Platty

My dear husband has been given the opportunity to live and work in Amsterdam. He would be given a full relocation package, car allowance and health insurance.

We are rather excited about it but we have never been to Amsterdam nor the Netherlands before.

So I suppose we would like to hear about people's experience of living in Amsterdam, how does it compare with living in the UK especially London? Whats the cost of living like?

I think you get the general idea

wmoore

Sell the car and buy a bike. Or better still steal one. Nobody will notice because there are more push-bikes than people in Holland.

Platty

No problems there, neither of us drive

furkew

Hi platty,

ive been here for 19 years now, and have enjoyed it almost all the time. (we are actually in the process of moving to oz)

I live in the Hague myself, but my sister in law lived and studied in Amsterdam most of her life. Its a great city if you like city life. Always lots going on.

As for the cost of living compared to the UK, wages are probably a bit lower. Taxes are higher, but you do get tax rebates. If you have a motgage, the rates are much lower, and again you can claim tax rebates.

health insurance is compulsary, but affordable (almost )

Prices in the stores are the same or cheaper, petrol more expensive (yes !!!) but in Amsterdam, when you live there, you travel everywhere on bikes.

Are you looking at living in Amsterdam itself, or outside the city to commute ?

Traffic in Holland can be very bad sometimes, and getting in and out of the city during rushour is definitely no improvement on London

If you have any particular questions, just let me know, ill be glad to help.

Paul.

Platty

Sorry for the lateness in my reply My husband has gotten through the first 2 hurdles for getting this job, an online test and a telephone techincal interview. He will be going for an interview in Amsterdam on Thursday.

I have no idea where we be living but husband would be working in Schiphol Rijk. They will be providing health cover so we won't need to worry about that

furkew

Schiphol Rijk is outside Amsterdam to the south. Its not quite so built up, and there are quite a few riverways, and lakes around there. Still a busy area, but outside the hustle & bustle of the city.

Best of luck with the interview on Thursday.

Sipsoo

I lived in Nijmegen for 18 months and had a great time there. The Dutch people are so friendly and the fact that 90+% speak good english helps. I am hoping to sercure a position with a company in Eindhoven within the next couple of weeks and wont miss the oppotunity to go back to Holland.

Best of luck with the move and the job.

Regards

Ken

kingfisher241049

Amsterdam is a great city. During the 80's and early 90's the city was my playground, I loved it there. I never lived in Holland, but visited regularly. Using Amsterdam as a base, mainland Europe is yours to discover. If you have a car you can visit virtually anywhere. In about 1984 my friend and I hired a car and drove all the way to Stockholm. It was a great trip, but a long drive.

The Dutch are a friendly people, and most of them speak English to some degree. For working their though, your hubby may need to learn a little dutch.

Tot Ziens

Jenster

Get some Dutch tax advice before you sign anything. Your husband's employers aren't allowed to pay his or your health insurance under the new laws in force from this year. You're looking at a minimum of 100 euros each per month plus a tax amount based on your salary - I pay another 65 euros a month on that. Furthermore the car allowance is a taxable benefit so what they say you'll get is probably before tax. If you want to apply for the 30% rule (ask the tax advisor!) it has to be mentioned in the employment contract.
Also if you want to get driving licences be aware that it is very difficult and very expensive here as you can only drive as a learner under the supervision of an instructor and not just anyone with a licence. At one theory test session I attended 5 of the 50 candidates passed.
Other than that the cost of living is less than London but not much, but you can live 10 minutes from work and not pay through the nose for a shoebox. You'll have considerably more time outside of work and commuting than before.

furkew

My employer pays all of my medical insurance (-/+ 400.00 euro's p.month) It is paid as an extra allowance in my salary package. (not heard of any changes myself)

As a holder of a UK license, all I did was take it in to the local govt office, together with a photo, paid the fees, and walked out with a new license.

I'll check it out if the ruling has changed over the last few years.

The theory test for cars or bikes is admittedly tought because of the strange rules that the Dutch have concerning right of way, but if you have studied properly, its not that difficult. Most people are just unprepared. The average pass rate is about 50% first time. I'm taking my motorcycle theory in 2 weeks, so i'm right in the middle of it again myself. You can also take the theory in English which obviously helps.

I'll dig out some links regarding the tax & driving licenses and post them later.

furkew

/;

Found this so far.

Driving Licence

Anyone wanting to drive a car or motorcycle in the Netherlands must be in possession of a valid driving licence, and the driver must be at least 18 years old (21 years for drivers of heavy vehicles like buses).

If you come to live in the Netherlands, you may make use of your foreign driving licence for a limited period of time. Your foreign driving licence is valid up to 185 days after the day you register in the Gemeentelijke Basisadministratie persoonsgegevens (GBA), or Personal Records Database of the munipality. This option is not available to citizens of all countries; sometimes it will be necessary to redo the driving test.

An exception is made for employees of international organisations in The Hague or people holding a diplomatic status and their immediate family. They do not need to exchange their foreign driving licence for a Dutch one.


It came from this website : Living in the Hague

All about the Hague in general, but a lot of handy info regarding Dutch rules & regs.

furkew

The English version of the Dutch tax office pages.

Belastingdienst.

Jenster

I just wanted to point out that they said they couldn't drive so they would need to get the lessons not exchange their licences...I don't know anyone who has passed the theory test first time, even when I took it in Dutch only 7 people passed.
I'd check if your employer is really paying your health insurance for you and not deducting at least some from your take home, because unless you have got a non-Dutch contract the new health insurance laws that have been causing so much debate in Holland since they were announced in 2005 mean they can't pay it for you anymore. I had one of the best CAOs going and it still wasn't allowed.

Casa Santo Estevo

When I moved to the Netherlands i had to surrender my documents. but when we moved to Spain all that happen was the authorities added our present address on the back. it seems the EU laws have changed recently so now you dont have to surrender your docs. here is a an EU web site which gives more info.
EU info.