I will be moving to the Dam. Not soon, but about 2 years from now. I have way too many questions to ask. First of all, what exactly would I have to do to be there? I will be staying, not visiting. I've heard something about a work visa? I don't really know where I would have to go to contact the people I would have to contact. Where do I even start?! Second, I'm going to need a job. I'm going to a Paul Mitchell School for Cosmetology. Would I have a problem getting a job? I'm guessing I would have to take a European exam because they use the metric system. What do you think my salary would be like? Could I support myself? Third, how expensive is it REALLY? I've heard Europe is very expensive, what is it like there? Rent, food, bike, weed, clothes, etc. how much would I expect to pay each month? I hope to have kids after moving. Schooling is good there, right? European schools are different, how does it work? Is there shady people there? Would there be drug dealers & pimps? ONE LAST THING! CAN I SMOKE WEED WITH A PROSTITUTE?! WOULD THEY LET ME? I think that would be kind of cool. Sorry for making this so long. I have more questions, but I can't think right now...
Hey emuhlee, I'm not sure what Cosmetology is - lazy of me I know when I have the interwebs at my disposal but wait.... I've posted a bunch of Dutch job websites below so that's enough effort I think Use the search functions by choosing keyords based on the languages you can speak and go from there in most cases. Be prepared to use an online translator and not entirely trust what it tells you. Also, some of these have been crap in my experience - it doesn't mean they won't work for you so I include them for completion only. I don't know where you're coming from so I can't really offer visa advice - if you have parents or grandparents of European birth however you should be able to claim a heritage passport via your relatives national embassy. Once you have the passport of any European Union country you have access to them all so it's worth checking out. On the subject of having a family here you might want to review this article on the BBC: "In a table of young people's wellbeing in 29 European states - the EU plus Norway and Iceland - has ranked the UK 24th. The Netherlands was top while only Romania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania and Malta came lower than the UK. The table, about youngsters aged up to 19, was compiled by York University researchers for the Child Poverty Action Group using mostly 2006 data." Not a bad review in fairness but can you trust statistics? For what it's worth, the video link below has become quite a viral sensation here. Fox News tried to malign Amsterdam with a nefarious article of lies - a resident responded. Skip to 5:23 just to see the reply if you've already seen Bill O'Reilly far too much in your life. Bill O'Reilly lies about Amsterdam I don't know what you consider expensive so it's difficult to judge that one. My girlfriend and I moved here from London very recently and it's clearly all about your budget really - if you want your own place however you should expect to pay at least €1000 per month to remain in the city limits. Other than that I can't compare for you; getting a shared place would be significantly cheaper I'm sure. Some things are more expensive than others but it's difficult to put a finger on it, even the research is contradictory: Amsterdam is 29th most expensive city to live in the world or It doesn't appear in the top 50 but The Hague does Having lived in one of definitely the most expensive cities in the world (London) for most of my life I can't say I'm really any better off financially here yet - but learning the language will open the doors to more lucrative opportunities so these things will happen with time. It's cheap here if you look hard enough in fairness and as it's so easy and conducive to get around on a bike it's not a chore to go a little further to save a few euros. It's the Dutch way after all.... I can't confidently answer the question you asked about smoking with a prostitute but I'm figuring if you're paying to fuck her then she'll let you smoke a spliff for a few euros more! Those jobs links I promised you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dutch_companies http://jobsearch.monsterboard.nl http://www.jobinamsterdam.com/ http://amsterdam.xpatjobs.com/ http://jobs.expatica.com/ http://www.abroad-experience.com/ http://www.undutchables.nl/ http://www.oconnell.eu/hotjobs.php http://www.4icj.com/nl/ http://www.adamsrecruit.nl/06/default.html http://www.englishlanguagejobs.com/ http://www.escapeartist.com/netherlands/jobs.htm http://www.nationalevacaturebank.nl/ http://www.careerbuilder.nl
Hi emuhhlee, Most of your questions have been answered. It is a great idea to learn the 24 hour clock as well as the metric system even if you just plan to visit anywhere outside of North America. Visit Amsterdam a couple of times before you move (if you haven't already been) and maybe even start a special savings account now to help your plan come to fruition. Try this link: http://www.postwar.nl/amsterdam/
I only wish I was younger and able to consider moving to Amsterdam or anywhere in the Netherlands myself. Good luck.
Haha, yes you can smoke weed with a prostitute. I am Dutch and the funny thing is that only foreighners wish to do that. You can score some weed in a coffee shop, and then you need to find a prostitute who wants to smoke with you. I am afraid you do need to pay for the time you take for smoking ;-)
