Moving to Holland

[Hamhockandmash]

Don’t really know where to put this!
Can anyone tell me about life in Holland? DH has been offered a job. We have a DS under 1 too.

Anyone here from Holland? Anyone lived there?

Thanks

I lived there for a number of years.
It’s a great country to live in.

@FelicityPike is it expensive? Will I need Dutch to get a job? Thanks

It depends where you are but mostly no, not too expensive
There used to be an agency called the undutchables for non Dutch speaking jobs. I’d learn though - it’s not super difficult.
Great place to live. Brilliant for families.

I used Undutchables as @Helspopje said, but I managed to learn Dutch quickly.
So good for families!
Where (roughly) will you be living?

You probably won't need Dutch, but it surely is a matter of common sense and basic manners to learn the language of the country you are living in.

As long as hill walking isn't your hobby.......

@Prokupatuscrakedatus

You probably won't need Dutch, but it surely is a matter of common sense and basic manners to learn the language of the country you are living in.

Yes to this.

They have a good expat tax scheme, look up the 30% ruling.

I worked in Amsterdam for 3 years. It is a fab place. Everyone spoke English ( in banking) but obviously it is polite to speak a bit of Dutch.

It never felt that far away to me. It is closer to Gatwick than parts of Scotland!

I actually miss it!

Of course I would learn the language but we may have to leave pretty soon and if I’d need to have decent grip on it then I might struggle for a bit at first!

Thank you for all the suggestions, will add them to my research

Depending on where the job is, there are some lovely smaller towns and cities to consider living in. I've only ever gone there as a visitor (speak some Dutch), found Leiden a lovely place, Haarlem too.

The Netherlands is a really nice place to bring up children - for lots of reasons really but I do think the overal attitude to children/childhood is good.
I also think that its one of the easiest places you can move to if you don't speak the language - lots and lots of Dutch people speak really good English. This can be a bit of a mixed blessing, as it is very easy to fall into the trap of just speaking English in shops etc (because they speak English to you so its easy to respond in kind) and never actually learning Dutch. This can then be a problem as, of course, the one time you really need to be able to communicate is the one time the other person doesn't speak English. Plus, I think it can prevent you integrating/making friends properly/catching some of the nuances of life. So I would say don't worry about speaing perfect Dutch before moving but do make a concious effort to really learn as much as possible the first year/speak it as much as possible even if people respond to you in perfect English (which they will).

I'm Dutch. If it weren't for the fact that my DDs have all their roots here and are still in education, I'd go back like a shot - I'm encouraging them to find work outside the UK once they have completed their education and then will probably leave the UK. Holland is lovely - family friendly, lots of nice places to live. Definitely learn Dutch, people will appreciate you making the effort.

I lived in Leiden for years, it's a nice town, but there are many others just as nice. Good luck!

One other thing, we live near Leiden. It is lovely but dont move to the small towns in the bulb growing region if you dont like the smell of hyancinths and other flowers (I love the smell). The air is absolutely thick with the smell of them at this time of year (most of the tulips havent opened yet but will soon. It is absolutely beautiful but they dont smell as strongly as the hyacinths)

I lived there 5 years and it felt like home. Would love to go back but 😊DH😘 not keen cos of language (he's a Brit, am not) even though most people speak perfect English. I miss it so much

I worked for a Dutch company for the best part of 20 years.
I visited Eindhoven a lot. These are my impressions, though they are at least 15 years old now:

The general standard of English was very high. Had I known I was going to stay for 20 years I would have learned Dutch but our 'technical language' was English so I didn't need to. You could definitely get away without knowing Dutch to start with I would think.

The Dutch were more blunt and direct than the British. (eg commenting on a document, we would say 'generally very good, but this and this and this need changing'. The Dutch colleagues would just say 'this and this and this are wrong')

Lots of handshaking (guess this may have gone due to Covid) and getting coffee delayed the start to every meeting. (I ended up building in time in my schedule.)

Cycling - if a car hits you it is their fault. Proper cycle lanes keep cyclists safe.

Loads of shoe shops.

Stroopwafels.

Friendly

And bring lots of vowels with you. They must have stolen them from the Welsh at some point.

If I had to live elsewhere in Europe it would probably be The Netherlands.

Dh is Dutch, and I love Holland.
But I would say that I had culture shock moving there.
I have lived in several countires overseas, Middle East, South East Asia, Cebtral Asia, but the only country where I have ever struggled with culture shock was Holland.

I am pretty sure it was because Holland is superficially very like England, but when you scratch the surface, it isn't.
I was living with dh family, and immersed in an all Dutch environment, and learning the language, and I was constantly on the back foot. Lots and lots of little things which are different.

It is lovely, kindergartens lovely, towns beautiful. Expect to get a bike and cycle everywhere (where I lived that was the only way into town)
kids clothes expensive as they don't have the supermarket level clothes.
shopping different. Big out of town supermarkets with everything but the kitchen sink aren't really a thing.

Superficially very tolerant, but actually very conformist.
(dh really like our front garden to be tidy and weeded as Other People see it)

Holland or the Netherlands?
Might be worth learning the geography first

@TeenMinusTests I love your post. It's spot on and made me smile and reminisce. I often miss Holland.

Signing in as we are considering a move to Haarlem, so this thread came at a good time for me. Those who have lived there - what was the social integration like? Did you make friends / develop social networks relatively easily, and if so was that with local people or other "expats"/new arrivals?

I already speak Afrikaans so I'm either halfway there on language or in for a world of trouble trying to distinguish the two .

@Veterinari

Holland or the Netherlands? Might be worth learning the geography first

I assumed she was moving to South/North Holland which is within the Netherlands and to be honest encompasses most of the places expats move to and the places mentioned here - Amsterdam, Leiden, Haarlem, Rotterdam etc etc etc. But yes, good point. :)

@steppemum Doe Maar Normaal in other words

[quote apalledandshocked]@steppemum Doe Maar Normaal in other words [/quote]

But, as a non conformist type, I do find it quite restrictive.
I think I speak Dutch well enough now, that if we were to live there again, I would be more myself. But I might not be very Dutch...