Hi everyone,

Does anyone here use ABN AMRO’s Self Directed Investing Basic or Plus? How has your experience been?

Is it worth it or would you recommend another platform?

Thanks!

I have HSM permit since 2022, aiming for permanent residence or naturalisation next summer.

After two years of sick leave I went back on reintegration hours. Payroll then booked each month as unpaid leave and paid my hours a month later. So on paper one month shows a fraction of my salary and the next shows zero, though I worked and got paid in full, just late. New HSM job starts right after my current one ends, no gap.

An immigration advisor said the criterion applies every month and suggested an explanation letter with the naturalisation application.

Has anyone been in this spot? Did the IND accept the explanation, did an employer correction of the wage data help, or did you just go for naturalisation instead?

Last couple of months the energy prices has kept on climbing, of course, for those with a fixed contract, you don't experience it. This whole week the temperature is mild and the sun is shining, none of the people I know have started to use heating. Prices though, todays average prices is 44 (incl taxes) and tomorrow 51 cent/kwh, with a peak of 81cent, this must be some new record.

Last time energy prices rose like this it was cheaper to book a flight to a warm country, is it time again? Because prices are already 2.5x of what they were 1 year ago

i realy don’t understand in usa or italy the set up of the weight is the work of the people work in the gym not our job we need just to train and that’s all doesn’t matter for the weight set upi the work of the gym employer

I'm looking to interview people between 18-35 years old, who have moved from abroad in order to live and work in NL. Also, if you speak a little bit of Dutch, that'd be nice :)

The interview will take about 30 tot 60 minutes and could be done online! Your identity remains anonymous in the final report. Even if you don't follow the news or media that much, that's okay. That just makes the research more interesting!

The interview is part of a larger research for the Research Group of Journalism at Windesheim UAS. My central question is: what do labour migrants think of their representation in the media and how does that representation affect their identity?

The goal is to gain an understanding in the thought processes of this group. Do they feel representend? How would they describe their identity and do they have any trust in the media at all? Findings of this research could be used in order to improve journalistic reporting on this group.

Shoot me a message if you're interested :)

My partner and I (late 30s) thinking about moving to Schoorl with our active dog. The dunes and forest there look like paradise (we're going there quite often), and we love being outdoors (hiking, running, cycling).

Our situation:
My partner works fully from home
I need to commute to Amsterdam sometimes (~4-5 times a month)

No kids yet, but we do want some social life - cafés, the occasional nice restaurant, not a retirement vibe

Questions for people who live there or know the area:
What’s it actually like living in Schoorl year-round, especially as a couple in their late 30s? Is it dead quiet in winter / overrun in summer?
How bad is the Amsterdam commute in practice? We're car owners

Are there other villages/towns you’d recommend that combine forest + sea + good dog walking, but maybe with a bit more life? Maybe Bergen?

As the title states, I went to a dentist in Leiden due to tooth sensitivity for a back molar. They quoted €600 and that's with a dental supplement on my health insurance and a "discount". Seems high? Are they high or is that just the cost of things.

I said I would need to discuss it with my husband as it's an unexpected high expense so I have made no commitments.

Thank you for your insight!

Hi everyone, I'm from the Czech Republic and I'm curious about how the Dutch fare when it comes to drinking alcohol, how common alcoholism is in the Netherlands, and whether people there also drink frequently or even daily, even among young people. Thanks.

I realise that I'm not the perfect candidate or applicant for every role, but my experiences in this job market have been depressing.

Roles I get rejected with a generic email about lacking experience, just to see them fill the role with a candidate with literally 0 experience.

Getting ghosted after second or even THIRD interviews.

Applying for jobs I'm overqualified for and rejected for being overqualified, but jobs I'm exactly qualified for "I'm lacking experience".

No entry-points in certain roles at companies, they only hire interns or recruit internally. And the experience gap between steps in the hierarchy can be enormous. From intern (0 experience) to junior (8 years experience) is a crazy jump.

Not getting a callback for an application but watching it sit on job boards for months, often reposted numerous times feels like a slap in the face.

I've sat down at an interview before just for the manager to tell me they've already filled the position. But maybe I would consider a role I was so overqualified for, I hadn't done it in over a decade. This was offered under the pretext of "oh we didn't want to waste your time so thought you would appreciate this offer". It was like interviewing for the head coach position and being offered the job as a towel boy.

Going to career coaching seminars, reintegration coaches with the UWV, seeing a career specialist to polish my CV and cover letter authoring. I'm not someone that sends out mass applications, I tweak my application and write almost entirely personalised letters of motivation for every application. With no results.

