Overall, I think The Netherlands is a good place to work after living and working there for 2 years. It has good benefits for it’s employees compared to what I was used to. Here are some reasons to consider working in the Netherlands and information I did not know before I moved.
If you are considering moving to NL, you may also like this recent post: 7 Costly Things Not To Do In The Netherlands
Go to:
Pay Less Tax as an Expat
The 30% ruling is a tax advantage for highly skilled people who were hired abroad to work in the Netherlands. There is a list of criteria that you need to meet to be eligible for this tax advantage; distance you lived from the Netherlands, wages you will receive, education etc. It is important to note that you need to be hired while you were not in the country. You can find all of the information here.
Basically, if all the conditions are met, then you can receive up to 30% of your salary tax free. I was eligible for this and it was a nice addition to my pay cheque every month. Especially as Dutch tax rates are quite high.
Longer Holidays
The minimum number of vacation days that is allowed is 20 days, but 25 days is the average. Although, many companies offer even more. ADV days were brought in by the Government a long time ago to create more employment. This meant employees got extra days holidays and companies needed to hire more people. This is offered still by some companies but not all. So check what amount of holidays you will get before accepting the job. There is more information on ADV days here.
I worked for one company that offered 27 days & moved to another company where I got 40 days holidays (including 13 ADV days) per year. And yes, these exclude public holidays.
Ideally Located for European Breaks
If you love to travel, like me, living in the Netherlands is a great hub to explore what Europe has to offer. For example, if you live in Eindhoven and drive, it will take you 2 hours to get to Cologne, Germany, 1hr 50 to Brussels, Belgium, 2hr 45 to Lille, France or 3 hr to Luxembourg.
If you don’t have a car, Europe is also highly connected by train. Destinations from the Netherlands include Czech Republic, Austria, Italy and many more. You can get from Rotterdam to Paris in 2hr 40 minutes by high speed train.
If you want to go further afield, there are many options to fly around the world with Amsterdam Schiphol airport being one of the biggest in Europe. Apart from Amsterdam, there are also airports in Eindhoven, Rotterdam and Maastricht.
If you are getting 40 days holidays, you will have plenty of time to explore new places every year.
Vibrant Community of Expats
There is a huge number of expats in the Netherlands. So it is highly likely that you will meet people from your home country. Join some of the Facebook groups (expats in Eindhoven, Irish in Amsterdam etc), join some clubs or go to exercise classes to meet new people.
If you are Irish, there are GAA clubs in Eindhoven, Amsterdam, Nijmegen, Maastricht and the Hague. These clubs take part in hurling, camogie and gaelic football tournaments that are played in different countries around Europe as well as the Netherlands, so get yourself signed up…
English is Spoken Widely
The Netherlands was ranked the no. 1 country for speaking English as a second language. If you intend on staying for a short period of time and your job does not require Dutch, you can get away without learning the language for sure. But, if you intend on staying long term, it is a good idea to start learning Dutch to integrate better with the locals.
I hope this post helped you understand the reasons why I think the Netherlands is a good place to work. If you have any comments or questions, you can comment below.
Thanks for reading,
Lisa
5 Reasons why the Netherlands is a Good Place to Work – Wanderer Lane
Overall, I think The Netherlands is a good place to work after living and working there for 2 years. It has good benefits for it’s employees compared to what I was used to. Here are some reasons to consider working in the Netherlands and information I did not know before I moved.
If you are considering moving to NL, you may also like this recent post: 7 Costly Things Not To Do In The Netherlands
Go to:
Pay Less Tax as an Expat
The 30% ruling is a tax advantage for highly skilled people who were hired abroad to work in the Netherlands. There is a list of criteria that you need to meet to be eligible for this tax advantage; distance you lived from the Netherlands, wages you will receive, education etc. It is important to note that you need to be hired while you were not in the country. You can find all of the information here.
Basically, if all the conditions are met, then you can receive up to 30% of your salary tax free. I was eligible for this and it was a nice addition to my pay cheque every month. Especially as Dutch tax rates are quite high.
Longer Holidays
The minimum number of vacation days that is allowed is 20 days, but 25 days is the average. Although, many companies offer even more. ADV days were brought in by the Government a long time ago to create more employment. This meant employees got extra days holidays and companies needed to hire more people. This is offered still by some companies but not all. So check what amount of holidays you will get before accepting the job. There is more information on ADV days here.
I worked for one company that offered 27 days & moved to another company where I got 40 days holidays (including 13 ADV days) per year. And yes, these exclude public holidays.
Ideally Located for European Breaks
If you love to travel, like me, living in the Netherlands is a great hub to explore what Europe has to offer. For example, if you live in Eindhoven and drive, it will take you 2 hours to get to Cologne, Germany, 1hr 50 to Brussels, Belgium, 2hr 45 to Lille, France or 3 hr to Luxembourg.
If you don’t have a car, Europe is also highly connected by train. Destinations from the Netherlands include Czech Republic, Austria, Italy and many more. You can get from Rotterdam to Paris in 2hr 40 minutes by high speed train.
If you want to go further afield, there are many options to fly around the world with Amsterdam Schiphol airport being one of the biggest in Europe. Apart from Amsterdam, there are also airports in Eindhoven, Rotterdam and Maastricht.
If you are getting 40 days holidays, you will have plenty of time to explore new places every year.
Vibrant Community of Expats
There is a huge number of expats in the Netherlands. So it is highly likely that you will meet people from your home country. Join some of the Facebook groups (expats in Eindhoven, Irish in Amsterdam etc), join some clubs or go to exercise classes to meet new people.
If you are Irish, there are GAA clubs in Eindhoven, Amsterdam, Nijmegen, Maastricht and the Hague. These clubs take part in hurling, camogie and gaelic football tournaments that are played in different countries around Europe as well as the Netherlands, so get yourself signed up…
English is Spoken Widely
The Netherlands was ranked the no. 1 country for speaking English as a second language. If you intend on staying for a short period of time and your job does not require Dutch, you can get away without learning the language for sure. But, if you intend on staying long term, it is a good idea to start learning Dutch to integrate better with the locals.
I hope this post helped you understand the reasons why I think the Netherlands is a good place to work. If you have any comments or questions, you can comment below.
Thanks for reading,
Lisa
3 years ago Travel