If learning the language of the country you move to is a "dark side" of that country for you, you shouldn't move out of your country at all. Of course you need to learn enough of the language to be a functioning adult in that country!
Yep, that was my thought too. What a weird thing to say. You can say that about ANY country, and probably more so for English-speaking countries where the population rarely speak another language. At least in the Netherlands almost everyone speak pretty decent English, as well as French and German.
The British and the Americans tend not understand the concept of a 2nd language because they only speak one. Well, it's not as good the first, your compromising on expression, precision and humour. They will say something like 'they have the same sense of humour' but they actually have no clue because the typical Dutch humour is in Dutch and doesn't get through to them. What they and other English speakers also forget is that Dutch learned English for their own advantage, not to encourage laziness in foreigners and explain them everything going on in the country.
Most of the English and American native's mentality still points to the colonial master mentality of superiority, with no need to learn another language. People who learn other people's languages have created an advantage for themselves that value diversity.
I can't stand how Americans and other English speaking countries just expect everyone else to speak English too and tend to get upset when they realize there are other languages out there. Learn at least some of the language not just out of necessity but as a courtesy to the native people as well.
I live in Azerbaijan and whenever people visit here, they want us to talk russian. Why should we when we have our perfectly good language? I definitely understand your frustration! I want to move to the netherlands in the future and learning the language is a very rational thing to do. I visited Korea this summer (learning the language in uni) and even though my korean isn't good yet, I tried my best to speak in korean if I knew what I was saying. It is also helpful in the long term, can't go your entire life somewhere without knowing the local language
Most Americans are not like this at all. Considering they are already used to huge portions of their population not speaking English … sure some are ignorant but these are usually temporary tourists not expats. The number of expats living in the Netherlands who learn Dutch is extremely high, I am one of them. And I would say at least 70% of the expat community I know speak Dutch at a very high level.
Hoped for some stronger reasons against my country. 1) It's not that expensive, yes taxes are high but you also get a lot in return if you have a low income. It's however difficult to live very extravagant. 2) The Dutch are the best non-native country at speaking English, you will be fine if you only speak English and within cities you can socialize with other expats. Learning Dutch does help of course. 3) Accommodation is fair, it's very difficult to find affordable housing. 4) its expensive to own a car, but the great thing you don't even have to because you can live with just a bike. Half of the people I know within a city do not even have a car and it saves them a few hundred bucks a month. 5) It is always difficult to make friends, Dutch are welcoming but you need to make the first step. They also don't look at you weird if you say I need friends, we understand. 6) The weather, fair. 7) Taxes are high, already mentioned in 1. Yes they are but they also pay for a high quality of living, healthcare, childcare, infrastructure, safety, job security etc. 8) And yes we are direct, but not rude! We like to help and try to give solid advice if you would come to this country and are running into some things. I add 9). Food, if you are a foodie you can of course go to restaurants etc. But it is not as a big thing as in other countries like France or Italy. Only point 3 and 6 are fair. Point 5 is more dependent on you as a person. Point 1 is fair if you want to be a millionaire, show of your Ferrari and expect some praise of how successful you are. We do not do that here.
Arrogant people. Bad food except the cheese and bread. Hideous weather, bad beaches, no mountains, open prostitution and drugs, ridiculous political conformity, expensive , and much more.You are rude. People don’t need to hear your opinions in such a harsh way just as i am doing now. Unhelpful. The airport is the worst in the world too.
@@rmyikzelf5604 very expensive rents and house prices, not so good Healthcare system, people overall are not so happy a lot of complaints, very high taxes. Young generations are not in a good position overall...
