Netherlands

VirtualWorld · 20-08-2012 11:06pm

Hi there,

I thought I'd throw in my ten cents worth here. I'm looking into heading over that way shortly to check the place out with a view to possibly working there for a little while. I am hoping to attend the I'm not a tourist Expo in Amsterdam while there. Without having been in the country for more than a day trip in the past I can't say now where I might like to end up, but on paper Eindhoven is holding an appeal at the moment. It might be a good place for some of you to meet up with more Irish over there.

seachto7 · 21-08-2012 1:01pm

Masstricht and Utrecht are also lovely cities. Not sure of the work situation though...

VirtualWorld · 21-08-2012 6:15pm

Yes I have been to Maastrict briefly. It did appear to be a lovely historic city. Fantastic buildings.

And yes, the job situation is altogether another thing. I'm qualified/experienced in management and accounting, but might consider going down the hospitality route for the sake of my travels.

Niall09 · 22-08-2012 8:55pm

I'm living in Haarlem currently. It's a lovely city only 15 mins from Amsterdam by train. It's near to Hoofddorp too and it's only a 20min cycle from the beach at Bloemendaal or Zandvoort.

VirtualWorld · 25-08-2012 6:08pm

Will my Irish driving licence do in The Netherlands? Or if not, what steps do I need to go through to remedy that? Cost? etc

What's the pay like in the hospitality sector? Barmaid, waitress, receptionist etc We're talking entry level jobs here.... Just a ball park figure...

I hear the bus service is awful. Shocking manners on the part of the bus drivers. etc. True or False?

Is there holiday pay? & Relative to Irish system?

How are the Irish liked by the natives? Ever experience any 'racism'?

What does 'Lekker' mean????

I hear eating out is expensive... Can you avail of a sandwich bar type snack at a reasonable price?

That's it for now...

Thanks in advance.

elefant · 04-09-2012 7:02pm

Will my Irish driving licence do in The Netherlands? Or if not, what steps do I need to go through to remedy that? Cost? etc

Yes it will do.

What's the pay like in the hospitality sector? Barmaid, waitress, receptionist etc We're talking entry level jobs here.... Just a ball park figure...

No idea

I hear the bus service is awful. Shocking manners on the part of the bus drivers. etc. True or False?

False. Bus services (and public transport in general) is excellent. Bus drivers are grand. In fact, I'm often amazed at the patience of tram and bus drivers in Amsterdam with tourists.

Is there holiday pay? & Relative to Irish system?

Vakantiegeld is paid each year around May. I believe it's 8% of your yearly salary extra.

How are the Irish liked by the natives? Ever experience any 'racism'?

I've never had any problems. The Irish seem to be pretty well liked over here.

What does 'Lekker' mean????

It means 'tasty', although the Dutch use it for a wide range of ways to describe something positive.

I hear eating out is expensive... Can you avail of a sandwich bar type snack at a reasonable price?

Prices vary greatly from city to city in my experience. The Dutch are crazy about sandwiches (Belegde Broodjes), but I don't know of any sandwich bar chains here apart from Subway.

VirtualWorld · 21-11-2012 12:25am

Moving to the Schijndel region in January. Are there any meet ups there that I could gate crash?

denhaagenite · 21-11-2012 12:10pm

Eindhoven or Den Bosch would be closest to you, there are Irish bars in both but tbh we find the one in Eindhoven a bit cliquey. There are expat Meetups in Eindhoven, and a big following for Couchsurfing.

VirtualWorld · 21-11-2012 9:07pm

Thank you for that DenHaagenite. Much appreciated. I will look them up when I get there. When you say a big following for couchsurfing, how do you mean? I get the concept of couch surfing, but what did you mean by the big following bit?

Thanks

denhaagenite · 21-11-2012 11:07pm

They arrange their own meet ups. Indoor climbing, board games, parties, pub crawls- I've never actually done any couchsurfing but we've met alot of people at the events in Eindhoven. It suited us when we moved here as we enjoy travelling and at the time the expat group was quite small and a the people were a bit older than us.

VirtualWorld · 21-11-2012 11:09pm

I will look it up. Thank you.

CptSternn · 15-01-2013 4:40pm

Are there are sites in the Netherlands that would be like Daft.ie that list flats and houses for rent?

Anyone here living in Tilburg?

