSV (Eindhoven), and Feyenoord (Rotterdam). Employers in ICT, healthcare, logistics, pedagogical and agricultural professions, as well as service areas such as cleaning and catering need staff. It consists of two teams, each with 8 players (4 male and 4 female). They can deal with routine health issues, perform standard gynecological and pediatric examinations, and refer you onto other services, including hospitals, specialists, home midwifery and physiotherapy. You obtained a driving license from a country where you stayed for at least six months. However, pap smears are routine every five years. That is why, if you want to get a taxi, you are better off calling a taxi service of your city. Holding a cell phone while driving is an offense. The companion of Sinterklaas (St Nicholas) is usually portrayed by a man or men in blackface, complete with curly wigs and bright red lipstick. Over 700 children are adopted from abroad each year; the process can take anywhere between three to five years and cost €10,000-50,000. The Netherlands is becoming one of the most popular countries on the planet for expats, drawing in a record number of international students and young professionals each year. Search for: Go. This can be a single journey or a personalized card. You should validate your chipkaart upon entering public transportation and when leaving it. Soft drugs, for example, are freely available – but only legal in designated coffee shops when you present your ID. Nevertheless, nearly 12% of the Dutch population are first-generation immigrants. +31 70 346 97 71 However, mortgages are easy to obtain, with banks willing to advance 100% of the home’s value. They also prefer modesty when it comes to splashing cash, perhaps due to their protestant heritage and Calvinist influences in particular. You’ll hear it on the streets, on the bus and in the… Sometimes as a solo traveler the sc ariest part isn’t doing some adventurous activity or walking alone at night, it is entering a … But they take their time to welcome you into their lives. Again, you can smoke a joint in a coffee shop but may incur a fine for lighting up a cigarette or a spliff. If you do get into a situation when a three-kisses-greeting is necessary, start with the right cheek, then left, then back to right. Expect watercooler conversations to be in Dutch, though. The Dutch run their love lives like they do everything else – directly and by stating what they want. From time spent in coffee-shops, to summer festivals, and events at the country’s many museums, there is always something going on here. Parents looking for help with their children may only hire an au pair from an established agency; bringing someone who has previously worked for the family into the country is not allowed. For starters, if you’ve thought that far, you already know the country is actually called the Netherlands and not Holland. The waitinglist for social housing in Amsterdam has you hanging on in there for around fifteen years before you even get a look in, and rental prices everywhere bar a few unfashionable areas are through the roof in comparison with other cities. This is well below the EU average of 6.2%. Read Expatica’s introduction to the Netherlands. After that you will need to obtain a Dutch license. Expats must decide between an international in the Netherlands or a Dutch school for their kids, who must start school by the age of five by law. In general, public transportation in the Netherlands is great. Note that the same rule applies for train journeys, but the base fee is either 10 or 20 EUR (11 or 22 USD). Many cafes and supermarkets in the Netherlands close around 6 p.m. Many won’t rent to drivers who are under the age of 21. If there’s one other concept you need to understand, it’s gezelligheid, one of those untranslatable words. Some of the smaller airports are in Eindhoven, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Maastricht (mainly used for cargo). Make It Easy with Our Home-Finding, Moving, Settling-In, and Other Essential Services. Compared to other cultures the Dutch are pretty direct, it’s normal to say what you think. Foreigners who want to stay in Netherlands for more than three months for business needs should apply to the Dutch embassy or consulate for provisional residence permit and also a residence permit at the same time. Anyone who wants to see a specialist – including a gynecologist – must consult their GP first. Have a cookie Managers should be facilitators rather than omniscient authorities. Even expats are eligible for several social security allowances, from Dutch child benefits to unemployment in the Netherlands. The major advantage of this sort of communication is that relationships are clear, and misunderstandings are dealt with immediately. If you have already made up your mind—or even, secured your visa—then read on to learn about the benefits of living here. +31 70 310 22 09 Remember, if they are avoiding you, they will be direct about it. Sophialaan 7 Our Essential ServicesMake Relocating Easy for You. One aspect of Dutch life that expats comment on is the culture. Maybe it is due to the high taxes or maybe it’s just in their blood, but the Dutch are generally very frugal. The average net-adjusted disposable income per capital lies at €25,813, lower than the OECD average of €27,410. . If you forget to do that, all 4 EUR (4.40 USD) will be charged. Although the top job in the Netherlands was held by three women in succession from 1890 to 2013, Dutch society was divided along gender lines until well after the Second World War. You already found a challenging job and a nice place to live within driving distance of your workplace. The Netherlands has the best work-life balance of 38 countries tracked by the OECD Better Life Index. Quite apart from the flat landscape and beautiful scenery that makes biking to work a whole lot better, the Dutch enjoy a high quality of life, with more than half of the population working part-time. More serious issues lie in the casual – but often blatant – racism often faced by Arabs and black people. There are a number of thriving and growing job sectors in the Netherlands. In this Expat Interview, Bruna shares her expat life in Amsterdam, from the cost of living in Amsterdam, Netherlands, overcoming difficulties and culture shock, to how to prepare for moving to this beautiful city.. 1. Most vacancies are in technical professions such as construction, industry, and technology. Read this section to find out what is fact and what is fiction about living in the Netherlands. In the Middle Ages, the residents of the Netherlands tried every possible way to prove to their neighbors that they, as honest people, had nothing to hide from others. However, that is not the price for your journey. A Dutch doctor (huisarts) is responsible for gathering all your