Anybody stayed(lived) in Rotterdam?

seanyp00h said:
Only reason I'm considering this is because I was approached by an agency who have a job suitable for me, not the other way around. If I have to pay 1 cent then I'm out.
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Yes someone I know lost R100K in an overseas job scam. So sad.
 
Rotterdam is beautiful like an Amsterdam without the hordes of sex and drug tourists. I would prefer it even. Crime exists only to a small extent in the harbor region but even there is is virtually non-existant compared to SA. Majority of people don't lock their houses or flats when they go out, just you get the picture.
Living is rather expensive compared to here and the weather is just bad. Because of this everybody rides a bicycle. The dutch people are friendly but not tolerant, they just ignore what they do not tolerate, before going there read up on the "pillar society" they have, it is good to know about it.
 
sovielenamen said:
Rotterdam is beautiful like an Amsterdam without the hordes of sex and drug tourists. I would prefer it even. Crime exists only to a small extent in the harbor region but even there is is virtually non-existant compared to SA. Majority of people don't lock their houses or flats when they go out, just you get the picture.
Living is rather expensive compared to here and the weather is just bad. Because of this everybody rides a bicycle. The dutch people are friendly but not tolerant, they just ignore what they do not tolerate, before going there read up on the "pillar society" they have, it is good to know about it.
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Thanks for this. Very insightful ;)
I hardly see a need for a car if public transport works so well. The only thing I am not very keen on is the weather.
 
Rotterdam is a much newer city than most of the other big hubs in NL. It was bombed a fair amount during WW2 so the buildings and infrastructure is more modern than Amsterdam, Haarlem etc. Den Haag is also somewhat more modern but mostly because of its political concentration I assume.

Rotterdam has 2 very distinct reputations depending on who you speak to. People I know who live there love it but a lot of people more north (i.e. Amsterdam and surrounds) say that its rougher and more gritty.

That said NL is so small that as long as you are still in Noord or Zuid Holland (provinces), working in Rotterdam doesnt mean you need to live in Rotterdam if it doesnt tickle your fancy. Leiden to Rotterdam is 30mins station to station, Utrecht to Rotterdam is 35-45mins. Den Haag to Rotterdam only 30mins. I work in Amsterdam and have at least 4 colleagues that live in Rotterdam and commute here everyday.

Also, since most Dutch companies will subsidize 50%-100% of your work travel expenses, you needn't worry too much about cost of train fare etc if live a bit further away. You can use www.9292.nl to get an idea of distance to the office and www.funda.nl for an idea of property prices in and around stations/work place etc.

I've been living here for a few years now and am pretty pleased with the decision all round. As long as you can deal with the weather, it's a pretty easy country to live and integrate in. As a SA citizen you will need to do a 'inburgeringscursus' which is basic language proficiency and an exam on how the state systems work (I have an EU passport and didnt do it so I dont have much more info to offer there I'm afraid).

There is a trend here to offer people temp or fixed term contracts because there is some legislation that you can keep someone on temp/fixed contract for up to 3 years before you are made permanent so be aware of that for contract negotiations. Also, as an expat if you are brought over for the job specifically you should qualify for the 30% tax ruling which will see you paying 30% tax for 8 or 10 years so long as you stay with the same employer (there are some caveats, so investigate that). It really makes a difference on your take home and is a nice bonus for anyone who qualifies!

If you want any other specific info, feel free to PM. Hope the above helps :)
 
mooks said:
Rotterdam is a much newer city than most of the other big hubs in NL. It was bombed a fair amount during WW2 so the buildings and infrastructure is more modern than Amsterdam, Haarlem etc. Den Haag is also somewhat more modern but mostly because of its political concentration I assume.

Rotterdam has 2 very distinct reputations depending on who you speak to. People I know who live there love it but a lot of people more north (i.e. Amsterdam and surrounds) say that its rougher and more gritty.

That said NL is so small that as long as you are still in Noord or Zuid Holland (provinces), working in Rotterdam doesnt mean you need to live in Rotterdam if it doesnt tickle your fancy. Leiden to Rotterdam is 30mins station to station, Utrecht to Rotterdam is 35-45mins. Den Haag to Rotterdam only 30mins. I work in Amsterdam and have at least 4 colleagues that live in Rotterdam and commute here everyday.