VirtualWorld · 15-01-2013 5:31pm

http://www.marktplaats.nl/z.html?query=&categoryId=2143&postcode=tilburg&distance=0

If you search in google.nl for anything related to the Netherlands you will have a better chance of finding what you need.

Use 'Huis te huur' - House to rent.

denhaagenite · 16-01-2013 2:43pm

CptSternn wrote: »

Are there are sites in the Netherlands that would be like Daft.ie that list flats and houses for rent?

Anyone here living in Tilburg?

www.funda.nl do have some rentals, ie in Tilburg http://www.funda.nl/huur/tilburg/+5km/0-900/

There are alot of expats of different nationalities in Tilburg, even more in Eindhoven which is 20 minutes by train, so it's possible that if you just Google "House for rent in Tilburg area" there will be plenty to find. Beware though, as soon as some agencies hear "expat" they tend to take advantage.

Have attempted meetups here before and nothing materialised, are you coming here for work or uni?

CptSternn · 16-01-2013 9:28pm

denhaagenite wrote: »

Have attempted meetups here before and nothing materialised, are you coming here for work or uni?

Going for my third interview Monday with a company in Tilburg. They are supposed to let me know then if I have the position. It's full-time so I'll be moving there.

In regards to the agencies, is it true they all charge you a months rent for their own fees when you find a place?

denhaagenite · 17-01-2013 9:37am

It is possible, every agent is different so may charge a percentage of the rent. Good luck with the interview!

CptSternn · 18-01-2013 10:38am

Cheers for that.

Is there a place like Argos in the Netherlands?

VirtualWorld · 18-01-2013 1:17pm

There's an Ikea?

VirtualWorld · 18-01-2013 1:17pm

Actually there are quite a few of them...

denhaagenite · 18-01-2013 5:27pm

The Argos equivalent would be kijkshop, lots of ikeas around the place too. Worth looking in the second hand shop (kringloopwinkel) as the have excellent quality old furniture and bikes. Even vintage clothes if you're lucky! Do check out the expat information centre in Tilburg, if they have one. If not, the one in eindhoven.

CptSternn · 18-01-2013 7:20pm

Ikea = awesome. Thanks again for your help sure!

CptSternn · 24-01-2013 12:44am

So I got the postion. I am moving to Tilburg in two weeks. Maybe after I find a place to live we can have an ex-pats night out sure. Oddly enough the company I will be working for has a lot of Irish there so it should be good craíc.

VirtualWorld · 24-01-2013 11:59am

I'm a bit far away from you or I would take you up on that. I'm near Den Bosch. Congratulations. Enjoy. and well done.

CptSternn · 16-02-2013 6:06pm

I'm heading out for a few pints in Tilberg is anyone wants to meet up for a pint msg me sure.

denhaagenite · 18-02-2013 11:20am

Was in Geldrop on Saturday, but for anyone who's interested Villagers are playing in Utrecht on the 9th of March. Anybody want to have a meetup at that?

Absolute Zero · 18-02-2013 5:51pm

denhaagenite wrote: »

Was in Geldrop on Saturday, but for anyone who's interested Villagers are playing in Utrecht on the 9th of March. Anybody want to have a meetup at that?

Might be around then, I will let you know!

VirtualWorld · 19-02-2013 11:47am

http://www.meetup.com/The-Brabant-Adventures-Meetup/

I've gone to a couple of these hiking trips. People from all nationalities there. It makes for a nice way to spend a day over the weekend, and maybe get to see a part of the country you wouldn't otherwise see. Might be of interest to you guys. It's a god awful website, but the principal behind it is good. Worth a search through.

sant1 · 19-02-2013 5:07pm

Anyone here who lives in zoetermeer?

CptSternn · 16-03-2013 8:28am

Next important question -

Ziggo or KPN?

keithclancy · 16-03-2013 7:25pm

CptSternn wrote: »

Next important question -

Ziggo or KPN?

I'd say Ziggo purely because cable is pretty reliable and you get advertised speed.

KPN is 'ok' but if something goes wrong it takes an age to get sorted.

Checkout http://www.internetten.nl
Stick in your postcode and house number and it will give you a list of all providers available.

Plus if you move house its easy to just take the modem and plug it in at the new place, with our cable modem (with UPC though) it was activated in 2 days.

In the Hague it took 3 months to sort the bloody line out with KPN.

Netherlands

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