Apple = appel. Hello = hallo. Insurance = …verzekering?! Learning Dutch seems easy to start, but you’ve probably discovered that it’s not a piece of taart. 🍰
So what are your experiences of learning Dutch after moving to the Netherlands? We have good news: it’s time to share your voice — and have it really be heard.
Want us to sweeten the pot? Alright, here it is: you also have the chance to win an Amazon gift voucher just for taking 10 minutes to share your thoughts. Leuk!
Alright, here’s the lowdown: hundreds of thousands of people come from all over the world to work in the Netherlands. This is awesome for the Netherlands and its economy — so understanding these migrants’ experiences is vital.
That’s where you come in. ⚡️
In a brief survey, you’ll share your experiences on learning Dutch after moving to the Netherlands to work. You’ll cover things about whether you learned Dutch, the obstacles, the help you received, and more.
Learning how to speak and express yourself in Dutch isn’t always easy, especially at work. Image: Freepik
Your feedback will go straight to the Share My Voice research panel, run by Het Kenniscentrum Arbeidsmigranten. Then, the magical research machine will take your thoughts and turn them into real changes for internationals working in the Netherlands in the future.
Why should you take part?
We all know the struggles of moving to a whole new country that speaks a foreign language. There were plenty before us who did it, and there’ll be plenty more to come.
Now, the Netherlands is finally saying, “Hey, we’re listening.” That means your experiences are valuable and can truly change the landscape for future internationals.
Here are our top three reasons why you should take part:
Is something currently preventing you from learning Dutch?
Oh, and a bonus: the survey is available in English, Polish, Bulgarian, Romanian, Spanish, Ukrainian — or even Dutch if you want to show off your language achievements. 🇳🇱
At the end, you’ll have a chance to enter your name and email address for the chance to win one of those Amazon gift vouchers. There are five €100 vouchers and 20 vouchers worth €25 to be won!
Who wants to know?
The survey is one in a series by Share My Voice, an initiative of Het Kenniscentrum Arbeidsmigranten. This independent foundation is dedicated to finding out more about expats in the Netherlands.
Previous surveys have covered working conditions, housing, integration into society, and ambitions. With the information, more is known about those who have moved to the Netherlands for work — and how they can be assisted.
That’s right: the information is used to make the Netherlands even more attractive to internationals, motivate people to make the move, and make internationals’ lives better while they’re here.
We get it, you love Amsterdam — maybe even a little too much — and who can blame you with the way the city is branded! Just please, reel in the stag-dos. (We see you, British men).
Yep, the city certainly knows how to sell itself. Amsterdam has the 10th best city branding in the world, as determined by 2023’s Brand Finance City Index rankings.
Widely known for the thrilling scandals of nightlife, unapologetic culture, and innovative art scene, our favourite city hasn’t gone unnoticed by the rest of the world.
What is a Brand Finance Index Score? We’re glad you asked
Ok, so, what is the Brand Finance Index Score? Basically, this index is often used in sales, and measures how well a given city has branded or marketed itself, based on the public’s perception of it.
Apparently, Amsterdam scored high due to its “people & values”, “sustainability”— living in houseboats with near-nonexistent carbon footprints pays off — and, predictably, its “nightlife”, as well as its “Friendly”, “Fun” atmosphere.
The urban accessibility paradox:
By conflating automobile access with universal access, cities inadvertently exclude many people from the public realm.
And by reducing car access, they actually improve access for a greater number and diversity of people.
— Melissa & Chris Bruntlett (@modacitylife) May 20, 2023
How high are we talking? The Brand Finance Index score is calculated via surveys of 15,000 people from 20 different countries — and our “Venice of the North” received 75.7/100 points.
A city with a worldwide reputation
It’s safe to say the city, in spite of its attempts to undo some of its success with pulling in tourists, has become quite good at making itself known.
While it might not be how the Dutch capital wants to be perceived, name-drop the word “Amsterdam” to your friends abroad, and you’re sure to be met with wide-eyed awe, maybe even a hint of fear. Isn’t that where people buy a joint, with their coffee?
They’ll ask about the red light district, feigning nonchalance, or mention offhand that it’s where they drunkenly got a tattoo last summer.
Young internationals especially are drawn to Amsterdam’s debauchery like a moth to a flame. It’s like a cooler, grunge-y version of the more obvious study-abroad choice, Paris. If you know, you know.
Amsterdam also scored high for its notable “consideration”. Whatever that means, we’ll take it.
So, where did your city rank?
