I'm thinking of moving from South Africa to the Netherlands

Hi Lolli_01,

I am in The Netherlands since almost 1 year and I don't speak Dutch as well. The only difference is that I have moved to The Netherlands after being accepted by a job. I don't think it will be very easy to find a job for a non-dutch speaker as my wife is a clinical psychologist and she can't find a job at all.

Regarding the apartment, it depends on the location. For us, we are paying 1200 Euro per month for a 1 bedroom flat fully furnished.

Good luck for you and contact me when you will be here.

Hi Lolli,
I just moved to the Netherlands, and I'll tell you that from what I've heard from everyone that it is very difficult to find a job here, especially if you don't speak Dutch.  The good thing is that 99% of people speak English here so except for employment purposes you can get by without knowing the language.

As far as renting an apartment, it's a fairly easy but expensive.  I recommend going to perfecthousing.nl, everything is in English and they have a lot of experience with clients moving internationally, if you submit a form for an apartment you're interested in someone from the company will call you and go over everything you need to rent a place.  I'm not sure how big apartments in South Africa typically are, but in Amsterdam they are, on average about 50-75 m2.  I lucked out in getting an 80 m2 flat, fully furnished, with cable, internet, water, etc, for 1550 Euro/month.
Hope this helps! And if you decide to move to Amsterdam let me know!!

Maher.Haddad:
thnx 4 the reply & info!

BeckersL:
thank you 4 the reply too, its a relief to know that there is a lot of English speaking people, I won't feel like an outcast! hehe! thanks 4 the link - i will definitely look into it.
I'm thinking of trying to apply for jobs from SA before I come over there - this will hopefully help speed up the process etc.

hey meisikind!

Im from Cape Town and also moving to NL. word of advice, easiest way to be sure to get there is get an au paris contract(you can get short ones for just the summer) and while you are there, then you can sort out your housing situation, the visas for longer stay will be easier to get and all the other stuff that is difficult for us South Africans. If you can speak afrikaans its really easy to catch on to Dutch so you dont have to have any worries. the nice thing about becomming an au pair is that you are almost certain to get a visa and the host family must help you with your health insurance etc... feel free to contact me if you need info!

I'm oneley 16 but i realy dont want to stay in South Africa,Ive been searching to find a way to move to Netherlands for almost a year but its very hard for people of my age to find ways , Because I'm still young ...please help and give me any tips ..I can already speak dutch a little cause i visited there for 2 weeks and I'm studying dutch in my free time , i speak Afrikaans and English very good because i grew up bilingual ...please help !? I'm thinking of moving there when i'm 19 and done with my study's ..i'm Going to study I.T languages ..my four year course in oneley 1 year ,i'm thinking of becoming a web designer but i dont study for that,because with the languages you can also create websites and write computer programs

Hey Hi,

Glad to meet fellow South Africans here.

I will likely be going to the Netherlands end April for a little working holiday.  I will have some days free and would love to meet you all there.  Also, give me some travelling tips and ideas too.

Regards

My son has a South African passport and is studying through UNISA.  He is wanting to study in Amsterdam for 5 months - online through UNISA as part of his degree is International Marketing & Research.  We have a friend who can accommodate him for free.  Does anyone know how we go about this. Or if this is possible?  Or how difficult this will be?  Any information would help greatly.  Thanks a mil, Monique

Hi All

My Husband and I are considering moving to Netherlands, can anyone give us an idea of what the relocation costs involved would be?

we are probably moving to The Hague, can anyone tell me a little bit more about it... actually any info would be great.

Hi SandreH and Hi Monique07,

I invite you to start your own topic on the Netherlands forum for better visibility.

Thank you.
Christine
Expat.com team

Hey Nishi,

I live in the Netherlands with my Dutch hubby.  Please feel free to visit when you are in NL.

Feel free to stay in contact

Kind regards,

Judy Allard

Hi Monique

Unfortunately if he has a SA passport and is studying through correspondence he can only come for a max of 3 months (Schengen Visa)

I arrived in the Netherlands on the 08th Feb and leave on the 08th May and am currently studying through UNISA. It sucks being South African as it's so difficult to stay here.

Hi Guys.

I know this thread is quit old, I am currently living is SouthAfrica, and  wanting to move to the Netherlands permanently,

We have plans but the SouthAfrican HomeAffairs is really messing around with papers.

