@ people in the Netherlands

[But I Hate You All]

I found out I can move to the Netherlands in about a two to three years because of the The Dutch-American Friendship Treaty.

So tell me about your country? Also any suggestions for a business?

[Deleted]

I'm not Dutch, but Belgian. Here's my 2 cents though.

Dutch people have a lot of stereotypes going for them, but most of them aren't real. They're humans, like you and me. they're all different. they love their royalty. When the queen abdicated last week, the entire country was colored orange and celebrating like crazy, and the entire country was either watching the abdication live at home or celebrating the event. They also love their sports: During the previous FIFA world cup, they had an amazing run, only to be stopped in the finals by Spain. During the Olympics, they won a number of gold medals.

the Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. they have about 400 people per square kilometer. they have a rich history dating back to the 1500s. they had a lot of colonies, including East-India (the current Indonesia), a large part of South Africa (Afrikaans actually is pretty similar to Dutch) and a number of islands in the Caribean (Arube, Bonaire, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and 2 smaller islands), which are still part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Starting a business in the Netherlands is not something I know a lot of. I've googled the treaty, and it doesn't appear cheap. you need at least 6,000 USD starting capital, health insurance, a financial report, a passport and a valid business plan, apart from that, you also need transport to the Netherland territories, a place to stay, a place to start your business and everything you need to start your business. I'd say that if you don't have at least 20,000 USD that you can invest into the foray, you're going to struggle.

In addition, you don't have an idea what to do with your business. is there a specific reason you want to be in the Netherlands? Most people first have an idea what they want to do with their businesss before they go into specifics on where to go from there. you're almost working backwards. http://www.expatlaw.nl/dutch_america...hip_treaty.htm has a big explanation on the treaty. you can also take shares in another company.

Think about it for a few years, you got time. barring any major catastrophes, the Dutch will still be there in 5 years.

[Deleted]

your question is a bit vague. what s your speciality ? what business can you do ? what did you study ? do you speak the language ?

i m french but live in amsterdam since 8 years.

please clarify your question and i will be happy to help.

for the country :

-it s flat (really flat)
-Amsterdam is one of the most beautiful city in EU (called Venise of the north)
- i hope you like cycling
-life expensive but not as much as london or Paris
-salary are a bit higher than any other EU country (except Nordic contries)
-food is disgusting and expensive
-i hope you like big tall blonde girl- cause there is only that
-dutch are a bit racist in general which can be explain by the fact 30% of people living in amsterdam are foreign people. (like me) .


not sure what you are looking for infos so pls clarif

[Bolson13]

Actually in Amsterdam and Rotterdam 50% is foreigner. 30% is only the non-western foreigners. Also, I wouldn't call us racist but more afraid that the country is rather full already. Obviously there are still racist people but a white American or any American for that matter is not so much subject to that. It is mostly focussed at people from poor countries that have pretty much no job skills and end up on the bottom side of society.

Regarding the food, it is just what you prefer. I myself don't like french food at all. And I am pretty sure you can cook yourself. You can get high quality, fresh produce from any bakery, butchers, greengrocer, fishmonger etc.

Also, I wouldn't recommend Amsterdam to anybody for living. Most people around here are embarrased about the shitheap that city is now. I can only imagine an American going crazy with that over socialised pile of crap.

Furthermore, the rest is pretty accurate. It depends a little from what region in the US you come but Dutch people tend to be fairly direct and say things that are common for them but can be seen as very rude to others. However, we have other things that we do not like and aren't so keen to say. It is a bit hard to explain but don't get insulted when we are direct and try to learn what makes Dutch people tick. For instance, we are very good at saying something is "not normal" haha. Hard to explain what that exactly means in a few sentences but you will get it eventually.
Our directness might also be a part of why foreigners might think we are more racist. Americans have more political correctness etc. while here we just say "There is a problem with Marokkan youth not adjusting to our society. We tried everything and it is time they shape up or we will crack down harder". For some this sounds borderline discrimination but for Dutch people it is normal. We don't beat around the PC bush.

Also, Dutch people are fairly closed (compared to what I found in the US) so you need to make an effort to make friends.

For other cultural things, it is not easy to give you a lot of examples. What has become normal to us (and "us" is vague already since I for instance don't think I am similar to people from Amsterdam) might be strange for you, but we obviously don't see it.



Regarding a business, it would be best to know what kind of education you have. Furthermore I would suggest a business with relatively cheap start up costs since banks are not so keen to give loans to starting companies at the moment.
Fortunately though, it is very common here to be self employed (ZZP - self employed without employees, as we call it) so companies are not hesitant to hire the services from a 1 person business.

[Deleted]

You know how people joke about how the Brits always have rain? They're right next door to the Dutch, so our weather has similarities: expats call the Dutch weather "Dutch Grey" as the weather tends to be "Cloudy with a small chance of rain", regardless of season, which is considered depressing by people who didn't grow up here. Our summers are relatively cool at 20-25 degrees Celsius (68-77 F), with only a few days of 30+ (86+), and our winters are typically warm, with only a week or two below 0 degrees (32). If I recall correctly, the amount of rain/sunshine and temperatures are roughly similar to San Francisco.