Curious as to how good your local city is at creating a city brand? Take a look for yourself!
Rank
City Brand
Country
Score
1
London
UK
84.6
2
New York
USA
83.0
3
Paris
France
79.7
4
Los Angeles
USA
78.6
5
Sydney
Australia
77.9
6
Singapore
Singapore
77.5
7
Tokyo
Japan
77.0
8
San Francisco
USA
76.3
9
Dubai
UAE
75.8
10
Amsterdam
Netherlands
75.7
Losing only to the likes of London (the top ranking city), New York (second), or Los Angeles — and, let’s face it, no one could compete with those — our Dam has done pretty well for itself. Too well, in fact, some may say.
Is it time to reign in Amsterdam’s appeal and glamour to reduce tourism? Let us know in the comments below.
After the sunny and warm weekend, it’s with little surprise that we announce that Dutch weather has decided to confuse us a bit. You can expect some cooler temperatures — but don’t worry! The sun is here to say, with no signs of rain. Leuk!
Yep. Throughout the Netherlands, the forecast will be sunny and dry for the next week. But there’s one thing we can never be sure of in this country: the temperature.
So before you store away your sweaters in the depths of your closet, hoping only to see them again in 6 months, maybe keep one or two easily accessible.
A fresh and fris change this week
Today will be the biggest shock to the system as the temperature lowers sharply in comparison to the weekend.
According to nu.nl, the average temperature throughout the country today will be 16 degrees celsius — but that’s just the average.
Places such as the Wadden will have temperatures reaching a disappointing high of 12 degrees, while the south will have warmer temperatures going up to 18 degrees. It seems we have to keep (impatiently) waiting for summer.
However, there is a silver lining to be found. As the week goes on, some warmth is expected to creep back in, little by little. According to RTL Nieuws, it’s just hard to say by how much, especially from Saturday onwards.
Don’t store away your sweaters just yet
Unfortunately, it’s Tuesday, so we need to forget about the weekend for now and focus on the days ahead. In true Dutch fashion, we have a bit of a chilly week to endure.
We can expect some wind (surprise, surprise), especially along the coast. This will bring with it some significantly lower temperatures.
In fact, temperatures are expected to drop down to as low as 8 degrees along the coast at night. So much for those late-night balcony chats!
According to RTL Nieuws, it all depends on the wind. We can’t know exactly the way it will blow, so all we can hope is that it doesn’t come our way!
All in all, you can still enjoy your Aperol Spritz at your favourite terrasje. Just maybe pack a sweater, scarf, sunglasses, sunscreen, and perhaps a woolly hat.
How is the weather in your city, and how are you enjoying it? Let us know in the comment below!
Ahh, it’s a bright sunny day — the perfect day for a nice barbecue. Surprise! That’s not a stukjeworst, it’s a snake! 😳
A Dutch family in Zeddam had a slithery surprise over the weekend when they opened their barbecue and found a two-metre-long snake taking a lil nap inside. 🐍
Many would freak out, but this family kept their cool long enough to call the animal ambulance, Dierenambulance Gelderland Oost.
A harmless guest
The sneaky slang was caught and identified as a grey rat snake, which is non-venomous. (Whew, that’s a relief! 😅) He was then taken to the shelter for a check-up, reports Omroep GLD.
Translation: FOUND, Zeddam
This afternoon we received a report that a 2-metre-long snake had crawled into a barbecue at the Vinkhof in Zeddam. Our brave colleagues have gone to the scene. Turns out to be a grey rat snake, these are non-venomous. The snake has been caught and is now staying at a shelter where it has been checked. It’s an exotic specimen, doesn’t belong in nature.
Are you possibly the owner?
Please contact us at 088-1441441
The sun is shining and the weather is great to sit outside. If you’re going to have a barbecue, check if there are no nests or animals inside!
Dare we say he actually looks pretty cute for a reptile — if you can look for long enough without getting the heebie-jeebies.
Anyone missing a snake?
Snakes like this one are exotic species and not naturally found in Gelderland.
So, what was the little guy (or the not-so-little guy in this case) doing there? As the dierenambulance is currently looking for a possible owner, he is likely a lost pet.
Hmmm… just how exactly do you lose a two-metre-long pet snake? 🤔 Or better yet, how do you not notice it’s missing? No owner has come forward yet, so our questions go unanswered.
Snakes in Gelderland
Unlike one Dutch family’s exotic barbecue guest, several other snakes do call Gelderland their home. Snakes like the adder, grass snake, and smooth snake can be found in vegetation and along the road.
