Why or how did you decide to move to the Netherlands?

1POSTS

7 years ago

I have been toying with the idea of moving back to the Netherlands (Rotterdam area) for many many years. I lived there until my 15th and truly loved it. Both myself and my girlfriend are thinking of making a move, however, there are a number of pros and cons associated with the move. How do you make the final decision?

Pros
-We love the Netherlands: people, biking, architecture, food snacks, transport links, how clean it is.
-Similar cost of living if not slightly less to Ireland (Dublin) where we live.
-Our cash deposit for a house in Ireland goes a longer way in the Netherlands, our mortgage would be small or could be repaid much quicker. One of us could probably work part time and mind future kids.
-Houses in Ireland are significantly overpriced at the moment. I believe there is a similar problem emerging in Holland but it's still good value for us.
-We are both professionals (finance + architecture) with good work experience in Ireland. Our skills are reasonably transferable to the Dutch market.
-I am fluent (although rusty) in Dutch.
-We have some friends and family (uncle and aunt) already there.
-Dutch people value work life balance more than Irish.

Cons
-There is a risk career wise that we might be taking a step back as we are both well established professionally (permanent jobs) in Ireland.
-Have good salaries in Ireland with perks such as: pensions, health, life insurance.
-Having to re-establish yourself again socially and professionally.
-My girlfriend does not speak Dutch (but is willing to learn).
-We are both 35 and are hoping to start a family in 2-3 years. We won't be able to start as easily as in Ireland (maternity, paternity leave etc.).
-Close family living in Ireland and Poland. With Ryanair it's not so much of a con, however, long distance babysitting might be an issue.

In general, our life in Ireland is good. We've come to the point in our lives where we are deciding/looking to buy a house and settle down in Ireland. I suppose there is a certain "fear" in the back of my mind that the opportunity of returning to Holland is no longer an option once we settle here in Ireland.

There are many other questions and I'm curious to hear how others made the decision to pack your bags, move to Holland and not look back?

See also

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moving from the uk to the netherlands - 3 Replies
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Cynic UK/Netherlands Expert

8103POSTS

7 years ago

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

I must admit that anything I say could be biased toward Holland (but I'll try not to).

Assuming Rotterdam, then you would certainly get more house for your Euro than you would in Dublin. The Numbeo website offers cost comparisons that you can look at.

With regards to jobs; if any part of your work is "Regulated" in Holland, then your qualifications will need to be recognised. Your work experience will not count for as much if the Regulations are different. You'll also find it very hard getting any work from Ireland; unless your skills are in demand, the agencies etc tend to show no interest in people unless they can start work tomorrow; your girlfriend will find it very hard to get a decent job if she doesn't speak Dutch, perhaps multi-national companies who work in English may be a better option.

I've made some sticky posts at the top of the Dutch Forum, you may find some of them useful.

Just to add - why did we choose to move to Holland? Because we could; passport wise, we had a choice of UK, Holland or the US, plus I'd had a job offer in Canada that made me think. My wife is Dutch, we'd had a place in Holland for 10 years that we spent almost every weekend and holiday there while I worked in Germany; our kids grew up in Holland (for the first 7 years of their lives); it's what we knew. We had family there, but we have family all over the world, so it wasn't just that. Just something about the place I guess - I'm going to use the word I don't like using again, it's just gezellig.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team