The Dutch people are a varied melting pot, with a wide array of cultures coming together. Aside from the native Caucasian population, there is a large minority from Muslim countries (~10%, mainly Turks and Moroccans), as well as minorities from the varied Dutch (ex-)colonies (Aruba, Surinam, Indonesia, etc). Aside from the typical tensions that come with melting pots and cultures clashing, we also have restaurants where all this comes together. Since the Dutch lack their own "national" cuisine, typical Dutch evening meals are inspired by food from around the world, in particular from the aforementioned cultures.

The Netherlands is known as a traders' nation, with which we have a long history. For instance, the first stock market was founded in Amsterdam, by the VOC (the United East-Indian Company). If you were to compare their value with businesses today you'd be looking at a networth of 7400 billion dollars, compared to Microsoft's 850 billion (both 2012), we were rich bitches back then

The trader's mentality has stuck, and as a result the Dutch are a cheap people. Not in the sense that they'll do anything for money, but they don't like to spend their money frivolously and are more likely to buy quality than quantity. With a good quality/price relation, of course. As a result, hypermarkets as a concept (like Wal-Mart) aren't really seen here, and most shops are smaller scale but typically of higher average quality when compared to other countries.

Socially the Dutch are typically a polite, tolerant, individualistic and straight-forward people: most people won't care if you're a black, gay, transsexual Jewish Greenlandian, as long as you don't bother anyone with it. In fact, most people simply won't care. Just gotta remember that that's nothing personal. There's too many people living on this small amount of space to care about everyone, so instead people care about the people they know. It actually creates a very similar feel when compared to New York City. A cold city/country where you're invisible in the masses, but where it's warm in the places you know.

As for business suggestions. There are two things I miss from my time living in the US: Taco Bell and Combos

[Edc]

Don't come to my town, we still scare people off with pitchforks and torches

[evilblade]

I have 2 interesting / educational video's about The netherlands for you to watch: ( i work for a tourist information office. )
Holland / The netherlands:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE_IUPInEuc

You should come to friesland:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bto5xs1p800

Also, Amsterdam is not a good representation of The Netherlands.

[Leonora]

As other said, this is a crowded country. This makes for a mix of habits and laws that are aimed at being able to live together without going crazy; we have a lot of regulations, and you have to be able to deal with that. Furthermore, like many parts of the world we are in an economic crisis, which makes people more than usually self-focussed. Our standard of living is pretty high, we have a lot of opportunities open and in itself (as far as I know) making a business is in itself pretty doable. There are several business models available, each with their own set of requirements and rights - the more rights you want, the higher the cost and demands.

It seems we are indeed direct in what we say - though this is more of a general observation, just like some of us are easier to approach than others. Most people speak English, but we value it highly if someone has taken the trouble to learn our language.

[But I Hate You All]

Going for a masters in accounting. Planing on learning dutch

[Bolson13]

Accounting might be a little difficult because you might need a dutch degree to start an accounting firm.

[Deleted]

Going for a masters in accounting. Planing on learning dutch

Good luck because it's quite a language to learn. That and people in the Netherlands have an awful way of pronouncing things, even in English. But hey, they think that about us Belgians too (they're wrong though).

[Deleted]

What sort of bussines do you mean? If I may give advice try opening a coffee shop close to the border with either Belgium or Germany, money for life guaranteed

[Deleted]

Good luck because it's quite a language to learn. That and people in the Netherlands have an awful way of pronouncing things, even in English. But hey, they think that about us Belgians too (they're wrong though).

Nothing wrong with the Belgians or their pronounciation of English or Dutch. You've been misinformed

[Deleted]

Nothing wrong with the Belgians or their pronounciation of English or Dutch. You've been misinformed

Read it again.

[Deleted]

Read it again.

I'm Dutch Think further young grasshopper!

[Hellfury]

Besides Rotterdam and Amsterdam, what is a good underrated(to the outside) city in the Netherlands. Alot of countries have those great cities but only the locals know about, becuase normally 2-3 others main cities are more well known

[Deleted]

Besides Rotterdam and Amsterdam, what is a good underrated(to the outside) city in the Netherlands. Alot of countries have those great cities but only the locals know about, becuase normally 2-3 others main cities are more well known

Dude, doesn't matter, they all have coffee shops.

[Hellfury]

Dude, doesn't matter, they all have coffee shops.

Dont care about the pot, more like a great city to visit besides those other 2

[Sting]

Besides Rotterdam and Amsterdam, what is a good underrated(to the outside) city in the Netherlands. Alot of countries have those great cities but only the locals know about, becuase normally 2-3 others main cities are more well known

Eindhoven in the south of the Netherlands has a lot of scientific expertise which is concentrated around the High Tech Campus. It's one of the smartest areas in the whole of Europe actually.

[Deleted]

Besides Rotterdam and Amsterdam, what is a good underrated(to the outside) city in the Netherlands. Alot of countries have those great cities but only the locals know about, becuase normally 2-3 others main cities are more well known

Delft. It's like Amsterdam with the history and the canals, but without the tourists.