Whether you’re new to the Netherlands or a bonafide tote-bag-slinging, handlebar-swinging, biertje-drinking adopted Dutchie, one thing about this country confuses us all — prices. Specifically energy prices.
Speaking of, both these buzzwords have been featured a lot in the news and our nightmares lately.
It’s time to turn on all those lightbulbs (the metaphorical ones, not the real ones) and wrap our heads around the currently dropping gas prices in the Netherlands and how they interact with the Dutch price ceiling.
This post might have affiliate links that help us write the articles you love, at no extra cost to you. Read our statement.
The rise and fall of gas prices in the Netherlands
First things first, let’s talk about energy, baby.
The past year has seen some turbulent times across the world, and as a result, the price of gas and light in the Netherlands has been just as turbulent.
Gas prices in the Netherlands have changed drastically over the past year. Image: Freepik
As of August 2022, the average annual gas and light contract set consumers back by a whopping €6,466.
The price for the same contract way back in 2021? Just €2,308. That means the cost of gas almost tripled in just 12 months — and it wasn’t cheap to start with.
However, some suppliers may buy their gas on a month-by-month basis, meaning they chose to take the risk and see whether the prices improved each month — and right now, it looks like that was a very clever choice.
Since they get to enjoy cheaper gas prices, so do we! Right? Well, that’s where our little friend called the price ceiling comes in.
What is the Dutch energy price ceiling?
Put simply, the Dutch price ceiling is an initiative that was brought in by the Dutch government to protect Dutch households from dramatic rises in utility prices.
This year, the Dutch government implemented the price ceiling to help households save money on their energy bills. Image: Freepik
It works like this: if you use less than the average amount of gas and electricity, you can benefit from fixed reduced energy costs. These are:
Electricity: up to 2,900 Kw/year at a rate of €0.40 Kw/h
Gas: up to 1,200 m3/year at a rate of €1.45 Kw/h
This is the price ceiling. Simply put, your gas and electricity prices are capped up to the usage limits, which saves you money.
However, if you use above this usage, you will pay the market costs on the amount of energy that you exceed the price ceiling by.
This means you’re at the mercy of whatever flips, switches and drops the prices of your current energy supplier decides to take.
What does this mean for your utilities?
Ok, so how does this affect your Dutch utility bill?
Well, that depends on the specifics of your contract, your energy usage — and how much of a risk-taker you are.
William Zietse from the energy comparer website PartnerPete explains, “It’s better to opt for an established energy supplier that won’t go bankrupt due to volatile purchasing risks.”
He also points out that “these energy suppliers often also offer an app that gives you great insight into what your actual usage is. This, in turn, helps you to manage your usage and stay under the price ceiling usage for that month.”
This is good news for those who break the price ceiling
Surprisingly, the current drop in gas prices is actually good news for those of us who use above the average amount of energy.
Why? Because the market costs for certain energy suppliers have dropped dramatically, meaning that those who must pay the market costs won’t struggle against soaring prices.
Will you stand to benefit from the lower Dutch energy prices? That depends. Image: Freepik
Not everyone is going to benefit from lower energy prices
The key word here is certain.
While the price for gas has dropped considerably for clients of smaller energy suppliers, those who are clients of larger suppliers will still pay relatively high gas prices when they break the price ceiling.
On top of this, as we have mentioned above, only those who break the price ceiling will actually feel this shift in the market.
Those who use below the average amount and remain under the price ceiling won’t have to deal with market prices — good or bad.
Speaking of, the amount of Dutch households who actually fall under the price ceiling stands at 80%!
This means that a significant portion of energy consumers will not be affected by the current drop in energy prices.
What determines whether or not you break the price ceiling?
As William explains, “the size of your property, the energy label (how well it’s insulated) and the number of people living there are the biggest factors in this. Our advisors have some great tips on how to manage your energy consumption.”
So, should you switch your Dutch utility contract now?
That depends, does your current energy usage break the price ceiling or not? Let’s talk about it.
My energy usage breaks the price ceiling
Are you one of those whose bill will break the energy ceiling, but your current supplier hasn’t lowered their rates?
Then it’s probably time for you to make the jump to a new supplier.
Whether or not you can save money on your Dutch energy bill depends on if you break the price ceiling. Image: Freepik
This is for a number of reasons. Firstly, according to RTL Nieuws, you could stand to save up to 10% on your energy costs if you switch to a provider that offers lower gas prices.