Here is the real list, from a foreigner, a Spanish speaker, living in the Netherlands: - Rents too high (buying surprisingly not so much) - Healthcare has good quality, but it's difficult to get something investigated. They tend to disregard your problem saying it's probably nothing (you may pay 300 euros for going to the emergency room in the middle of the night, where the only thing they did was listening to you and then telling its probably nothing). - Weather sucks most of the time, even in the summer, but when it's sunny it is amazing. - Dutch food isn't the best and the majority of foreign food also suffers from this. I'm amazed that Uber eats options are so much in Cuba. Luckily there are some good options once you find them and you can always cook your own. - Taxes are very high. However, the country functions very well. Good things: - Dutch people are amazingly nice and welcoming (I love them). They are genuine and transparent, which sometimes can come across as rude to foreigners. But overall a good trait once you get used to it since it goes both ways, you can also be truly free to speak your mind. - Virtually everyone speaks good English, French and in some cases Spanish, which I love they make the effort. - It's a safe and peaceful place to live and they also don't care about looks or other superficial things. - The country works so well. Everything is so organized.
these make more sense. And yea, lots of people see high taxes as a negative, but if the country functions as well as it does, I would gladly pay those taxes. Better than U.S. where the money basically disappears, goes to the army, or back into fixing asphalt roads.Never really improves the quality of life for the average citizen anyone anymore.
Buying is actually very expensive depending where you buy. Even if you move out of the three biggest cities you're looking at €300,000 if you don't want a 2 bedroom box. Plus there's a massive housing shortage (for the last 20 years).
I totally disagree with the language part. Dutch people are excellent English speakers. This is the main reason why it's so difficult to learn Dutch. You just can't motivate yourself enough since literally everyone speaks perfect English starting from the young age. You won't have a situation when someone doesn't understand you. But if you do learn Dutch and you're trying to use it in conversations, people are more than happy to help you.
Not everyone here speaks perfect English. Have you ever heard of Dunglish? It's a mix Dutch and English and it's spoken by the majority of the Netherlands. You would call it broken English.
Hahahaha it’s amazing how Dutchies wanna say they are direct and honest when that is a lie on its own 😂 they are the worst of the worst and they can’t stand to hear the truth
3:29 this is LITERALLY the main reason i want to move to the netherlands, because it isn't as stupidly car-centric as the usa. it feels like this guy is finding good things about the netherlands and trying to make them sound bad.
@@KK-fw4zq its a youtube channel all about how car dependant other countries are compared to the netherlands. if you’re interested in that kind of stuff I recommend his channel.
"afspraak" depending on which context it's used in means appointment, bijvoorbeeld " Op woensdag ochtend ik heb een afspraak met mijn dokter"..I'm not Dutch originally from London England, moved to the Netherlands 3 years ago now I speak dutch
Although the myth of Dutch people speaking English at a very high level is still promoted, foreigners do not seem to grasp the reality of Dutch speaking Dutch. In the Netherlands Dutch is the first language and that's why signs are in Dutch. If you really expect that all Dutch people will switch to English the moment that they notice that you're not Dutch you will be disappointed. A lot of Dutch people will insist on speaking Dutch even though they are quite capable of speaking English, German or French. The general thought is that if you're not willing to learn some basic Dutch sentences, why should Dutch people go to through the trouble of switching to a foreign language in their own country? When you're in Rome, act like the Romans, when you're in the Netherlands, at least make an effort to speak Dutch. We do not expect you to speak fluent Dutch. We won't hold it against you if make mistakes. We will however ignore you if you can't be bothered to at least make en effort to learn some basic Dutch words sentences. What's difficult about: Hallo = Hello Tot Ziens = See you later Goedemorgen = Good morning Goede avond = Good evening Bedankt = Thanks Dank u = Thank you Sorry = Sorry Alstublieft = (if it pleases you) = Please
How rude of us, that we expect a foreigner to learn some basics of Dutch and we can't completely accommodate you in other languages the entire time, from A to Z. Even our signs are in Dutch, how dare we! Try this entitled attitude in countries as Germany, France, Spain, Poland or Italy and check how much they will adapt to your desire to be spoken to in English and then come back to this comment section. You hypocrite. When are you leaving? We'll throw a little party here when you are.