Any advise guys, while I'm still here in Sa, which website can I look for jobs in the Netherlands...

Thanks

looking forward to chatting with you guys.

I live in Amsterdam email me and i can send you some details

Hi ArnoldR > Why don't you share some useful information on the forum? This will definitely help lots of members.

Hi there

I am going to be making the biggest decision of my life in a few days.
I have a close mate moving to Holland for the au pairing contract you speak of.
I am planning on going with my mate and hopefully being able to study there and work a part time job.
Should I maybe try consider the au pair option or, rent a place with my mate there ?
I really really want to move,

Hi Arnold

I just arrived in Amsterdam. Looking for some info or work. Please send me your email or email on

Matt

Hey man

Have you made your decision yet? Its tough to find jobs over here.

Matt

Gonna set up a job over here first hehe.
Definitely going to be moving, Just putting the plan in action and saving

Hi MrMoe!

I'd like to suggest you some websites for your job hunting:
- www.pran.nl
- www.eures.eu
- www.expatjobs.eu
- http://www.ubnuitzendbureau.com/13114/Ik-zoek-werk.html
- http://www.interactief.com
- http://www.monsterboard.nl/geo/siteselection
- http://www.headpersoneelsdiensten.nl
- http://www.logiprof.nl/kandidaten.php
- http://www.perflexxion.nl/vacatures.html
- http://www.rotterdamportinfo.com
- http://www.trefferuitzendbureau.nl/
- http://www.azoruitzendbureau.nl/home.html

Cheers,
Licia

Hi there,

I am currently planning my relocation to the Netherlands from South Africa and will be writing the inburgerings exam in a couple of weeks.  From previous experience, can anyone advise how long it takes for the Dutch embassy to issue an MVV?  I am aware it says up to 3 months on their website but I would like to know what the average time is from anyone who has gone through this process before.

Thanks so much and can't wait to be there again!

Kelly

Hi i did you find a job and did you make a succes

Hi Dirk,

This thread is over 2 years old; I suspect you won't get much of a response.  At the top of this page is a link to handy tools, within that, several subjects are covered in regards to moving, living and working in Holland.  I'd recommend that you start by going through those, then if you have any specific questions, then perhaps you should start a new thread with those questions.

Hi can any one help me i want to move to the netherlands i first need to find n job and get evry thing ready i need asisstans pleas i want a new life

As Cynic suggested, there are several tools or sections where you browse through and read the information you need.
If you still have questions you are free to ask.
Don't expect from us that we do the job for you.

Hi any non destructive onderzoek jobs available?

uzanne wrote:

Hi any non destructive onderzoek jobs available?

I don't work in the industry, so have no expert advice to offer; I'd suggest looking at the jobs link at the top of this Forum; if there's nothing there, the my advice is to use Google and contact the relevant companies directly - I just had a look and quite a few hits came up.

Hope this helps.

Thanks wii do so.

Thank you I will have a look. Hope we find something.
Uzanne

Hi to every one .i want to going to  netherland .l heared there is alot jobs for doctors but i dont know .if any one knows about may profession plz tell me .

All i know Said is please come since Dutch doctors send you home with paracetamol when you have septacemia yay!

Wanderer85 wrote:

All i know Said is please come since Dutch doctors send you home with paracetamol when you have septacemia yay!

LOL - so a doctor gives you a diagnosis of Septicaemia (i.e. a bacteria based blood poisoning) and treats you with Paracetamol?  Somehow, even I'm struggling with this (married to a Dutch medic).

Good day,

As the subject says, I'm thinking about moving to NL and am in need of assistance on how to go about doing this. I have been there before and worked there for a year as an au pair and fell in love with the country. It's funny how that worked out as my partner (of 5 years) who moved back to NL from South Africa recently. She moved to SA 12 years ago and now she was finally able to go home, not very happy about that, but she needed it. I would prefer not to get my residents permit through her as that will just put a lot of stress on her.

I have friends who live there who are willing for me to let me stay with them for a while. All I need to worry about is procedure and documents, getting there and getting a job.

I know already I need to contact the IND to find out everything. I sent them a mail 2 days ago but haven't had any reply yet.

Any of you who have already done this procedure who can maybe assist me in doing it for myself?