Secondly, it will soon cost you more to break your contract before the contract period is complete, so now is definitely the time to make the jump if you’re considering it.
Why is this? As of April 2023, the Netherlands will welcome the return of fixed energy contracts.
Fixed energy contracts and compensation
Dutch energy consumers are desperate for some security in such a volatile market.
As a result, the Dutch government turned to energy companies and requested that they offer more long-term, fixed-rate energy contracts.
Energy suppliers agreed to do so under one important condition: energy customers must compensate the supplier for any commercial losses should they decide to switch contracts — and yep, that’s going to be as expensive as it sounds.
Once in place, this new rule will make it much harder for consumers to jump ship and change their contracts — but it also means that consumers will have to worry less about ever-fluctuating utility costs.
True, it’ll be harder to change your contract, but you will also be spared wildly fluctuating energy costs. Image: Freepik
If you know that you stand to cut your energy costs by switching suppliers or breaking your current contract, then yes, now is certainly the time to do so.
This is onlythe case for those whose usage is above that of the price ceiling allowance.
Unsure of whether or not now is the time?
William is quick to point out that “the actual timing of switching is tricky and involves many variables. Our team at PartnerPete monitors this daily and often advises customers to stay put until we give you the go-ahead.”
My energy usage does not break the price ceiling
However, if you are like most households in the Netherlands and do not break the price ceiling, then the experts at PartnerPete recommend holding fast until energy companies announce new fixed contracts are announced.
Why? If your current energy usage falls under the limits of the price ceiling, jumping ship at the moment will only cost you money as you won’t benefit from the current drop in prices.
Many companies have announced new fixed contracts throughout April and May — that means now’s the time to compare providers.
After een beetje of a rainy Monday, the rest of the week should have plenty of sunshine and relatively warm temperatures (well, for Dutch standards, anyway).
Although we can expect a bit of rain in the north and fog in the centre of the country, Buienradar forecasts some sunshine between passing clusters of grey clouds.
Stormy Monday
As we make our way into the afternoon, sunny and dry weather should take over in most of the country — except for the eastern regions (sorry). Helaas, the east and northeast of the Netherlands will be getting thunderstorms and heavy rain. Echt niet leuk!
Temperatures will vary quite a lot throughout the country, ranging from 15 degrees Celsius along the coast to 24 degrees in the east.
Although clouds from the northeast will make come in during the night, the weather is expected to stay dry. Temperatures will drop to about 12 degrees Celsius in the night and the wind will remain moderate throughout most of the day.
Tuesday, terrasje time?
Although Tuesday will start off a little cloudy, most of the country will likely be able to enjoy some bright sunshine by the afternoon.
The wind will also remain moderate throughout most of the country, except for strong wind along the coast.
A sunny week ahead
As every cloud has a silver lining, we can look forward to some good spring weather this weekend, with the coming week also promising regular sunshine and dry weather. (Perfect for a day trip to Scheveningen, perhaps? 🏖️)
The average temperature should increase throughout the week leading up to quite warm weather over the long weekend. Starting at around 17 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, temperatures should go up to around 19 degrees on Friday, and reach 21 degrees on Saturday.
Is that the new 007 surfing the top of the metro in Amsterdam? Nee, that is just a man crazy enough to think he is.
A man was seen standing on the roof of a moving metro between Van der Madeweg and Overamstel metro stations in Amsterdam, reports the NOS. This crazy (and maybe not the smartest) act was recorded by passengers from another metro this week.
Despite not being the Netherlands’ very own 007, the metro surfer must have his own sneaky spy skills as he disappeared after his action scene and has yet to be found.
Consequences for the metro surfer
The municipal public transport operator for Amsterdam, GVB, filed a report of ‘metro surfing’ and will press charges against the risk taker when they find him.
How exactly did he get up there, anyway? Well, no one knows and even if the GVB did know, they wouldn’t be sharing it for one very good reason. 👇
“It is not only forbidden but also life-threatening,” a GVB spokesperson tells the NOS.
If you’re thinking of crawling on top of the metro to live out your own action-filled fantasy, you might want to think twice. GVB wants adventure lovers to stick to the surfboard — on waves in the ocean, not on the metro.
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that three Dutch nationals have died in a fatal aircraft incident in Pula, Croatia yesterday.
Although the identities of each victim are not yet known, it is clear that a Dutch aircraft was involved in the tragedy, reports RTL Nieuws.
How and where?
The aircraft was en route from Maribor, Slovenia to Pula, Croatia when it disappeared from radar at noon local time.
