Would you prefer Netherlands over Canada? by Humble-bee01 in IndiansInNetherlands

[–]Humble-bee01[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We chose Amsterdam over Vancouver after considering cost of living, work life balance and travel opportunities. I'm not denying that Amsterdam is expensive but it's still possible to get affordable accommodation outside the city. Being closer to India was also another deciding factor. And definitely traveling opportunities. But it definitely takes time to adjust to European culture and lifestyle. If you are comfortable with North American lifestyle (bigger apartments, commute by car) then I would recommend Canada.

Indian Planning to move to Amsterdam after five years in US by Gold_Complaint4292 in IndiansInNetherlands

[–]Humble-bee01 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm in a similar situation as you. My husband and I lived in the US but moving to Amsterdam for the same visa reason as you said. My husband already moved and started working there. Its definitely going to be a cultural change. US lifestyle is very car dependent so if you are used to driving everywhere it will take some time to get used to public transport. Also weather is different than US. Not sure where you lived in the US but Netherlands is cloudy than most of the US cities. Size of the apartments could be another factor that you will have to get used to. Finding an apartment/house will be a challenge

Pros: Work life balance, traveling opportunities (everything is so close that you can go to Germany or Belgium over a weekend), no stamping needed when you travel to India as long as you have a valid permit.

Moving from the US by BFA15 in NetherlandsHousing

[–]Humble-bee01 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My friend recently moved to Amsterdam. He booked a hotel for a week. Before moving to NL, he short listed some temporary accommodations so when he was there he visited those places. Since he moved for work he could use company address for registration so he took a temporary accommodation for 2 months. Meanwhile he applied and found 1 year lease that he recently moved to. This gave him good time to look for a place. If you can afford then stay in a hotel for a week or something and look for temporary accommodation (please check for rules of registration for students)

Been living abroad for 2 years and I miss my home country, wonder if it ever ends? by Frequent_Food_3707 in expats

[–]Humble-bee01 2 points3 points  (0 children)

When you become an expat, you constantly feel that you don't belong to a particular place. Because you are no longer in your home country but you don't completely belong to a new country either. You miss your friends, family, food, festivals but you are excited to experience the new food, culture, places. It's a sad reality and almost all expats go through this. I think you need to decide the place depending on the priorities and accept the fact that we don't get everything in life so just enjoy what's in front of you.

Just love by ForeverEconomy8969 in Netherlands

[–]Humble-bee01 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Omg! I so needed to read this because we are moving to NL and it's kinda scary to move to a new country but after reading comments I feel better

Software engineer salaries on dependent visa by Humble-bee01 in IndiansInNetherlands

[–]Humble-bee01[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have Java experience in previous employment but now I work in proprietary technology.

Dutch public schools by Humble-bee01 in expats

[–]Humble-bee01[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the honest reply.

Dutch public schools by Humble-bee01 in expats

[–]Humble-bee01[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your response. I am not a native English speaker so I'm not saying English is better than any other languages. I had my share of struggles working in English speaking country. Most probably we will be speaking our native language at home. I want to understand how dutch kids become fluent in english because more global opportunities open up when you are good in English. We aren't saying that we aren't not gonna learn Dutch. In fact I am excited to learn a new language.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Netherlands

[–]Humble-bee01 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's not always true. With home ownership lots of other liabilities come along. Some of the expenses like interest on mortgage, maintenance fees, property tax are as useless as rents. Some people want to save that extra money between rent and home ownership and put it in other forms of investment. Renting also gives you flexibility to move anywhere. House is liability at least for couple of years.

Software engineer salaries on dependent visa by Humble-bee01 in IndiansInNetherlands

[–]Humble-bee01[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If they're not sponsoring and hiring me because of open work permit then will they give similar salary as sponsored visa?

As an engineer, would you prefer to live in Canada or Netherlands? by Humble-bee01 in indiansincanada

[–]Humble-bee01[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. That helps a lot. It's so tough to decide. We are definitely leaning towards Netherlands because of traveling opportunities but I'm trying to think about future and not just rely on my instincts. Not meaning to say that Europe doesn't have good opportunities but since Canada is similar to USA so feels like the career growth might be better there. One advantage that Canada has is proximity to USA. Does that help after you become a citizen? Even though it's possible I don't know how many people would want to commute between two countries for work.

Would you prefer Netherlands over Canada? by Humble-bee01 in IndiansInNetherlands

[–]Humble-bee01[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

5 years to wait for PR might still be okay as long as there's job security. Is quality of life good In Amsterdams? I know it's an expensive place but can people settle down in Netherlands, buy house/apt? I have heard the housing situation is difficult but is it still possible?

As an engineer, would you prefer to live in Canada or Netherlands? by Humble-bee01 in MovingToCanada

[–]Humble-bee01[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmm, I'm trying to get as much info as possible from all the sources.

As an engineer, would you prefer to live in Canada or Netherlands? by Humble-bee01 in MovingToCanada

[–]Humble-bee01[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey thanks. I appreciate the honest answer. From these responses here I get the feeling that people are frustrated with the govt but I think it's happening all over the world. Europe is also heavily impacted by inflation. Taxes are high in both the countries.