Registered Nurse-USA to Brussels, Belgium

11POSTS

10 years ago

Hello everyone, I'm hoping someone reading this may be able to help by putting us in the right direction . My 14 year old daughter and I would like to move to Brussels Belgium from the United States. Currently I'm a REGISTERED NURSE with an Assocites Degree. I need to know is it possible to work in Brussels as a nurse speaking English only? If so how do I transfer my nursing license? I found love and we want to get married but it seems as if he is giving up hope. The last several months have been extremely challenging in finding the correct information to make the move but i can't give up! Also we don't have $20,000 a year to send my daughter to English speaking international school. Any suggestions? Any information will be greatly appreciated!

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phipiemar VIP Member

4733POSTS

10 years ago

Hi Stephany ,

Concerning your Work opportunity, you will have to take contact with the foreign affairs to convert your degree and your experience in the belgian system. http://www.belgium.be/en/education/equi … _diplomas/

Concerning your daugther, even if she has to loose one year. It will be better for her to go directly in a french school. Otherwise you will delay her integration in basic teenager belgian life. And she also have to show her diplôma to foreign affairs.

Finally, It is also crucial for you to learn french or flemish to succeed your integration in Belgium

Anyway, I wish you luck

Stephany9 Member

11POSTS

10 years ago

Thank you so much for your response! I'm very grateful in knowing this is a active site with people who actually care. I'm going to check the link you sent now.

tervurener Serial expat

551POSTS

10 years ago

What language does your boyfriend/girlfriend speak? I am assuming Dutch or French. In that case, they should be able to read up about how after you've spent probably at least a year persuading the French or Flemish community to accept an equivalency in qualification, you then have to register with the Flemish or French nursing councils. For that, you'll need to be a decent level of fluency in either language.

You'll find many non French and non Dutch speaking nurses in Brussels working instead as care workers or cleaners, due to lack of language. You can earn 1500 net per month doing this. But you also need to be legally in Belgium to start even this path.

GuestPoster4810 Guest

0POSTS

10 years ago

you are the right person in the right place ....here in Belgium to work in your field its easy but u need to take 2 courses for learning Nederlands after it you directly working

Stephany9 Member

11POSTS

10 years ago

My boyfriend speaks Dutch. He wants to help but doesn't know how. Also he feels bad having my daughter leave her life behind as a teenager for us. This is really a wonderful site thanks to kind people like yourself! Now that we have some information I'm sure he will help in making the followup phone calls to seek additional information. I can only hope to help others on the site once we have successfuly made the transition. Thanks for the great information!

GuestPoster4810 Guest

0POSTS

10 years ago

take care of your daughter she is important than anyone in the world .....

Stephany9 Member

11POSTS

10 years ago

Stephany9 Member

11POSTS

10 years ago

Where and how can I get started? This is great news! Is it correct in saying, I don't need to transfer my United States Nursing License over to Brussels, Belgium? I was under the impression, I must retake my exam in Dutch, before my license can transfer over to Brussels, Belgium. I'm not a Belgium citizens as of now because we didn't know if it was possible for me to find work and transition my daughters schooling. I'm starting to wonder if becoming a citizen once we get married is to my advantage or not when we are talking about finding a job...

Stephany9 Member

11POSTS

10 years ago

#10

Yes I realize that and have always put her first. I believe it will be a better life for her in Belgium. If she decides to not come. If not then, I will have no choice but to wait until she's 18 before i can move... She will be going away to college and staying with us during the summers or she can stay in our condominium located in the United States. If she makes the choice to stay behind with friends or she decides to come with us is completely up to her. Of course I want her to come but it is not an expectation. I have made many sacrifices for her as a single mother with no support. I believe the time has come for me to include my happiness as well.

phipiemar VIP Member

4733POSTS

10 years ago

#11

Let take situation step by step:
Your job, it is logic and even more in medical sector to be able to prove the réalité of your background. That is why you will have to show your diploma and if you have recommandation letters from previous employeurs it will be helpfull.

To have belgian nationality will give you access to job market of 28 countries directly.

And for daugther, it is gone be useless to pût her in à transition school (who do not exist). You will just delay her integration

phipiemar VIP Member

4733POSTS

10 years ago

#12

And also for your child, school fees are 100X cheaper in Belgium.

tervurener Serial expat

551POSTS

10 years ago

#13

If your boyfriend is Dutch speaking, he should be a able to make phone calls to the nursing councils and equivalency boards. I am surprised you're asking therefore here. The information is freely available in Dutch on the internet. I think the least he should do is to help you.

I'm not sure what nationality has to do with working in Belgium. About 2 million non Belgians live and work legally in Belgium out of a population of 11 million.

Stephany9 Member

11POSTS

10 years ago

#14

He is not in the health-care profession so he really doesn't understand the license transfering procedure. Believe me, we have been trying relentlessly to plan everything in advance. This is new for the both of us. As a matter of fact he is having a difficult time visualizing it at this point. He doesn't mind calling but I'm not even sure where exactly he needs to call. I have sent dozens of emails with no response in return. In America each state has a specific nursing board. I live in the state of Ohio so I contact The Ohio Board of Nursing, it's that simple. In Belgium everything is divided differently, making it difficult to find the correct contact information. There are different regions, languages and cities. He lives in Steenokkerzeel, Belgium where they speak Flemish, 10 minutes from Brussels.

Stephany9 Member

11POSTS

10 years ago

#15

In order to make a smooth transition, we want to send her to a school where the students speak English. The only school we know of is, Brussels International School where it cost $20,000 every year. Unfortunately we can not afford it. If I can find work as a Registered Nurse speaking only English then yes we can afford to send her.

phipiemar VIP Member

4733POSTS

10 years ago

#16

Hahaha, you just put the finger on the real problem. To find his way through all administrations between region and county.