Also, since most Dutch companies will subsidize 50%-100% of your work travel expenses, you needn't worry too much about cost of train fare etc if live a bit further away. You can use www.9292.nl to get an idea of distance to the office and www.funda.nl for an idea of property prices in and around stations/work place etc.

I've been living here for a few years now and am pretty pleased with the decision all round. As long as you can deal with the weather, it's a pretty easy country to live and integrate in. As a SA citizen you will need to do a 'inburgeringscursus' which is basic language proficiency and an exam on how the state systems work (I have an EU passport and didnt do it so I dont have much more info to offer there I'm afraid).

There is a trend here to offer people temp or fixed term contracts because there is some legislation that you can keep someone on temp/fixed contract for up to 3 years before you are made permanent so be aware of that for contract negotiations. Also, as an expat if you are brought over for the job specifically you should qualify for the 30% tax ruling which will see you paying 30% tax for 8 or 10 years so long as you stay with the same employer (there are some caveats, so investigate that). It really makes a difference on your take home and is a nice bonus for anyone who qualifies!

If you want any other specific info, feel free to PM. Hope the above helps :)
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Thank you so much for this. It's exactly what I was looking for.

I'll definitely PM you once I speak to the recruiter.
 
mooks said:
Rotterdam is a much newer city than most of the other big hubs in NL. It was bombed a fair amount during WW2 so the buildings and infrastructure is more modern than Amsterdam, Haarlem etc. Den Haag is also somewhat more modern but mostly because of its political concentration I assume.

Rotterdam has 2 very distinct reputations depending on who you speak to. People I know who live there love it but a lot of people more north (i.e. Amsterdam and surrounds) say that its rougher and more gritty.

That said NL is so small that as long as you are still in Noord or Zuid Holland (provinces), working in Rotterdam doesnt mean you need to live in Rotterdam if it doesnt tickle your fancy. Leiden to Rotterdam is 30mins station to station, Utrecht to Rotterdam is 35-45mins. Den Haag to Rotterdam only 30mins. I work in Amsterdam and have at least 4 colleagues that live in Rotterdam and commute here everyday.

Also, since most Dutch companies will subsidize 50%-100% of your work travel expenses, you needn't worry too much about cost of train fare etc if live a bit further away. You can use www.9292.nl to get an idea of distance to the office and www.funda.nl for an idea of property prices in and around stations/work place etc.

I've been living here for a few years now and am pretty pleased with the decision all round. As long as you can deal with the weather, it's a pretty easy country to live and integrate in. As a SA citizen you will need to do a 'inburgeringscursus' which is basic language proficiency and an exam on how the state systems work (I have an EU passport and didnt do it so I dont have much more info to offer there I'm afraid).

There is a trend here to offer people temp or fixed term contracts because there is some legislation that you can keep someone on temp/fixed contract for up to 3 years before you are made permanent so be aware of that for contract negotiations. Also, as an expat if you are brought over for the job specifically you should qualify for the 30% tax ruling which will see you paying 30% tax for 8 or 10 years so long as you stay with the same employer (there are some caveats, so investigate that). It really makes a difference on your take home and is a nice bonus for anyone who qualifies!

If you want any other specific info, feel free to PM. Hope the above helps :)
Click to expand...

Not the OP, but I'd like to thank you for the info as well. The two websites you mentioned are quite useful, and it's good to know that employers cover some of the travel costs.
 
So the recruiter called me yesterday. It's not a scam :D

A few rounds of interviews and tests coming up. Ask me about the inner workings of PHP and I fall apart. *sigh*
Time to start practising.
 
seanyp00h said:
So the recruiter called me yesterday. It's not a scam :D

A few rounds of interviews and tests coming up. Ask me about the inner workings of PHP and I fall apart. *sigh*
Time to start practising.
Click to expand...

Hey, thought these links might be useful for you too:

http://www.loonwijzer.nl/home/salaris/brutonetto <- take home calculator. Note that this wont calculate correctly if you qualify for the 30% ruling.

http://www.loonwijzer.nl/home/salaris/salarischeck <- salary indication per field/experience. Some of their salary indications can be a bit on the low side but give a fairly good overall indication of salary bracket based on the number of years you have been working vs position. They dont have a huge range of role types but you can pick the one closest equivalent to your current/potential role.

Also, re drivers licence : if you qualify for the 30% ruling then you can transfer your drivers directly from SA to NL. If not, you will need to redo the test.

Good luck with your interview :)
 
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