New members of the Netherlands forum, introduce yourselves here - 2021

Greetings from China, I'm currently waiting on my mvv to start a new life with my partner in nl. I am new here, happy to explore this website.

I've been to nl for a few times before. The first time I stayed in Friesland, at that time I was a student on an exchange program, I liked it there very much and enjoyed the quiteness. Never would have thought that 5 years later I'd be planning on moving to Friesland. I'd say you never know what the future holds for you! 

I plan to learn Dutch when I am in nl, and hopefully can meet some new friends also would like to see the beautiful nature. And of course, live happily with my loved one. 

I came upon this site and read some posts about mvv. Right now, I am nervous, as it's been 2 months since we applied. But I read some folks waited for 3 months. So I'd have to be patient. Waiting is very stressful, especially during this difficult time.

Good luck to the people who are also applying for mvv & people starting their new life in nl!

Shafras wrote:

Hi, I'm Shafras for Sri Lanka and 37 years old. I like to come to Netherland but I don't know how to apply. I'm a professional elderly Caregiver. How can I apply seasonal work visa?

Thank you

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

At the top of this page is a link to our Discover section; in there you'll find our Guide to the Netherlands.  My advice is to read our guide and if you have any specific questions, then come back to us.

To answer your original post.  Covid is causing major issues across the whole EU and many workers are working from home, while many more have lost their work, so are looking for posts similar to what you mention.  My advice is to learn Dutch (very important), you will have to pass a Dutch language exam in order to get through the integration section of your visa, also check that your qualifications are recognised in the Netherlands; if you have no recognised qualifications (your job is VIG (Caregiver in Individual Health Care) in the Netherlands); it is a 3 year course at the end of which you get your diploma, then you probably will not be able to get a work visa under the current climate.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Hi,

I am Ahtazaz Ahmed Khan from Islamabad, Pakistan. I am a software engineer with expertise in web and mobile app development. I have an experience of more than 8 years working in this field in Pakistan.

I am considering moving in to Netherlands because my elder sister is already living here in Delft. i want to get employed here as soon as possible because I know this will open a whole new world of opportunities to me.

I am planning to learn the native language and meet new people when I will arrive there. I hope this community will help me get employed and settle in Netherlands.

Best Regards,

Ahtazaz Ahmed Khan

Shafras wrote:

Hi, I'm Shafras for Sri Lanka and 37 years old. I like to come to Netherland but I don't know how to apply. I'm a professional elderly Caregiver. How can I apply seasonal work visa?

Thank you

I'm afraid you will not get an visa at all. Yes we are in need of caregivers, but you don't have the needed education to work in the Netherlands.
Also a lot of young people speak abit of English, but our elderly don't. So you will have to speak Dutch at a conversational level.

We occasionally have people from Suriname, Dutch Antillen, Germany and sporadicly from Eastern Europe. The first three groups speak Dutch already or almost. We prefer not to get people from Eastern Europe, because they don't speak Dutch.

I don't want to discourage you, but there is no chance in working in the Netherlands in your profession. You should try a different country where the chances of getting a job are much higher.

Hello Julien

We are EU citizens, and my family would like to relocate to the Netherlands, so i joined this forum to get some insight on things. I have been looking at some of the posts here in the forum and I have to say I got a bit worried/scheptical on wether expats are still welcome in the Netherlands like they used to be in the past. Especially, if you do not speak Dutch, is there sitll a big pool of job opportunities out there?
My husband is a Senior Civil Engineer, looking for job opprotunities in the Construction Instursty. Are you maybe aware if there opportunities available for english speaking professional in that sector? Or are there any tips for applying for jobs in that sector?

I hope I could get some insight on my queries.

Thanks a lot for motivating new members to introduce themselves and address their issues.

Teraina wrote:

Hello Julien

We are EU citizens, and my family would like to relocate to the Netherlands, so i joined this forum to get some insight on things. I have been looking at some of the posts here in the forum and I have to say I got a bit worried/scheptical on wether expats are still welcome in the Netherlands like they used to be in the past. Especially, if you do not speak Dutch, is there sitll a big pool of job opportunities out there?
My husband is a Senior Civil Engineer, looking for job opprotunities in the Construction Instursty. Are you maybe aware if there opportunities available for english speaking professional in that sector? Or are there any tips for applying for jobs in that sector?

