Ok...reading most of these these posts about finding english only jobs and recruitment agencies is SOOOO discouraging! So much so that I think some people would be scared to move to NL because of this. Along with the bad stories, there MUST be good ones!

I would like to hear GOOD stories about how expats were SUCCESSFULLY able to find english only jobs. I assume that, in general, only the yucky horror stories are posted since there really woudln't be any reason for people to post if they were successful in finding a job within a reasonable time. *sigh*

I need to get myself a Welpie...maybe he could find me a job lmao

I have to agree. We are thinking of moving to the Netherlands next year, but we are starting to have doubts. It sounds like no one really makes more then 50,000 to 60,000 Euros no matter what career they are in (this is a HUGE cut for us), and rent is much higher then in Canada. Put that on top of some of the issues with finding jobs and rental horror stories and I"m really starting to worry.

Great to see we're not the only ones looking to leave town Life in Canada is not going anywhere, unfortunately

Indeed, enough with the horror stories - I spend a lot of time in the Netherlands, and there are plenty of opportunities to make much more than the 50-60k range mentioned. I have many friends there (expat friends - Dutch don't count ) and they are all have more or less stable lives, with good income and etc.

Rent may be expensive, however it all depends on how you look at it - no one is forcing you to spend 1900 euro a month on a place in Amstelveen - you can live in Diemen, which is 10 minutes from there for 800 and it's not a bad place at all. It's the same as it is here - you can live Downtown Toronto and pay $2300 in rent, or you can rent a condo at Yonge & Sheppard for $1200 and enjoy it just as much. It also all depends on where you work, however far commutes seem to be popular in the Netherlands. I have a friend who lives in Maastricht and works in Uithoorn, which is just near the Schiphol airport. That's quite a drive, let me tel you

There are plenty of English only jobs - I know people who live there for 10+ years and barely speak any Dutch - not enough to use at work, anyway. These very same people have held a variety of good jobs, in IT, telecom and etc. At the same time I've met people working much simpler jobs - i.e. a hotel receptionist, with no Dutch at all.

Long story short, it's not easy to take the plunge, but it should be ok. We're thinking of going next year.

Thank you for giving us some hope!! We are planning to leave Calgary next March. Netherlands was originally first on our list, but because it sounds like they have low wages and really high living expenses, we have started to look into Germany and Ireland as well. Our reason for moving to Europe is to enable us to experience everyday life, as well as travel all over the continent. I just want to make sure we move to a country where we will be making enough to travel.

The reality is the wages vs cost-of-living in NL is not as great as in other countries - this is a tiny country with limited space, limited choices and the "polder model", so to live here you must be prepared to make MANY compromises. Most of the people I know who have lots of excess money own their own business and are highly dishonest with their taxes Earning over 60K is indeed rare here and considering you're taxed at 52%, the take home pay is not all that much more than someone earning 45K- you're a bit better off with the 30% ruling if you can get that. Also amazingly, I've seen people who work part-time entry-level positions who don't make that much LESS than people earning 45K, again because of the taxes. There are ways to make the tax work for you, as in buying a house and getting tax relief (highly recommended if you can do it).

The chances of finding English-only jobs is higher here than in most other EU countries (except the UK obviously!). There are loads of international companies here filled with English-speaking staff. I think you can find jobs here, it's just the salaries will most likely not be what you're used to - but you certainly can live here, work here, and travel around Europe on a 45-55K salary. You will have to be more frugal than you want and probably live in a smaller place than you want ......Germany is a better option in many ways, but it's not so much of an English-only-friendly environment as Holland.

The stories here may be discouraging but believe me, you really want to be prepared for reality. I moved here, hired by a Dutch company, and was shocked by how little disposable income I had at the end of the month, considering I had a "good job".

@Lupin123: Anytime Holland is a great place, which can be enjoyed, if you prepare everything in advance. I'd rather be in Spain, however that is where you run into a serious language issue - not too many people speak English there, so you have to know Spanish. Germany may be much the same for you.

@ratkat: In Canada, there is much the same story with lower income people getting almost as much as you do at the end of the month. A 40k job nets you $2300 in hand, and people getting paid $12 cash in low level jobs take home almost the same.

Conceptually, it is an unpleasant surprise when your take home pay is lower than you expect, however I think the idea of this forum and various other resources, is to get prepared and have as few surprises as possible (unless they are pleasant, that is )

Things all and all have worked out pretty well for me. I have been here about a year and a half. I have a good job that pays well and the tax situation is probably better than I would face in many jurisdictions as I have the 30% ruling. I have to admit that to date, I can't really speak a lick of Dutch.
I think a lot has to do with what sector you work in. If you are in IT or Finance, than there is probably a spot for you.
I did go through a recruiter and it worked out fine. I used Independent Recruiters.

"Ok...reading most of these these posts about finding english only jobs and recruitment agencies is SOOOO discouraging! "

GOOD!

If you want positive encouragement you should change your name.

Don't pay attention to him, he's cranky.

NL has its disadvantages, but down here in Belgium, my effective rate of tax is 52%, and I pay 21% VAT. Needless to say, I don't give a rat's pattotey about the place and have found a way to effectively lower my tax to, well, 15%. Belgium ends up with nothing.

Give NL a whirl, and if it blows, find someplace else in Europe.