SinatraLifestyle

Hi guys,

Hope all is well with you all.

I guess to summarise, I'm 18 years old and I'm looking to move over to Netherlands for a month or two. All for a learning experience, and something to do with my life which I'll be happy with. I've always had the idea of travelling, and recently I was thinking of going to Thailand but the deeper I delved into that idea the more realistic I was getting about it. Thailand would be of been very hard to go to.

Why Thailand? - I've had family go out there and say good things, the culture, the cost of living and the big one for me is martial arts. Martial arts play a huge role in my life right now, and I know Thailand is obviously a good shout because of their Muay Thai.

So I still want to travel, and that's the idea. I decided to look places more realistic and Netherlands sprung to mind. Again I've had family out here, and friends saying it's amazing, and like their martial art scene is huge too since they're huge on kickboxing over there.

I don't know if this right or wrong place to post but I've been searching endlessly online for people to ring, or places to look but I feel it's best to straight come out and ask what's the best steps to take from here?

I speak no Dutch, I'd say I'm really good at English both spoken and written. I've got a IT qualification under my belt from 2 years of college with some work experience in office environments, and some voluntary work labouring.

My parents are supportive of the idea but they think I should look into it more, so I guess this is my best shot at doing so.

So my questions are...

How much cash should I have backing me? Minimum really.

Where should I aim to live? Please try and include a place with a kickboxing presence

What's ideal for accommodation over the span of a month or two months, and what's the cheapest option?

Is it best to go out there in hopes to find a job, or look online and get something secured before I go out?

If the latter in the above question, what're the better websites to look at?

Any tips overall to stay safe, enjoy myself and meet people?

Thanks a lot guys,

I know it probably seems ambitious me being young, but I guess it's the best to go for it early rather than late.

LDvandenBerg

Hi! I'm trying to help you as much as possible. I'm Dutch myself.

How much cash should I have backing me? Minimum really.
Depends on where you're going to live. Life in Amsterdam is more expensive than in Gouda, for example. If I were you, I would count on about 3000, including rent and food.

Where should I aim to live? Please try and include a place with a kickboxing presence
I'm a huge fan of Amsterdam, but Holland has some more great places to visit! You should difinitely try Utrecht and Leiden, but you can also try 's Hertogenbosch, Eindhoven or even Groningen. I'd say Leiden or Utrecht, cause from those places you can visite the whole country in under two hours. Besides that, I'd still say Amsterdam, but keep in mind that the renting is more expensive.

What's ideal for accommodation over the span of a month or two months, and what's the cheapest option?
I'd recommend facebookgroups: Appartement/studio in Amsterdam aangeboden/gezocht, woningen te huur Amsterdam, woonruimte aangeboden/gezocht Amsterdam. You have them for almost every city in the Netherlands. That's the cheapest option for two months.

Is it best to go out there in hopes to find a job, or look online and get something secured before I go out?
You have an IT-background, so a job shouldn't be the problem. Still, put your resume on Monster Jobs - Job Search, Career Advice & Hiring Resources | Monster.com in forehand.

If the latter in the above question, what're the better websites to look at?
Like I said: Monster Jobs - Job Search, Career Advice & Hiring Resources | Monster.com or Cookies op NationaleVacaturebank.nl

Any tips overall to stay safe, enjoy myself and meet people?
Meeting people in a new city is always hard and the Dutch are quite friendly, but not extremely open for friendships. You could try to meet some people from this forum.

Goodluck and enjoy your stay!

Red_Wine_Fairy

I think you're overestimating the extent of muay thai: if that's your reason for coming here, save up and go further east. My son did it at a local gym, and gyms are everywhere here. There is no Mecca of martial arts, it's evenly spread with more chance of finding clubs in larger cities.

If you're looking at 2 months max stay, then I'd recommend joining facebook groups like expats in (whichever city) or rooms in (whichever city). It's a good time of year because lots of students go home for summer soon so lots of people are losing their roommates for a couple of months - but - what I've seen in these groups is that you're looking at around 5-800 euros per month all in (gas/electric/water). Reckon on around another 40 euros per week for food (student son spends this), and something extra for travel (or 100 for a rusty old bike, if you want to really go Dutch) This doesn't count money for sightseeing, gym membership, or any other activities so if you want to enjoy your time, I'd say 2.5-3000 euros is a wise estimate. Many believe they can do it on less, and many go home penniless (I've seen it happen).

I'm not seeing anything that would give you an edge with a 2 year certificate: in Dutch this would equate to an MBO2... but.... there are often junior tech support roles in the IT companies for English only speakers (and again, at this time of year, they are looking for summer workers to cover staff leave). These are usually based in the Utrecht corridor, which is also a beautiful city. (JustEat is also in Utrecht and sometimes seeks English call centre staff).
Use the job search engines listed in the post above, but also try www.xpatjobs.com, because you can filter on English only adn they send you daily updates. Alternatively, if you're happy to work zero hour contract jobs, then there is always Uitzendbureau.nl - Vacatures van uitzendbureaus - these are the agencies most temp jobs go through, and some of them do work with English speakers, but don't be surprised if most knock you back (if they have nothing to offer, or if you can't start a job within a few days, they won't waste time talking to you and will end the call abruptly).

The Netherlands is generally very safe compared to most other countries: I've never felt threatened walking alone in the cities although, naturally, there are areas best avoided.

Hypochondriac

I've found it a very laid back country in general and I've always felt safe.