@user-gz1hg7fd4v , hey being a 5"9 blonde blue eyed American woman, whose great grandmother was drowned for founding your church by the catholic church, and my grandfather was killed in a ship wreck. No wonder my orphan grandfather came to America to become a senator and his children became camandors of the American navy. I'm rude to, maybe I may not want to visit or learn the language of my country if this is how you act..
Is that the worst you got? To be honest I've heard all this before about Europe at large. Nothing that bad. Don't forget the taxes have two components, you get something in return for those taxes and second wages are adjusted to accommodate those taxes. Housing is legitimate but depending on where you are at in the US housing is insane here.
I moved here from England and friends asked me about the high taxation. My reply is always that I can see a doctor, and we don’t have potholes in the roads
I'm a Brit living in the Netherlands for the best part of 25 years, I've lived in rural zeeland and now the port city of Rotterdam.... I'm afraid I don't recognise half of the comments made here... Yes the taxes are high and the Dutch pretty much play by the rules ( sometimes to the point of being blinkered) But the public transport system especially in the big cities is second to none,in fact in the city a car is a liability, the Netherlands is a very small country with a relatively large population and the majority of towns and cities were built so long ago there was no need for wide streets, and the houses were taxed on the width of the building ( so we have a lot of narrow, long and high buildings in the inner cities, this is not what the young countries with plenty of land are used to....as for the language issue,i know many people who live and work here from all over the world that don't speak Dutch but have English as a first or second language within any problems...( Don't forget there is a labour shortage like everywhere these days and people of all languages are welcome regardless) The health care system is extremely good and so are the labour and employment regulations and workers rights. The Dutch people are nothing like the way described as not easy to get into the circle of friends.....I have some of the closest friends I've ever had both in zeeland and Rotterdam, made just as if I had been in their lives for years and years....... So yes taxes are high,a car can be expensive in the big cities, housing is in a problem but it's being addressed with big building projects all over the country ( which in itself is problematic because of the lack of young people who want to work in the building trade, the good wages and well regulated workplace has attracted lots of East European builders have arrived and make a huge difference, however they also need to be housed which leaves less for the local people, add to that the people who need to be rehoused in order to demolish the older buildings and build new) Living and working here having no Dutch is not only possible but a good experience.....
Hell I'm dutch and my wife is japanese. She lives with me in the Netherlands and I'm learning Japanese because she needs to learn dutch for her inburgering. It's only fair!
I would make it an international law, if you move to another country, you MUST learn their language to a reasonable level, within five years. I find it immensely ignorant when people move to another country and can barely speak the language even after 5 - 50 years. In addition, you must respect their culture and way of life, whilst keeping your own. Lastly, you must never make demands that suit your culture on your new country. As the saying goes, “when in Rome, do as the Romans do.” If you don’t agree with any of the above, then stay in your country. End of.
Agreed. I don't like it when foreigners, or even Dutch people, say that speaking Dutch is useless (in this case) just because "we" speak English well (about three million Dutch people DO NOT speak English well). Not integrating completely just because many of the natives speak your language well enough is disrespectful and rude. Hearing an adn seeing the use of aglicisms in the media and by young people is so irritating as well. If you're not a migrant who is still learning, then why are you mixing up Dutch with English? It's usually an indicator that the person sucks at speaking both languages seperately, but it's sold as being cool and trendy (and there's even people saying that we should abolish our mother tongue and just speak English- hereby disrespecting and disposing of our culture and history in favour of something as shallow as globalisation and "making it easier in terms of trade and geopolitics"). Indeed, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. If you can't or don't want to, stay where you are.
Which language though? If you're in England and you go to Cornwall should you learn Cornish too? English is a mash-up of other languages. What about Celtic? In Canada would you learn French, English and all the tribal languages? USA: English or Navajo, Cherokee, Choctaw, Muscogee, Dakota, Lakota, Western Apache, Keres, Hopi, Zuni, Kiowa, Ojibwe, O'odham, Miwuk?