The general hiring and HR culture I've experienced here has been shockingly unprofessional where, probably 80% of the application processes have presented red flags. Under normal circumstances, I'd avoid being associated with a company that operates so unprofessionally but beggars can't be choosers nowadays.

One thing that really, REALLY peeves me is how people can't keep their word. Telling me you'll have some feedback in 3 days but not hearing from you 3 weeks later is so unprofessional. Telling me during the interview that "we need to fill this position ASAP" but then rejecting me for reasons that you could have noticed BEFORE the interview, but then still promoting your job opening for months. This is where I'd sincerely appreciate some Dutch directness.

I just feel like I've hit a wall with how I can approach things differently or improve my chances. I've been learning Dutch for several years but I'm far from speaking fluently, and the fields or industries I'm applying for don't require it. I'm at a conversational level where I can keep up in social contexts but not quite in professional settings.

Furthermore, the jobs I have gotten here have been disastrous. I don't want to go too off topic here so maybe I'll share some stories in the comments.

A bit of a rant but any advice, tips or just a bit of encouragement would go a long way. Maybe a bit optimistic of me.

I keep coming across people on Instagram saying there's a labour shortage in the Netherlands. Is it really the case, are there companies hiring even the non EU people for industries like hospitality and health care?

I'm a cook and contemplating moving to Europe to work and learn about cuisines especially Nordic and french. Any advice?

Hi everyone, I applied for Dutch citizenship in December 2025, and my application is still being processed.

I’ve been involved in traffic incidents, and I’m concerned about whether they could affect my application. Does it depend on whether the incident resulted in a traffic fine or a criminal conviction? Should I inform the IND while my application is pending?

Has anyone experienced a similar situation? Thank you.

Hi! I'm a woman in my 20s studying here and I'm looking for someone to do eyebrow shaping and full body waxing. Everything I find is a spa or salon with prices way out of a student budget.

Does anyone know a good aesthetician, maybe someone who works from home, in South Holland (The Hague / Leiden / Delft / Rotterdam area)? If you are one, or know one, feel free to drop their Instagram so I can check out their work.

Also open to laser hair removal, but only with a Candela Alexandrite machine.

Thanks so much!

I just graduated a month ago and am in the process of looking for a job. I am an international(24F). So what are people who are also in the process of finding a job doing in their freetime? Please give me ideas. Things to do at home? Outside the house?

Till now I have cleaned and decluttered my room, painted, learnt new skills, read a book, learned new recipes and now i'm running out of ideas. Please helpp!!

And how do you keep yourself motivated and disciplined?

Long story short, my company offered me a job overseas for 5 years. While the offer is very tempting, I'm making this post mainly to get some perspective to how my kids' experience may be shaped if I go for the job.

If we do this, my kids would've grown from 5yo to 10yo and the younger one 2yo to 7yo. I am worried they may have bad experience adapting, especially when we move back here later. I worry for bullying, isolation, loneliness, loss of friendships for them. I worry for cultural shock. I also worry if they can still do well academically if we move around in different schooling systems. My number 1 priority is to make sure my kids are healthy, happy, secure (physically and mentally).

Edit: I live in NL now and the offer is in China. If we go we intend to come back here in 5yr. And kids will go to an international school there.

Hi, i am going to Amsterdam next week and my plane is landing in Eindhoven. I found flixbus to go to Amsterdam but the problem is returning. I cant find any transportation (bus or train) from amsterdam to eindhoven early in the morning and i have a flight at 9:15am😭😭. Is there some kind of transportation that isn’t available on the internet or i just cant find it? Also is bla bla car safe in the netherlands because if we can’t get affordable bus or a train we will be taking a bla bla car

I’ve been dealing with Beliani over a €159.99 refund since November 2025. They say they’ve refunded me, but I never received the money…

After waiting my order two months, I was told my order had been damaged on the way. Beliani eventually agreed to refund, but by then my original bank account was closed. They didn’t ask for my new bank details and apparently refunded the original payment method. I provided my new bank details as soon as I realised the issue.

ABN AMRO told me three times that a transfer to a closed account should bounce back to the sender. I’ve also contacted iDEAL and Worldline, but got nowhere.

Beliani keeps insisting the refund was processed correctly and that it’s no longer their responsibility.

I stopped chasing this in July, but it still pisses me off whenever I think about it. Nobody seems willing to take responsibility.

Has anyone dealt with something similar? Is there any realistic way to hold them accountable?

I was born and raised here in the Netherlands. My biological parents are from Suriname as far as I know. I got adopted by my dads as a baby, they're very Dutch.