I hope I could get some insight on my queries.

Thanks a lot for motivating new members to introduce themselves and address their issues.

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

As EU citizens, you have the right to live and work anywhere in the EU, so that bit is covered.  The Netherlands has always been welcoming to expats who would live, work and integrate into Dutch society; that has never changed and to be fair, applies to most countries with a democratic, growing economy, they need the sort of skills these people bring.

As for getting a job, to get a decent job anywhere you need 4 things.

Relevant experience
Relevant qualifications
Speak the local language
Luck

The more you tick off, the better your chance - you can do the maths yourself.  My own opinion is that you will struggle to get work unless you speak Dutch; your customers are Dutch nationals, the regulatory authorities are Dutch civil servants, the Regulations that your husband will be working to are all in Dutch; he may have to sign off on legal documents, they will be in Dutch.

So, choices, your husband is probably on LinkedIn, tell him to reach out to his peers already working there and ask them who is hiring, who is taking on non-Dutch speakers, then reach out to them.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

My name is Murshed. I'm a 27 year old energy engineer and civil engineer specialized in solar energy and energy efficiency. I'll be moving to the Netherlands next month on a Zoekjaar Hoogopgeleiden.

I'm super excited and I've already started learning Dutch, which I happen to think is an incredibly melodic language.

I'm having a bit of a hard time trying to find employment but I'm aware that even under normal circumstances, jobs for expats in the Netherlands don't exactly grow on trees.

I want this move to truly be a win-win transaction for me and for the Netherlands as well. I've spent tens of hours reading up on the Netherlands, Dutch people, and the culture (both formal and informal). Fascinating, but daunting at the same time.

If you have any advice for me regarding work or accommodation, I would be infinitely grateful for receiving it.

Thanks for having me,

Murshed

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

To get a decent job anywhere, you need 4 things:

Relevant qualifications
Relevant experience
Speak the local language
Luck

So, assuming you have qualifications, then you need to ensure they are acceptable in the Netherlands.  If you don't have any qualifications, then you need to reconsider your plan, the Dutch are big on qualifications.

Experience.  At your age and assuming you did a degree course, you'll have 2 or 3 years on the ground experience, the question will be, is it relevant.

Speak the local language.  You say you're learning Dutch, that's excellent.  It needs to be of a high level to get that decent job.

Luck.  This is the killer.  Some people may tick off all the boxes, but just don't have any luck.  You've already told us this is your experience; all you can do is keep trying.  Try looking on LinkedIn, reach out to your peers who are already doing the job you are looking for; find out if they are hiring, where about that is, how much they are paying, anything else that may help you get that little bit of luck you need.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Hi all,

I’m Nathan Dappa, and I’m new on the forum.
I will be in the Netherlands (Amsterdam) in a few weeks time and I hope to find opportunities in my fields and others as I’m open to new opportunities.

I’m a graduate Engineer in Mechanical as well as Safety and Reliability Engineering for Oil and Gas. I haven’t really had enough of industry experience in each of these fields, however, I am passionately seeking for one as to grow my expertise.

With the situation of things across the world, I know it’s not quite easy to secure a dream job soon but I’m open to opportunities and willing to learn new stuffs.

I have been tirelessly trying to make arrangement for accommodation before arrival but that hasn’t really been easy and I’m a bit worried of stresses on arrival without having a place to keep one’s head.

Could you please advise on any of these issues or probably recommend a few companies willing to accept expats who are not yet Dutch speakers?

I will gladly appreciate your comments.

Thanks

Deexceptn wrote:

Hi all,

I’m Nathan Dappa, and I’m new on the forum.
I will be in the Netherlands (Amsterdam) in a few weeks time and I hope to find opportunities in my fields and others as I’m open to new opportunities.