Don’t worry the only foreigners they are welcoming are the so called asylum seekers in other words you are only welcome if you don’t adapt, destabilize the healthcare and housing market and above all don’t want to work. The real Dutch will pay for it all without any hesitation completely brainwashed by a Sesame Street government.
It's gets "cold" in the Netherlands. Have you been to Chicago? XD. I've been in the Netherlands for like 3.5 years and visited in the winter prior to living here, but it has never been Sub-Zero xD.
I remember a lot of snow for a few days in like 2018 or so, remember having a great time cycling home in weather I had not expected or prepared for at all, and witnised a poor guy falling of his bike near the Grote Kerk in The Hague because the combination of snow hiding the tram tracks and the slipperiness. But that snow was also gone like a few days later.
As a child in the 80 we could ride a sleigh most years but only a couple of days in december January or februari, for the last 30 year there is a lot less snow or skating in ice. The climate is not so bad i think. Uk and Scandinavië are a lot worse.
I am really surprised that you complain about learning another language. Is it not normal to learn the language of the country you gonna live in? When I am going to live in the USA I have to learn to speak English. I cannot expect that every American will talk Dutch to me. So why is it a dark side of the Netherlands to learn to speak the local language?
Directness is a Dark Side? For me as a Finnish it’s a great PLUS. I hate the Indian taxi driver attitude of ”no problem sir!” Or the all-around American smiling attitude in every, even tricky, situation.
Yeah you basically always have to play a guessing game and read minds what people actually think ( at least that’s how I always felt) like someone will dislike you but smile to your face and invite you to their birthday like what????? Or someone will say “yes we will order that for the project “ and never order it because they’re immune to saying “no” like wtf 😮😮 plus dutch aren’t that direct in some cases , most of. The time they try to be respectfully direct at least people around me .
@@knijnAh, the typical response. Why is it so difficult for many people from blunt cultures to understand that 1) honesty and politeness are not mutually exclusive 2) just because you're being honest and your intent is not bad doesn't mean you are not rude 3) being honest/direct without any filters IS rude?
@@ihsahnakerfeldt9280Because culture is based on norms and values, and our culture renders your points (especially 2 and 3) inapplicable to the situations where we state our opinions while you consider it rude directness Edit: also, who said we dont have a filter? Its just a filter that filters out other things than you would filter out
@@viktorvondoom9119 If someone you think is unattractive hits on you, do you think it's ok for you to reject them by saying "no you're ugly" as opposed to "sorry you're not my type"?
Making friends in the Netherlands is still difficult when you're Dutch 💀. Especially if you live in a different region than the one you were born in (because the locals will notice, and will subtly let you know that they don't see you as 'one of them'- at least that's my experience as a Hollander living in Brabant). You have the best chance in a group where nobody knows each other yet, like in a first year's student class.
Most points except for the part where the govt is tryna discouraging driving sounds like Canada. Except add more Indian people and less walkable or bikeable areas and lack of forthrightness.
Shopping on Amazon Germany doesn't make sense. As soon as you pay, the VAT will be calculated according to the country it is shipped to. This is European law. Wow and landlords that charge higher rents due to shortage, this litterally happens in EVERY country especially when there is tourism. The facts are so general that you can almost copy them one on one to every European country. You are mentioning the high taxes twice, but you are not mentioning what you get in return for that, a very high level social security system, nor do you mention anything about the subsidies you get when you are earning the minimal wage. I thought that this video would have some sarcastic humouristic view at the Netherlands but this is just rubbish, non informative and one really learns NOTHING from this.
Although it may seem counterintuitive, shopping on the German Amazon site is cheaper than buying on the Dutch site, I would say 9 out of 10 times. The differences can be substantial. It has nothing to do with btw, which is 2 percent point higher in Germany anyway. This is why I keep my Prime subscription on the German site (can't have'm on both) whilst I live in The Netherlands.