The reason for the unfortunate turn of events remains a mystery and it isn’t known how many people were on board the aircraft, only that three of them were Dutch.
Over 120 people have been deployed for a search and rescue mission, however, the presence of possible landmines in the area means they are required to proceed with caution.
An investigation is in place to uncover the exact cause of the crash, which is presumed to be because of hazardous weather conditions.
Rotterdam is finally taking action against landlords charging illegally high rent. The city is now working together with housing association, Woonbron, to push landlords to lower their rent in Rotterdam’s Carnisse neighbourhood.
And if the landlords fail to do so? Well, their tenants will be moved to alternative housing provided by Woonbron. On top of that, landlords may potentially be fined up to €90,000, the NOS reports.
Should the landlords say nee and not lower their rent, the municipality will move tenants to another home. Not only that but from July 1, any new rental contracts in the district can only be signed if a realistic rent is requested.
This means the age-old trick of booting tenants to boost the rent won’t work in this scenario.
Ridiculous rent for Rotterdam housing
In the current housing crisis, it’s no surprise to hear that private landlords often rent out small, old, and unpreserved homes for a lot of money.
As a result, tenants are often charged more than €1000 rent per month for a home that is run-down, has improper insulation, and unsuitable maintenance.
What is a realistic lease?
Rotterdam is now saying that this won’t fly in the district, which is often home to migrants and low-income households.
So, how will a realistic lease be calculated? This is where the housing valuation system (WWS) applies. Here’s how it works:
Every home is given points for size, maintenance, insulation, and other factors that determine its quality. If a home receives less than 142 points, it is forbidden to ask for more than €808 euros of monthly rent. Yet often, landlords charge much more than this.
If tenants are being charged an amount that is too high, and the landlord refuses to lower the rent, they will be removed from their homes and moved somewhere else.
But does this mean that a tenant could become homeless, or be moved to an even worse living situation?
Nee. The municipality is working with housing association, Woonbron, which provides alternative housing when necessary. The association ensures that landlords charge a realistic amount and that every tenant has a proper home.
As alderman Chantal Zeegers tells Rijnmond, “this law is a breakthrough. As a municipality, we are very happy that we finally have something to deal with abuses structurally and to protect tenants against dishonest landlords”.
landlords be like “sorry i have to double ur rent, prices are rising and getting a job scares me 🙁
Robin Hood of hairdressing? Rotterdam-based Sjoerd de Vries is giving free haircuts to homeless and low-income people living in the city.
It’s about time we had some money-related news around here that wasn’t completely and utterly bleak. That’s why we’re happy to report that a hairdresser based in the Rotterdam salon, De Straat Kapper, has decided it’s time to help.
How? By offering haircuts and beard trimmings to disadvantaged and low-income communities, or people with “psychiatric problems” — completely free of charge.
The man, the myth, the legend with the scissors: Sjoerd de Vries
Speaking with RTL Nieuws, De Vries confesses that, up until a few years ago, he couldn’t cut hair at all.
However, fuelled by an inexplicable desire to help the marginalised and underprivileged in any way he could, he opted for a career change and began his education as a barber.
Today, Sjoerd runs a hair salon in collaboration with the organisation Stichting Humanitas in Rotterdam. Those who frequent local food banks can pick up a bon (coupon) allowing them a free salon visit, which provides them not only with a self-esteem-boosting makeover but also a sense of community.
The clientele at De Straat Kapper is largely — but not limited to — people without secure residence, as Sjoerd points out the sad truth that many civilians can’t afford a hairdresser despite having a roof over their head.
Homelessness on the rise
These random acts of kindness are exactly what this country needs, arguably now more than ever. A chilling 2019 statistic discovered that the number of homeless people in the Netherlands had doubled within 10 years, with the number of young people in that category (aged 18-30) tripling.
(Keep in mind, these statistics don’t even account for hundreds of thousands of immigrants who take up illegal residence here, often to seek refuge from the wars in their homelands.)
Future aspirations
What does the future hold for this inspirational and moving tale, you might ask?
Sjoerd dreams of opening up several more of these salons throughout the rest of Rotterdam, explaining that in an ideal world, he would roam around in a portable, mobile hair salon dishing out haircuts to those in need. *Sigh*…What a man.
After Amsterdam’s recent crowning as the most expensive city in Europe and the Netherlands reaching a record-breaking new high (or rather, a new low) of inflation due to the Russia-Ukraine war, some faith in economic justice can finally be restored thanks to one selfless man.