I’m a graduate Engineer in Mechanical as well as Safety and Reliability Engineering for Oil and Gas. I haven’t really had enough of industry experience in each of these fields, however, I am passionately seeking for one as to grow my expertise.

With the situation of things across the world, I know it’s not quite easy to secure a dream job soon but I’m open to opportunities and willing to learn new stuffs.

I have been tirelessly trying to make arrangement for accommodation before arrival but that hasn’t really been easy and I’m a bit worried of stresses on arrival without having a place to keep one’s head.

Could you please advise on any of these issues or probably recommend a few companies willing to accept expats who are not yet Dutch speakers?

I will gladly appreciate your comments.

Thanks

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

Read the post above yours.  I have nothing further to add, except Covid is causing absolute havoc in the local job market; there are a lot of people looking for work.

Cynic
Expat Team

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply Cynic. I love how you summed it all up in 4 elements. It's really helpful for me to look at it that way.

Fortunately, I've already had Nuffic evaluate my qualifications and they're valid in the Netherlands.

I think I don't have enough experience because I sent most of my time getting an education. I have 2 bachelor degrees, and a master's degree from the UK: all in engineering. I think this does me a disfavor in a way but I still managed to sneak in 1.5 years of experience + I'm upskilling all the time even when I'm working.

As for the Dutch language, I'm getting there slowly. It's a tough one. I thought its going to be easier than Spanish was as someone coming from and English/Arabic speaking background, but that hasn't necessarily been the case.

I hear you on the luck part. Hits home for me. I'll keep trying.

Thanks again.

Murshed

Murshaw wrote:

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply Cynic. I love how you summed it all up in 4 elements. It's really helpful for me to look at it that way.

Fortunately, I've already had Nuffic evaluate my qualifications and they're valid in the Netherlands.

I think I don't have enough experience because I sent most of my time getting an education. I have 2 bachelor degrees, and a master's degree from the UK: all in engineering. I think this does me a disfavor in a way but I still managed to sneak in 1.5 years of experience + I'm upskilling all the time even when I'm working.

As for the Dutch language, I'm getting there slowly. It's a tough one. I thought its going to be easier than Spanish was as someone coming from and English/Arabic speaking background, but that hasn't necessarily been the case.

I hear you on the luck part. Hits home for me. I'll keep trying.

Thanks again.

Murshed

Hi again.

You could well be right.  I have an ex-colleague who managed to amass 4 degrees in his own time before he was 35 years old.  He then decided to pass his CV around to see what the interest was in this amazingly well-qualified person.  To say he was disappointed would be an understatement.  He came to stay for the weekend and we went thought it all and our conclusion was that people thought he was overqualified.  So we changed his CV to make it only relevant for the kind of role he was applying for; only 1 page and we just mentioned 1 degree and his MBA; the response was amazing.

Go figure.

Hi all!

I am Harald van Hengel, dutchman for over 68 years, and living in Breda (Netherlands). I did sign up here, to get in touch with Thai and their dutch partners, living in NL, and particularly in  my city of Breda, which lies in the south of NL, near the Belgian border.

I am retired and have a very sweet Thai wife Rak, who lives and works in Bangkok. Every year we spend some months together, but this now is very difficult coz of Corona. My flight last year October was cancelled and due to the present strict Thai immigration rules, it will be not easy to go Thailand this year. But I hope at the end of 2021 I can be with my wife again.

Please if you need some Dutch advise or help, contact me.

Groet en sawasdee, Harald

haraldvanhengel wrote:

Hi all!

I am Harald van Hengel, dutchman for over 68 years, and living in Breda (Netherlands). I did sign up here, to get in touch with Thai and their dutch partners, living in NL, and particularly in  my city of Breda, which lies in the south of NL, near the Belgian border.

I am retired and have a very sweet Thai wife Rak, who lives and works in Bangkok. Every year we spend some months together, but this now is very difficult coz of Corona. My flight last year October was cancelled and due to the present strict Thai immigration rules, it will be not easy to go Thailand this year. But I hope at the end of 2021 I can be with my wife again.