In place of 20000$ of schoolfee per year, put your daugther in a normal school where it will cost you around 3000$ per year. And pay some private lessons at home with a french teacher.

Send lot of mails is the normal way for a lot of peoples, but human contact will be more efficient.

And it is normal for your companion to be a bit lost. Because if you aren't use for dealing expatriation problems. It could become a nightmare

And about tervurener comment, it is true that a lot of foreigners are working in Belgium. But he did not take in account the fact that if you want to work in another European country, you will have to start again all process...

STEFFIFI ViP

11022POSTS

10 years ago

#17

First, i know that all diplomas from USA aren't fully recongnized in Europe. I have an example by a girl who made radiology studies in USA (she was au pair and she met a boy, etc...) and when she cam in France after her divorce, she had to ALL restart...
But anyway, for this job, English is not sufficient...

About your daughter, even if Bruxelles is an international town (with especially EU organisms), the main language is French for 80% and then, Dutch for 20%, but, according cities around BXL, Dutch become majority and even, mandatory. Indeed, in Belgium, there is a little linguistic "war" where Flemish speaking people fight against French language because, as Wallons (French-Speaking belgians) don't make the effort to speak Dutch, althrough the study it, they decided to forbid French language in their towns. So, try to find a bilingual school, NL-ENG, because your boyfriend is Flemish, but if you'll lived in BXL. There, a FR-ENG is adviced... I suppose you want to stay definitely in Belgium... So it's primordial to lear and know one of the two official languages...

Good Luck.

phipiemar VIP Member

4733POSTS

10 years ago

#18

Wow Stefifi,

What a great demonstration about favourite belgian game about language...

Do you try to scare our new friend?

You do not have to say that all wallons do not want to speak flemish. I am a wallon who speak flemish like many others.

But for the rest, you have fully right English is really not enough to be happy in Belgium

STEFFIFI ViP

11022POSTS

10 years ago

#19

phipiemar wrote:
Wow Stefifi,

What a great demonstration about favourite belgian game about language...

Do you try to scare our new friend?

You do not have to say that all wallons do not want to speak flemish. I am a wallon who speak flemish like many others.

But for the rest, you have fully right English is really not enough to be happy in Belgium

Admit it's not the majority of wallons??? I have friends from Liege, and even if they tried to return in Dutch studies, they stopped because it's too hard for us and they sai dme that it's the case of a lot of Wallons .° But, I told about the fact that Flemish boycott French languages, close French-speaking schools, even in Brussels subburbs, where French-speaking people are almost attack when they start to speak French

I don't want to scream, I just want to describe the reality and show the language's difficulties in this country

phipiemar VIP Member

4733POSTS

10 years ago

#20

Hahaha, I know. I was just teasing you

But in fact learn another language is not difficult. The difficulty is to accept that some peoples gone laugh about your pronunciation and your errors.

STEFFIFI ViP

11022POSTS

10 years ago

#21

Personnally, I know what do you mean

And I think Belgians are opener than French about languages mistakes. French-speaking are happy you try to speak their language instead of English, and Fmeish are happy you try to speak in their languages instead of English and French

Everybody is winner

tervurener Serial expat

551POSTS

10 years ago

#22

It's really not that hard. Start here for information on how much of your qualifications will be recognized and how much not. But for sure, to register as French or Dutch nurse here, you'll have to learn one of these languages. The 2 language communities are actually responsible for the recognition or not of qualifications, so they are your first point of contact.

http://health.belgium.be/eportal/Health … kWggfmrTIU

As to education, no idea what Brussels International school is as never heard of it. In any case, your child will never integrate unless they learn whichever local language you choose and in your situation, I'd choose Dutch.

I would NOT be happy to live in Steenokkerzeel as a teenager however! Try Leuven, Mechelen. In fact Leuven has 2 good secondaries where you can do intensive Dutch. It's called OKAN.

There are NO Dutch-English schools in Belgium.

Stephany9 Member

11POSTS

10 years ago

#23

Tervurener thank you for the link in your post. We will go over the information this weekend.

tervurener Serial expat

551POSTS

10 years ago

#24

This is the school I'd look at first. Sint Albertus Hasrode, a strong academic school on south east side of Leuven.
You get OKAN schools in Vilvoorde and Mechelen too, but not quite as academic as this one.
http://okan.salco-haasrode.be/

MADYO Member

12POSTS

10 years ago

#25

There is no need to send your daughter to an international English speaking school send her to a Fliemish (Dutch) speaking school , most other students there will speak quite a bit of English and you can have her take some extra language lessons in Dutch either private (not that expensive) or in schools that immigrants have to go to to learn Dutch.
Where are you living in the US now ? Maybe try finding a Dutch speaking person in the area where you live to get her started already now.
Cannot advice you as to nursing.
I am a Belgian snowbird living the winter in Florida

Lex97 Member

1POSTS

7 years ago

#26

I know it’s a few years later so you might not check this, I am finishing school in the USA and will be a registered nurse. Can we exchange emails so I can learn from your experience if you succefully moved to belgium and became a nurse! I will be moving at the end of school to live here with my now boyfriend and future husband. I’d appreciate the help if you have any tips and suggestions!
Thank you

Zatt2m Member

1POSTS

7 years ago

#27

Bumping this thread again. I'm facing a similar possibility of transitioning as an RN to Belgium for my husband's job. Just wondering about the experience of becoming licensed there, any bumps/hurdles, etc.