My parents tried to teach me about Surinamese culture, though I was never interested in it. They didnt want to force me into anything so they just dropped it.

Though now everytime someone asks me where im from, I tell them the netherlands ofcourse, they act like I said something wierd.

Genuinely what do they want? I know im not white, blonde, or like visibly Dutch. But its what I am.

Its on my passport, my childhood, the way I live, I got the accent when speaking any other language, i have baby pictures of myself in traditional clothing.

The only thing it isnt in is my DNA or something.

Hi everyone

A while ago, I shared a small service I built to help people find earlier municipality appointments in The Hague.

I recently came across this article about people reportedly waiting up to 6 months for their first BRP registration appointment in The Hague. That's a really long time, especially when you just moved here and need to get everything sorted!

So I thought I'd share a little update on Appointment Alerts.

Since launching, I have expanded the service to cover 12 appointment types in The Hague, and here is the result so far:

• 57% managed to book within a week
• Average time to book: around 9 days
• Median time to book: 6 days
• Fastest bookings: just 2 days!

For anyone who hasn't seen my previous posts, Appointment Alerts automatically checks municipality appointment availability and sends you a Telegram notification when a suitable slot becomes available. You can then book it yourself directly through the official municipality website.

Earlier appointments aren't guaranteed, but the idea is to save you from constantly checking the booking website yourself.

If you're currently facing a long wait and hoping to find something sooner, feel free to check it out:

https://appointments.authenticbecome.com/

It's been really encouraging to see something I built to solve a problem actually helping other people too.

As always, I'm happy to hear feedback or suggestions! ;)

My brother visited recently and asked how far my supermarket is from my apartment.

I said, "About six minutes."

He asked, "No, how far?"

Six minutes.

Apparently that was not the answer he wanted.

I genuinely had to open Maps because I no longer knew the distance in kilometres. And then I started noticing I do this with basically everything now.

My dentist is 11 minutes. The good bakery is 8. My friend's place is 17 unless the bridge is open. The station is 5 if I get lucky with the traffic lights, 7 if I don't.

Someone at work mentioned an apartment they were considering and the first question wasn't how many kilometres it was from the office. Three people immediately asked how long the cycle was.

The funny thing is that when I first moved here, a place being 5 km away sounded like something I needed transport for. Now my brain apparently translates 5 km into "probably twenty-ish minutes, depends on wind" and decides whether that's close.

Even walking distances have become slightly corrupted. If somebody tells me somewhere is a 25-minute walk, my first thought is not about walking. It's that this is probably annoyingly close enough that cycling will take longer to unlock the bike, get it out, ride there and find somewhere to park it.

I always assumed becoming used to Dutch cycling culture would mean getting more confident on a bike.

I didn't expect it to completely rewrite the unit system in my head.

This is something I only started noticing after my Dutch became good enough to follow normal conversations instead of mentally translating every sentence.

Dutch has all these tiny words people constantly use to change the feeling of a sentence: even, hoor, maar, toch, wel, eens. I understood their dictionary meanings ages ago, but I didn't understand how much social work they were doing.

Someone says 'Kom maar even kijken' and it sounds completely normal and friendly.

Then the same person switches to English and says: 'Come look.'

Or 'You need to send this today.'

Or my personal favourite from a colleague: 'That is not correct. Do it again.'

The first few times I worked with Dutch people I genuinely thought some of them were annoyed with me. Now I've heard those same people speak Dutch enough to realise they're usually not annoyed at all. Their Dutch sentences have all these little cushions in them, but when they speak English they translate the actual instruction and accidentally leave the cushions behind.

Last week a colleague told me, 'You can just ask me, hoor,' then immediately laughed because he'd carried the hoor into English.

That was the moment it really clicked for me.

People often explain Dutch communication by saying Dutch people are simply direct, and obviously there's truth in that. But I wonder how much of the famous Dutch bluntness foreigners experience is also just something getting lost when Dutch speakers use English.

Learning the language hasn't made everyone around me less direct. It has made me much better at hearing the difference between direct, irritated and just... Dutch.

Me and my girlfriend are viewing a house tomorrow very close to station Lelylaan. Some people told us this really isn’t a nice place to live. Others say it’s not too bad. does anyone here know or have any recent experience with this area? Thank you!!

Hi everyone,

I'm getting all my windows and exterior doors replaced soon. This is my first time doing this kind of renovation in the Netherlands.

I work from home, but I'm not sure what to expect. I've heard contractors don't really like homeowners watching them work.

Should I take a few days off to be available, or can I just continue working from home and let them do their job?

What has your experience been like? Any advice?