Please if you need some Dutch advise or help, contact me.

Groet en sawasdee, Harald

Hi Harald and welcome to the Forum.

Cynic
Expat Team

Hello all!

I am Pedro Pereira, 25 yo from Portugal. Currently living in Porto, Portugal. Just accepted a job offer to move to Amsterdam, and planning to move in April.

I joined this forum to try and get some insights on the living conditions and the arrangements necessary to move to the NL. It could be a little overwhelming about all the changes, so i hope you guys could help me a little here

I plan to move with my girlfriend. However, in the beginning she will finish her studies (last year and finishing her master's thesis in finances) and probably not working until September/October. So, she may not change her residency status while unemployed. My questions are: Does she need to get a GP as well? It is also obligatory to her to get a health insurance? Does she need to change her residency status as well?

Thank you and be safe,

Pedro

PedroPereira wrote:

Hello all!

I am Pedro Pereira, 25 yo from Portugal. Currently living in Porto, Portugal. Just accepted a job offer to move to Amsterdam, and planning to move in April.

I joined this forum to try and get some insights on the living conditions and the arrangements necessary to move to the NL. It could be a little overwhelming about all the changes, so i hope you guys could help me a little here

I plan to move with my girlfriend. However, in the beginning she will finish her studies (last year and finishing her master's thesis in finances) and probably not working until September/October. So, she may not change her residency status while unemployed. My questions are: Does she need to get a GP as well? It is also obligatory to her to get a health insurance? Does she need to change her residency status as well?

Thank you and be safe,

Pedro

Hi Pedro and welcome to the Forum.

Assuming you and your girlfriend both hold EU passports, then you are free to live and work anywhere in the EU.  With regards to the Netherlands, you are obliged to register with the local council within 5 working days of arriving; what this tends to mean nowadays is you phone them and make an appointment to register within the 5 days.  When you register you will receive a BSN number and DigiD identity.  The BSN is how you are recognised when dealing with the Dutch government, it's your unique identity.  The DigiD is the portal to the Services provided by the Dutch Government.  Anyway, it usually takes about 3 weeks to get all your paperwork, but you can write your BSN number down on a piece of paper at your appointment because you will need that to give to your employer so the correct taxes can be paid from your salary; you will need it to get Health Insurance (compulsory from the day you arrive) and then to register with a doctor/dentist; if you come in a car, you will need the BSN to register it in the Netherlands.

Health Insurance is compulsory for all residents in the Netherlands.  With regards to your girlfriend, while she remains in Portugal doing her studies, she remains a Portuguese citizen/resident; at that time she can travel to the Netherlands and with regards to her medical insurance, she uses her Portuguese EHIC card if she needs emergency medical treatment while visiting you in the Netherlands.  Once she moves to the Netherlands, then she needs her own Health Insurance; many insurance companies offer family policies but it's worthwhile getting separate quotes as one of you may have different requirements; for example, you won't need maternity cover, she may want that etc etc.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Hi Pedro!

Most of the advise Cynic gave here, I support. I am only confused why you think "Does she need to get a GP as well?". In principle you can choose your own GP: however many GP clinics do not accept any more new patients. This and more general questions that you will have, the best is to ask your new employer. He/she should know best about all regulations, national as well as local.

Good luck in my country!

Harald

Hello!

I am new here, just moved to the Netherlands in December to join my partner.

I have two daughter’s, a 3 year old and a 19 year old. I am currently seeking employment and prior to leaving South Africa, I worked for one of SA’s large telecommunications company.

I would like to connect with other South African’s living in The Netherlands to share their experiences with me I am kind of lost here especially not being currently employed but I do believe I will soon find my way.

Hence connecting with people that have already been through this, will help me
a great deal

Hi!

My wife has just got a job in Hoofddorp and we are planning to move to the Netherlands in the next few months. I have an EU passport and my wife's new company are sorting out the visas for her, so hopefully things aren't going to be too difficult.

One thing I've struggled to find information on is exporting UK vehicles to the Netherlands. We both ride motorcycles and hope to bring both of ours with us (we'll probably sell the car before we leave the UK) but I wondered if anyone had any information about how to go about exporting a motorbike or two?

