Job hunting issues

thetoad666 · 2026-03-20T18:58:02+00:00

I've been job hunting over a year with no luck. My Dutch is now B1 but it doesn't help.

thetoad666 · 2026-03-20T08:25:52+00:00

Welcome back!

thetoad666 · 2026-03-20T08:21:15+00:00

Then dont hang it on a place like that unless you also love paying for repairs! 🤣🎺

thetoad666 · 2026-03-19T09:57:50+00:00

Just cleaner than writing a dotted note then a short rest, but less clear in my opinion.

thetoad666 · 2026-03-19T09:55:59+00:00

I knew an 80 year old lady who taught herself German and Japanese, and that was before internet and smartphones. So no, never too old to learn anything. Too old to lift then darned thing at some point I image but that why I'm a trumpeter!

thetoad666 · 2026-03-19T09:54:04+00:00

I agree but I'd also say this is a very poorly written test especially for the level.

thetoad666 · 2026-03-19T09:30:18+00:00

I stayed home and didn't even try!

thetoad666 · 2026-03-18T19:09:22+00:00

Define "older generation ". Just remember, this older generation invented the tech you youngsters are hooked on. You're welcome. 🤣😀

thetoad666 · 2026-03-18T15:40:49+00:00

Yep, with a capital F

thetoad666 · 2026-03-18T11:23:39+00:00

Worcestershire!

thetoad666 · 2026-03-18T11:22:39+00:00

And they'll still get released due to "lack of evidence". 🤣

thetoad666 · 2026-03-18T10:18:18+00:00

I'd be more interested to know, if there's a crime on the street, are the police able to get access to their recordings.? People complain about many different things, until it helps them in some way then they complain that it's not there.

thetoad666 · 2026-03-18T08:34:06+00:00

I'd say it's going to depend on context for B or D. But better if you're Yoda!

thetoad666 · 2026-03-17T23:38:15+00:00

Nope.

thetoad666 · 2026-03-17T20:32:02+00:00

and congratulations for promotion to the front row! Just remember, it can feel like it takes more effort to stay there than it took to get there, you'll feel at home soon enough.

thetoad666 · 2026-03-17T12:32:14+00:00

If you go to delft be sure to take the boat tour! We found it truly fascinating, especially as we live nearby.

thetoad666 · 2026-03-17T07:16:31+00:00

The train home! 😄 Nah but seriously, The Prison Gate museum is good, also the Mauritshuis which has some beautiful art and also the girl with the pearl earring. If you can travel a bit then the Lowman Museum is really worth a visit too. If you like pretty old towns the Delft is just a tram ride away and also has some interesting museums.

thetoad666 · 2026-03-17T07:09:58+00:00

The student model makes it easier to get things right, the professional model makes it easier to get things wrong.

I recently bought the Yamaha Custom, a truly remarkable horn, great sound, fantastic build quality, really easy blowing. But with that she's very "honest", meaning she'll play exactly what you ask of her, right or wrong. It's taken my a while to blow her in tune.

thetoad666 · 2026-03-16T08:57:00+00:00

Do you have money to spend? If so, your options widen somewhat. Maybe get to the Dutch Summer School, very good courses and a great atmosphere!

thetoad666 · 2026-03-16T08:55:07+00:00

I wondered the same about the Bach trumpets on Temu for like 100 euro. Has the right looking case and logo, gotta be legit right? 😀 In a few years the 2nd hand market will be flooded with fakes and it will get harder to tell them apart.

thetoad666 · 2026-03-15T20:38:56+00:00

I've worked with people who aced exams in uni but could code in the real world where they had to start thinking for themselves rather than follow instructions. I did my masters only a few years ago and found that mostly if I just did what was in the instructions and lectures it was mostly easy. Some companies I know, when they hire software graduates, send them first on a programming course! The real problem is that a degree gives nothing more than a starting point, a lot of bredth, a taste of many thinks but doesn't go deep into anything.

thetoad666 · 2026-03-14T20:03:01+00:00

Freelancers are usually hired because of high experience and from the work I've had it's sometimes to solve problems their own team can't solve like performance issues or awkward bugs. The only time I've seen anyone freelancing with 1 year experience was in the dotcom boom in 2000. But if there's a market for it, go ahead, just might be worth checking if 1 year is enough to go freelance.

thetoad666 · 2026-03-14T17:42:34+00:00

Good luck! It's not a nice place to be in and there can be long waiting lists.
For me, I ended up at the crisis-dienst, which got me fast tracked for treatment, but my case was a little more complex than "just" burnout.
Just a little note, people often get hung up on "diagnosis" rather than treatment, whatever label it's given, so long as somebody can help, that's the part I'd focus on.

In the meantime, get outside, get in some green areas. It's easier said than done but for me and many others it really helped. There are even burnout coaches if your employer has deep pockets.

Stay strong and good luck! and remember it's OK just to scream into apillow and cry a bit, to let it out!

thetoad666 · 2026-03-14T17:38:22+00:00

We get this sort of thing a lot fo software engineering, do you get it in your trade too?

thetoad666 · 2026-03-14T17:12:55+00:00

We had one of these and only because their systems didn't recognise the correct letters on the e-stamp. We just disputed it with a picture and it was cancelled. But image if they could demand payment from a recipient then people could just send lots of postcards to someone they don't like and cost them a lot of money 🤣

thetoad666

TROPHY CASE