Looking forward to your replies

LesSwa wrote:

Good day,

As the subject says, I'm thinking about moving to NL and am in need of assistance on how to go about doing this. I have been there before and worked there for a year as an au pair and fell in love with the country. It's funny how that worked out as my partner (of 5 years) who moved back to NL from South Africa recently. She moved to SA 12 years ago and now she was finally able to go home, not very happy about that, but she needed it. I would prefer not to get my residents permit through her as that will just put a lot of stress on her.

I have friends who live there who are willing for me to let me stay with them for a while. All I need to worry about is procedure and documents, getting there and getting a job.

I know already I need to contact the IND to find out everything. I sent them a mail 2 days ago but haven't had any reply yet.

Any of you who have already done this procedure who can maybe assist me in doing it for myself?

Looking forward to your replies

Hi LesSwa and welcome to the Forum.

It sounds like you've taken the first steps in contacting the IND.  In addition, at the top of the page is our Handy Tools link, this will take you to our Expat Guides that you may find useful in planning your journey.

If you have any specific questions, please come back to us.

Best of luck in your journey.

Hi,

Could you tell me approximately how long I would have to wait for them to reply to my email? I'm trying to get all the information needed for this as soon as possible.

LesSwa wrote:

Hi,

Could you tell me approximately how long I would have to wait for them to reply to my email? I'm trying to get all the information needed for this as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, I don't think anybody can answer that; you're dealing with a government bureaucracy.

To be honest, in view of the fact that your relationship is not either married, or a registered partnership, I'm struggling to think of how you will get in without getting a job first, either with a job offer, or setting up your own business.  You can't apply for a further au-pair visa (it's one of the conditions).

What type of visa have you applied for?

I haven't applied for a visa yet, I'm still finding out the facts. I have been thinking about trying to get a job while still in SA, but that can probably be difficult.

I've also thought about saving money and going on a normal shengen visa for as long as it's allowed (3 months I believe) and looking for a job in that time.

LesSwa wrote:

I haven't applied for a visa yet, I'm still finding out the facts. I have been thinking about trying to get a job while still in SA, but that can probably be difficult.

I've also thought about saving money and going on a normal shengen visa for as long as it's allowed (3 months I believe) and looking for a job in that time.

Then all I can do is wish you the best of luck in your journey.  My only advice regarding your question is that if you don't hear from the IND within a fortnight, to chase it up; it isn't unknown for these matters to go missing.

You said that you have previously lived in Holland, so you don't need me to waste any of your time writing about that.

If you have any further specific questions, please come back to us.

Good afternoon,

Recently just found out I have a position in the Netherlands. Only thing that's holding me back is my husband speaks Afrikaans but holds only a matric? How easy will it be for him to find a job?
Also how does the taxation work if I'm a foreigner working in the country? What do I need to know about my salary deductions and schools and renting of housing?

Hi CdeCaires and welcome to the Forum.

At the top of the page is our Handy Tools link, if you select that, you can access our Expat Guides which will help you plan your journey.

With regards to your specific questions:

Afrikaans will not help much in day to day living in Holland; it's a 200-year-old language that reflects a mixture of Dutch, German and African tribal languages as they were spoken back then, nobody in Holland speaks it nowadays.  That said, there must be some link between Dutch/Afrikaans as most Dutch people can read it, so that may help you and your husband to learn Dutch.

I'm not an expert in the South African education system, but if I have it right, your husband left education before University, so doesn't hold any formal high-level qualifications.  The Dutch NUFFIC organisation is responsible for recognising foreign qualifications; this link will take you to a PDF document that compares the 2 equivalents.

This link will take you to the NUFFIC website where it provides information on how to get qualifications recognised.

Taxation; this link will take you to an online calculator for.  You just enter your annual salary at the top, tick the box if you qualify for the 30% tax benefit and it calculates your tax.  I'd advise you to speak to your HR department regarding pay administration (i.e. how they intend to pay you).

Cost of living; the Numbeo website provides a cost comparison where you can compare prices between where you live now and where you intend to live, it can also compare different Dutch cities/towns.  Word of warning, it's based on the previous 12-months data, so is always a bit behind the curve.  This link will take you to the website.

Once you've read the articles in our guides and consulted the links I've provided; if you have any further specific questions, please come back to us.

Hope this help.

Cynic
Expat Team