I'm expecting we'll both need new headlights (so they dip the right way) but are there any other things we ought to think about beforehand?

For the  motorbikes see the following link: RDW

Thanks Ramses, that was very useful!

In day 2 of Covid quarantine - Accepted a job offer in Hoofddorp and arrived to live in Leiden for at least a year on Thursday.

Really desperate to walk around the city and to try and find some people to actually talk to and hopefully pick up some of the language. .

Just popping in to say hi really. .

Hi all,

I'm Sreeraj from India seeking a job in Netherlands. I have 9+ years of experience in Electrical Engineering field. I want to know about the current scenario of IND issuing workpermits.. Is there any delay or restrictions for giving work permits due to covid ??

Sreeraj T.R wrote:

Hi all,

I'm Sreeraj from India seeking a job in Netherlands. I have 9+ years of experience in Electrical Engineering field. I want to know about the current scenario of IND issuing workpermits.. Is there any delay or restrictions for giving work permits due to covid ??

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

You should be aware that at the moment, because of Covid, there is a travel ban between your country and the EU.

Once the Covid issue is settled, if you qualify for a skilled migrant visa, then you'll have no problem.  If you don't qualify, start learning Dutch as you will have to take an exam in order to qualify for a work visa.

Normal visas are currently problematic because there are many people unemployed because of Covid and it will depend on whether the UWV think you have a good chance of getting work because those already resident in the Netherlands will be given priority for any existing work.

IND claim that despite the problems, they are still achieving the 90 days turnaround for a normal visa.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

antonyorion wrote:

Hola, soy Antonio de México y tengo 32 años. Me gustaria venir a Holanda pero no sé cómo presentar mi solicitud. Soy licenciado en informática, e trabajado específicamente en instituciones gubernamentales tengo experiencia en captura de datos, telefonía ¿Cómo puedo solicitar una visa de trabajo de temporada?

Gracias

Hi Antonio,

Please post in English.

Hello, I am Antonio from Mexico and I am 32 years old. I would like to come to the Netherlands but I don't know how to apply. I have a degree in computer science, and a working worker in government institutions. I have experience in data capture, telephony. How can I apply for a seasonal work visa?

Thanks

Hello there,


My name is Miriama and I am Slovakian. Having lived in few different countries, I must say that my recent experience of working in Netherlands convinced me that I want to come back to work there again. Normally, in Slovakia, I work as a Teacher with some training in Anthroposophy. Previously I worked in Netherlands as a proffessional carer. Recently I bought a piece of land in Carpathians Mountains that I want to turn into a small farm. Hence I am looking to work in environment that would allow me to gain some farming experience.  I also want to come with my partner Simon who has also previously worked in NL. However, this time we are looking to work somewhere where we can both live together with our little lovely dog Pipi. Hence we decided to look for farm jobs. But if we would find other jobs that would allow us to be together, we would take such opportunity too. My partner has worked in NL as a Driver and an Operator in couple factories including hight lift operations. We are non smokers with perfect working and hygiene manners.

Hello! My name is Marian im a Romanian guy! Been living in the nederlands for 9 months and i love it even in this rough times is still beter than my country. I lived in different countries but here i like it the most and want yo move here forever. The dutch language is so hard but not impossible to learn... still doing that.i wish for everybody who is here or will come to have the time of their life and never want to go away!!!

Hi I'm joy Bagunas ada
I'm 30 years old
I'm from Philippines but but I m working now in hongkong, I'm college level in my study
I'm the oldest in 9 siblings
And I'm a single mom
I was working house hold before and now still a domestic helper in hongkong

Greetings from the US!

I'm thinking of moving to the Netherlands, but am confused on the rules because I'm also looking at NZ. NZ has a cutoff at 55, even for highly skilled workers, so hopefully I can learn more here about making the jump.

Hello!