@@johnvanderschee6345 Yes it is true that the German site is cheaper, but as you say, this is not due to the VAT, which the video is suggesting. How high is the VAT in the Netherlands these days? When I left the country it was 21% and Germany 19% I believe. I live in Portugal and Portugal does not have its own Amazon website so I must use the Spanish one. But I am sure that if we would have one, everything would be more expensive here. Now if I shop something on the Spanish site, the price always goes up because of our ridiculous 23% VAT we have here in Portugal.
Its not an expensive country, maybe now with the war in Ukraine, but that is in every country nowadays. Also, off course its expensive to book a hotel in Amsterdam, thats pure tourism, go somewhere else in the NLs then, plenty of place.. look American, this country doesnt only exist of Amsterdam. If you went on a trip to France, you stay at Paris only, cause why not.. youre a culture crusher and not looking at the rest of the country person, you have to pay very much more.. and why ?? BECAUSE OF TOURISTS LIKE YOU WHO ONLY GO TO PARIS AND AMSTERDAM
It’s 50% bullshit and 50% accurate. The Dutch are one happiest in the world and 18th GDP in the world and 6th GDP in Europe. Good infrastructure, cheap healthcare and almost everyone speaks English. The Neterlands is not much different then Belgium, Germany or Denmark
They give you straight answers when you ask and it's not that expensive in Amsterdam if you live in London or Paris It's their country learn their language - it's courtesy and everyone speaks English anyway unless you go to the country side The people are more open polite and kind as you move out of the cities - like most cities
The biggest problem about this video is that they seem to focus on Amsterdam and then explain it as being a country, while outside of Amsterdam rents are usually lower and especially when you get outside the Randstad, prices can be very mild in general. And about the countryside: I sometimes get the feeling people there speak better English than in big cities like Amsterdam or Rotterdam. Especially the English of members of staff in public transport is sometimes abysmal.
Ik ben in januari van dit jaar begonnen met investeren en handelen op de digitale markt. Ik ben 28 jaar en spaar momenteel 1.500 euro van mijn salaris. Ik heb nergens spijt van, behalve dat ik niet tijdens mijn studie ben begonnen met beleggen. Bedankt Naoko Muriel, zonder jou zou ik nog steeds geld van mijn bankrekening verbranden
I live year and a half in Netherlands, I love the country and the Dutch people, but I'm moving soon. It is too expensive, I've had a lot of issues with certain institutions, the rents especially for foreigners are very high and not good at all. Above that, Netherlands is a very beautiful country with nice people and it was a positive experience in my life!
well the states rents are no better, the USA is very expensive under this administration of Biden, the worst president ever, wait until he gets out of office, so far this place sucks
The rent for foreigners... No you jump on the migrant tour where they all clod together in the same provinces and cities which we the dutch refuse to live. They sell you overpriced homes up to 400% in amsterdam for example over Emmen. So you let yourself be scammed. because if you called IND which is the immigration service they helped you with all these issues without f-ing you over with places like amsterdam or such recommendations. you scam yourself dont blame the nation, every place has a area that wants to extract your money, the west part of NL and the south both have a giant hand in that. So if you choose to live in 60m2 for 2000 euro thats your failure. If you decide to live in the east you find homes for
The income tax rates are mostly not correctly displayed. There are a lot of "belastingschijven" where you are taxed according to your taxable income, not gross income. They tend to talk about the gross rates and not the taxable amounts, ignoring the salary deductibles and the rates for healthcare, pension and social security. I think The Netherlands has the highest numbers of possible deductibles as well and there are a lot of subsidies and child support, among many others. The Netherlands has chosen to follow the socialist model (no, Americans, that is not far left or even communism). It is where society looks after all, specially the less fortunate and provides social services for everybody, even foreigners. We maintain a model where the taxes flow back to the people, not the 1% and then trickles down. The government takes things in their own hands (like public services, hospitals, drugs), paid for by taxes to all. But at the same time, The Netherlands is one of the most free and liberal countries in existence, often introducing liberal