medical records and they are the gatekeepers to all the other types of medical treatment, so will be your first point of contact when you have a health problem (unless it’s an emergency, of course). About Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Although intended to be neutral when they were introduced in 1989, they predictably came to be seen as stigmatizing, particularly since people from the Caribbean Dutch countries and territories were also characterized as allochtonen. Neither sex is big on flirting or huge romantic gestures. Another survey by the consumer affairs program Radar found that 90% of real estate brokers agree not to rent homes on their books to people with Turkish, Moroccan, Polish, or Bulgarian backgrounds. It is recommended that if you are cycling in the country, you wear full protection and stay within cycle lanes where possible. The Dutch government prohibits discrimination on grounds of age, race, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, and disability. Metros and trams operate in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague. Special services operate after midnight in large and small cities alike, usually with longer wait times. U.S. With 8% of jobs in the Netherlands held by foreigners, the lingua franca at most international companies is English. Instead, many locals opt for cycling. Doing so through their own language, and focusing on spending time with them despite the vast numbers of other foreigners […] If you’re a skilled professional thinking about building a life in the Netherlands, this guide answers the most important questions. A tolerant, liberal democracy with a lenient soft drugs policy, a profusion of red light districts, gay marriage, more than 700 different Dutch beer brands, world-class museums, the best work-life balance… enough reason to move to Holland, eh? This is a big challenge for people from countries such as the UK, who are used to indirect forms of speech. Another 17,900 choose registered partnerships, which is virtually equal to marriage in the Netherlands; as of 2014, the male partner in a partnership is automatically granted paternity. This causes serious traffic jams from 07:00 to 09:00 and from 16:00 to 19:00 every working day. . Travel had changed me, it made me reconsider my priorities and made me value different things in life… Whether it’s the Dutchies’ egalitarian and tolerant approach, their friendliness, the fact that the country was the first to legalize gay marriage, the generally low crime rate, the expanding economy and great work-life balance, Dutch gezelligheid, the hash, the boats, even the windmills, depending on who you talk to, you’ll come up with different answers to what’s wonderful about being an expat in the Netherlands – maybe even as many answers as there are expats. Although prenatal care can seem strangely lacking by some standards, with the Dutch medical establishment viewing childbirth as a natural process and not an illness, few new mothers complain about the high level of post-natal care, which can even include personal help at home. ukinnl@fco.gov.uk, John Adams Park 1 Please note that this situation does not happen with acquaintances or when you just meet the person. Service in the Netherlands. Note: I had a difficult time while living in Istanbul and in this post I share the negatives. In 3 weeks i will leave the Netherlands, i will go in a vacation and in September i will start a new life in UK. On King's Day and Liberation Day, it looks as if everyone in the Netherlands has put up their flags. In fact, this often seeps into the lives of local expats. As the legal driving age is 18, most car companies won’t rent to anyone under the age of 19. In terms of salaries, there’s still a small wage gap; women earn 8% less than men on average. When I arrived with the mission to learn Dutch, my priority was always to get to know the Dutch people. Two men would greet each other with a handshake. Driving in the Netherlands can be a little frustrating. An estimated 11,000 Dutch people marry foreigners each year out of a total of 64,000 in 2017. A 2017 survey by the financial services company ICAP found that expats in the Netherlands were twice as likely to send their children to a Dutch school as compared to an international one. It variously translates to fun, conviviality, coziness, gregariousness, and a warm feeling that engenders human connections. In practice, Dutch children go to school from the age of four; formal reading and writing lessons only begin at the age of six. Look out for Uitmarkt, the Netherland’s biggest festival of culture that marks the opening of the cultural season. The Dutch are surprisingly accepting of foreigners, especially in the big cities. For information on visas for the Netherlands, be sure to check out my Netherlands visa page. Expect to ride your bike to the office, or walk if you work outside the capital’s heritage canal area in the Zuidas financial district, for example. A 5 km drive, for instance, is priced at around 15 EUR (16.5 USD). Other popular sports in the country include field hockey and korfball. You may change your settings at any time. It is also necessary to look at the practicalities of moving here. Over the past 10 years, there has been a sharp increase in cyclist deaths on the road in the Netherlands. Foreigner's life. The great outdoors. Organizing an international relocation is not something you should do on your own. The abstract notion underpins modern-day Dutch society and can be considered its greatest goal. However, you must demonstrate your basic Dutch skills if you hope to settle permanently in the Netherlands and want a Dutch passport. They rank low on scales for being overweight, having sex before 15, feeling pressure from schoolwork, and are also less likely than average to experience bullying. This is not only because of the complicated grammar rules, like remembering if a word is “de” or “het.” The pronunciations are particularly tough for native English speakers, And, with up to 93% of Dutch citizens speaking English, it will be difficult to become immersed in the local language. Interest rates top out at 3.4% for a 20-year mortgage. So, if gray weather does not scare you, you really love mashed potatoes, and appreciate honesty that borderlines rudeness, moving to the lowlands should be your new adventure. To put it straight, the Dutch do not like spontaneity. Indeed, many expats in the Netherlands believe there’s no point in bothering to learn, with English so widely spoken, even by bureaucrats. The expanding home market has sent capital values soaring in recent years. I have always been keen to live and work abroad; the opportunity to broaden your horizons, the chance to learn another language, a different cultural experience. 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