Life in The Netherlands

The (high) taxation, the fact that I have to pay to talk to a customer service representative, the lack of modesty in the doctors’ offices and the immense amount of bureaucracy that you have to go through to settle here.
I find the Dutch to be very helpful when asked. However, they don’t seem to want to be friends with you.


http://www.expatica.com/nl/lifestyle_le ... l?ppager=1

Please propery quote what you took from this site and keep it separate from your own private opinion. And for 'anti-social' see http://www.immigrationboards.com/viewto ... highlight=

86ti wrote:Please propery quote what you took from this site and keep it separate from your own private opinion. And for 'anti-social' see http://www.immigrationboards.com/viewto ... highlight=

Whats wrong with one having a private opinion, human beings are made to have a private opinion and robots are made to have the opinion of others. Didnt ask you to respond.

I found living in the Netherlands to be boring. People follow the rules, which isnt a bad thing, just boring. Stagnant culture I guess. The Dutch are generally friendly, but they are definately not as tolerant as their reputation would suggest. Having said that, its still a pretty good place to live.

When my family lived there some years ago I found the people (in general) to be very reserved, sometimes bordering on intolerant/antisocial, despite our efforts to open dialogue. At least our neighbors certainly were!

Plum70 wrote:When my family lived there some years ago I found the people (in general) to be very reserved, sometimes bordering on intolerant/antisocial, despite our efforts to open dialogue. At least our neighbors certainly were!

i fully agree, very antisocial, i left in june 2008 and it is still the same ole

How very amusing these generalisations.... I think what may put some people off is the directness of the Dutch, which could be interpreted as rudeness but is not intended as such.

I also suspect, that many expats will have formed an opinion about the Netherlands by living in the Randstad (the large cities in the west) - which admittedly, as any other urban conglomeration around Europe, can have its unfriendly elements.

I lived in Assen, Den Haag...

lived in Den Haag, the Dam, Breda, Groningen and Leeuwarden (Friesland). People were much better down south than up north. And i found it to be highly bureacratic and quite different from the rest of Europe, not as liberal as people would want you to believe. The government was too much in peoples business.

First-Class Moron, I just think you've got huge chip on your shoulder.. time to let go, breath out.

bdb303 wrote:First-Class Moron, I just think you've got huge chip on your shoulder.. time to let go, breath out.

bdb i think you got a big chip on your brain. freedom of speech it is called mr bdb.

BDB It's a free world, i am telling it as i see it, if you disagree, then thats all good but don't try to tell me what to think or what to say. I am not in the game of getting browny points.

Have only visited Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Madurodam so have no grounded opinion here.

But Assen was probably the least enjoyable for me... You just had to keep to yourself and almost forget that you had neighbours.

Overall, I did enjoy The Netherlands and would return to visit (and maybe live!) in a heart beat.

Well I think you hold a grudge against the Dutch or the country judging by your other posts - just trying to point that out to readers who may not be aware.

bdb303 wrote:Well I think you hold a grudge against the Dutch or the country judging by your other posts - just trying to point that out to readers who may not be aware.

I have no grudge against the Dutch, i did my masters over there and my ex is Dutch, i was only pointing out differences between other parts of Europe. My experience, what i heard from some native Dutch and foreigners alike. Holland is a cool place, low crime, low anti social behaviour, good coffee shops, cheap food but the government takes the biscuit with taxes and snooping.

try living in the UK. CCTV capital of the world... Also how about taxes in Scandinavia?

I think generally, higher wages compensate for the higher taxes in the Netherlands. I may pay less taxes here in the UK, but the wages (even London wages) are not as high if I would have a similar job in the Netherlands. In any case, many jobs in the Netherlands come with a car or a travel card for public transport, which does not happen a lot here. Considering the high costs of living in the UK, I think NL wins out.

You also have to play the system - there are loads of things you can deduct to lessen your taxable income (supporting children, interest payed on mortgages, travel expenses to work, study costs etc.). Here in the UK they only have lousy tax credits, and I don't qualify for anything!

Lastly, the higher taxes also serve a purpose. When you're unemployed in the Netherlands at least you get decent benefits that you can actually live off. Compare that to the measly £60 a week job seekers allowance offered to people that have given around 11% of their income to 'national insurance payments' in the UK. My rent isn't even covered by this! State pension is I believe £90 a week in the UK - compared with nearly 1000 euros per month (net) in the Netherlands.