Chopper-Chris

Looks possible that I'm going to be spending the next 2 years in Gelderland (Nijmegen) but I need advice from those already there...I need a 'how to' guide...

Things like...

Buying / renting accomodation
Salary levels
Working conditions (do employers offer health insurance?) and holiday allowances...that sort of thing.

can anyone point me in a good direction (any good websites?)

Thanks

Chris

Casa Santo Estevo

If you look at other postings in this section there is some information about Markelaars (estate agents) the thread is called…. Finding housing in Amsterdam. That should answer your question about housing.
The salary and conditions will depend on your job and location. Just like anywhere in the world the further the job is away from the main cities the salary will be just a bit lower. So don’t expect to get the same as those working in Dan Haag or Amsterdam.
You have to pay a ‘zorgverzekering’ health insurance. The amount will depend on the amount you earn and if you have any family. It is complicated. It seems you all pay the same but if you are a lower earner you get some back from the taxman.

Most information web sites about taxes etc are in Dutch…. so they may not be of any use to you.

Hope this is of some help.

snowbunny

My husband's Dutch and in Holland at the mo but might not see this.

Anyway: I loved The Undutchables, read more here:

http://www.iamsterdam.com/living_lea...ks_of_interest

Compared to any other non-English speaking country, Holland embraces English-only speaking immigrants though you would do well to take the language courses on offer by the state. There is a wealth of information at the above site and a lot of it is about the whole of the Netherlands and not just Amsterdam. Amsterdam is, of course, much more cosmopolitan than Nijmegen, so I would definitely study my Dutch and learn more than an English-speaking expat moving to Amsterdam.

If you happen to know any German, you may have a bit of luck in Nijmegen since it is closer to the German border.... but of course people will prefer to speak English over German any day, if they can!

Hopefully my husband can add to this thread as he lived not far from there, and I've never lived there. One thing though: I would not be tempted to live in Amsterdam and commute to Nijmegen: at 3 am maybe this is doable, but the traffic jams (the "file") are legendary and often cover the entire country!

HTH,
Amy.

furkew

The health insurance rules all changed in Jan 2006 which means that everybody pays a similar amount for the basic package. After the basic package, you can then add extra's such as orthodontist cover, extra dental cover etc etc. Monthly will cost about 110.00 euro's PP

I've not liver in Nijmegen, but been quite a few times, and if I had had the opportunity to live there instead of closer to the big cities, it would definitely have been my choice. More green, space, less hectic and less traffic problems. Its also very close to Germany, and if you like skiing, you can drive a couple of hours, and you can ski in Germany, or about 7 hours drive will get you in Austria, Czech republic or Switzerland by car.

Nijmegen will be cheaper the the bigger cities to buy or rent, but unfortunately I can't give exact figures.

Tax rules can be a little difficult to grasp, but if you are coming over for just 2 years, I would suggest contacting an accountant in Holland with experience in Expats. I'm sure you will get away with paying less tax, or able to declare tax back at the end of each year.

What is your occupation ? and are you going to work for the same company in Holland as where you are now working ?

Chopper-Chris

Thank you all, I moved to the US from the UK 5 years ago and although it wasn't as smooth as it could have been, in retrospect, everything turned out OK in the end. I'm confident that this move will be similar. What concerns me the most is that I'm trying to research all these things on the internet and ever site I go to is in Dutch...so I've started a Dutch language course, obviously, its not helping read websites (at least not that much) but I'm sure it'll help when I get there a little, if I were Dutch and an English guy moved to the area, even if I had competent English, I'd want him to speak my native language or at least try to.

I work in the aviation industry, this move will take me out of the air and into an office full time, not something that I relish the idea of, but its a means to a much better future for myself and family, its basically an operations manager position, I have been doing a lot of research on salaries and I'm confident that the company I would be going to would treat me right, so not too much concern on the salary....my question really was more around Dutch standards for benefits, pension, holiday time, sick leave, medical etc.

I would definitely not want to live in Amsterdam and commute to Nijmegen, I'm one of those that like to live as close to work as possible, I don't like commuting and have never seen the point in sitting in traffic for hours a day, thanks for the advice on buying vs. renting, its definitely a consideration, I hadn't considered the tax implications and I may even be able to convince my employer to consider including closing costs of my current house in the relocation package which would open me up to buying in the Netherlands.

I obviously have so much more to research and think about, I'll be sure to get back to you all and let you know how it goes...and again, thank you for the words of advice and support.

dank u en vaarwel!

Chris

furkew

short term sick leave is paid by the employer. Long term after a period is paid by the health insurance people together with the employer.

Holiday is normally 23 days minimum plus quite a few bank holidays etc.

All employees receive "holiday" pay in may or june of each year, which is 1 extra months salary, and in some cases employers are entitled to a 13th month which is again an extra months salary, but paid in December.

pensions are quite good, but if you already have any pensions in the US, you might look to having it trasnferred to Holland, or continue paying off in the states.

tax rates are quite high in Holland, but tax rebates and benefits help ease the pain

company cars are taxed at 10% of the new value per year, but you receive about 5% back at the end of the year in your rebate. Still cheaper than buying and driving your own car by far.

Cars are expensive in Holland. You pay 20% extra luxury tax after BTW (VAT) which makes them quite a bit dearer tham the UK, and definitely dearer than the US.

hope this helps a little.

if you look on www.nijmegen.nl this is the local government site in Dutch/German & English. Might give you some help s well regarding local rules & regs.

Paul

snowbunny

You will be "treated right" with respect to having European-sized holiday time etc. Medical insurance is very inexpensive compared to the US, but taxes are higher.

As to buying property in the Netherlands.... property is VERY expensive in general. Houses are much, much smaller than US standards and even in many cases UK standards. This is, after all, the most densely populated place on earth.... I believe last I looked, the entire country was as densely populated as Tokyo, Japan. Nijmegen will not be nearly as crowded as say, Amsterdam, but still....

In some ways you are a double-expat in the sense of moving from the US and being UK? citizens. There are individuals and companies who specialise in relocating English speakers to the Netherlands, as well as expat groups everywhere, like:

http://american.meetup.com/204/

http://www.settleservice.com/theneth.../east/bina.php

http://www.nfia.com/qanda/links05.php

(loads of links in that last one, an American expat group in the first who live in Nijmegen!)

I would research property prices and what you get for your euro in Nijmegen before deciding whether or not to rent or buy.

Best of luck,

Amy.

furkew

Hi Amy,

I have to agree about house prices, space etc but € per square meter are best if you can afford to buy and not rent, and the Dutch market is still on the rise in a significant way.

As they say in Dutch " bakstenen zijn altijd de beste investering"

bricks are always the best investment.

trust me, I know.

snowbunny

If all else fails you can take them down and use them for a sidewalk!

It's just that in relocating from the US there is going to be some healthy sticker shock at the prices of Dutch housing. But better in Nijmegen than Amsterdam!

Having looked at some websites for estate agents in this area, I would definitely want to have an agent who is *fluent* in English.

furkew

I still remember the time I bought my first house in Holland.

I (thought) I couldnt speak Dutch at the time, my mortgage broker didnt speak English, and the solicitor doing the paperwork couldnt be bothered to speak English cos he was getting paid anyway