My name is Jax and I am an American. Currently, I’m working in Portland, OR, USA as a Nurse Anesthetist. I am interested in working as a Nurse Anesthetist in the Netherlands. Are there any other Nurse Anesthetists who have moved from the USA to the Netherlands? Or anywhere eles in the EU? I’d also love to chat with anyone in the healthcare profession who lives in the Netherlands.

jaxauspdx wrote:

Hello!

My name is Jax and I am an American. Currently, I’m working in Portland, OR, USA as a Nurse Anesthetist. I am interested in working as a Nurse Anesthetist in the Netherlands. Are there any other Nurse Anesthetists who have moved from the USA to the Netherlands? Or anywhere eles in the EU? I’d also love to chat with anyone in the healthcare profession who lives in the Netherlands.

Hi Jax and welcome to the forum.

I suspect you'll have no problem finding work in the Netherlands once your US qualifications have been accepted.  The issue you will have is that you don't speak any Dutch and in order for your qualifications to be recognised in the Netherlands, you need to speak Dutch at a minimum of B1 level.  You'll find that's the case pretty much across the EU, that all member states will require you to speak their mother language to a minimum of B1.  Should you decide to learn Dutch and go that way, then this link will take you to the Dutch Government website where you can begin your registration process.

I note you claim to speak Spanish to B1 level, that being so, then perhaps Spain would be a more logical choice.  If that is something of interest, we do have a Spanish Forum where you can go and ask your questions; this link will take you there.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Hi Cynic!

Thank you for your thoughtful reply! I have signed up for a beginner Dutch course to start in August. I have done a little searching for Nurse Anesthesia jobs in Spain but I have found less information about it. And thank you for the link to the Spanish forums. I will try posting over there to see if anyone has experience with working in healthcare in Spain.

One further thought; how about DoD?  I know they have military hospitals in various countries in Europe, perhaps they employ civilian medical professionals?

Hi all! I'm Mark.  Danish/Austrian currently living in Japan. Studied computer science in Germany. Will likely move to Amstermdam when I finished my thesis here (Got an offer but was delayed by the pandemic, then sidetracked among other things). Will buy you a coffee when I'm in Amsterdam if you want to talk about computers, math, etc:)

Hi there!! I am Irida, Greek, 29 years old and I am moving to Maastricht for work by myself. I am very excited as I love travelling and exploring other cultures. I know that sometimes it will get hard and I am going to miss Greece and my family and friends. However,  I want to embark on this journey with excitement! I am currently searching for an apartment. There are many agencies that lend only to students in Maastricht, so this makes it more difficult to find the ideal apartment. Well, that's me, that's the situation I find myself into. If you have any tips that you wish someone had given you before moving to a different country please let me know.

My name's David, an Australian who's landed a role with Booking.com that included relocation The Netherlands. I landed here last week after flying over on an A350 with a total of 7 passengers on it!!

Coming from Australia where COVID has been all but brought under control the biggest change was returning to lockdown once I landed in Amsterdam!

I'm doing all the normal first week things like sniffing out my local area, pondering renting a flat and sorting a bank account etc.

I've worked in Japan (15 years ago!) and the UK (2012 - 2015), and my main mission this time around is the same: Meet people!! Difficult in lockdown but not impossible!

Keen for any advice around expat meets!

Hello all!

My name is Carin, I'm American from Arizona originally, although I haven't lived there in some time.

Provided that COVID doesn't disrupt travel again, I'm due to move to The Hague in January 2022 *fingers crossed* and I'll be taking advantage of the DAFT to start a Dutch-based consultancy. I already have a raft of clients which makes this a very easy transition for me.

I've actually lived in the Netherlands before (I married a Dutchman) as well as in Germany and France, so I probably have a bit more experience with these matters than some folks here.  Then again, I had a partner then and I'm doing it on my own this time so there are bound to be plenty of questions on my part and that's precisely why I'm here.  I've been studying Dutch for 15 years now, although I still grapple with the grammar, I'm relatively certain that will improve immensely with regular practice.

I look forward to interacting with you all on the forums!

Groetjes!
Carin

Hi
Nice to meet you
I would like to find a job
Hope to help me in that case
Best regards
Nidal