thoughts first like euthanasia, registered prostitutes, same sex marriages, use of soft drugs and so on. Not even to mention The Netherlands provided the first company, shares, stock market and 99% of your constitution which you now all call your own. You are living according to our model but, quite frankly, have messed it up altogether. The 247-year old experiment as you want to call it, has pretty much failed. And then there are the privacy laws here that are basically non existent in the US. You just live in a totally different manner, with different values and morals which are, mostly all, inferior to ours. Customer service goes by the idea that people have their own responsibility and fortitude. Not like the US where the tendency is that people need to be handheld and taught (hence the burning coffee, chicken nuggets and dog in a microwave story). Dutch people are not submissive people because we believe everyone is equal. So don't expect to be treated as such in general and with Customer Service in particular. I honestly don't know where the statement comes from that "The Netherlands is known to...". It sounds like a wild guess or clickbait or American tunnelvision that everything should be sculpted after their example. The customer is King, but only if they act Royal, is the Dutch credo! They are there to help you, not to be perceived like a servant. The housing crisis is caused by too many people living (and want to live) in The Netherlands, combined with the effects of the Corona crisis where new development was put on hold. Not even want to mention the banking crisis 15 years ago the US faced us with by providing too much credit their own economy could no longer afford or the international politics they push down our throats that make prices rise and cause inflation allover the place till date. They have caused so many shortages in supply that prices must rise. And in The Netherlands we have to import a lot of things and we rely on international market prices. We just don't have a lot of local raw materials and depend on other countries, markets and American policies and politics. We live with almost 18 million people in a country that is half the size of West-Virginia and still want to maintain parks, nature and other facilities. The main problem is that foreigners/expats all want to live in the same area, usually highly concentrated (and hugely overrated) areas like Utrecht, Amsterdam and Rotterdam and then complain about the houses that are (not) available. And they are far, far better than your New York or Chicago still. The Netherlands is not an open-air amusement park as portrait in your movies where one should have lived at least ones and all come to live on top of each other. Mainly, US expats/immigrants want to live on those anthills, pushing prices up tremendously. Claiming that the prices are unreasonable is caused by the people that actual mention it, don't blame us. Housing is expensive here to begin with. We had no Native Indians to steal the land from. Moreover, a lot of available housing is used for AirBnB's, hostels and hotels, making housing less available that is a burden to us but an inconvenience to you. Dutch people consider a rental house as their own and maintain it as such. Therefore, there is this rule that a house needs to be handed over they way it was accepted. That usually means without carpet etc. because that might not be your choice or liking and you should not be left with a bad choice or have to dispose of it. You have to remove the things before the next one moves in. Don't forget that The Netherlands is created for Dutch tax payers, not for Americans that think that the rest of the world is at their service or it is our job to accommodate you. We set the standard. Having a car is not an investment. I don't understand the limited, unrealistic perception of the vlogger. It is a liability, not an asset. And yes, it is expensive but we have a lot of roads and bicycle lanes to maintain that are kept in a excellent state (unlike the US and many other countries). Where do your taxes go by the way? Quality needs to be paid for. It is not at all a discouragement of the government by upholding costs (where did you get that from) but the people that work on your car have to earn a decent salary as well and not done by Mexican immigrants or underpaid people that need to run 2 or 3 jobs, sorry. That is just a wild guess and a wrong assumption. You can buy a car in another country but you have to pay certain taxes over it because the car will be used on the Dutch roads. It is not forbidden at all. There is free exchange of goods and labor within the Schengen countries. And you want to bring your American gas-guzzler over here, you pay for it. There is also an excellent public transport system that is heavily subsidized by the government. So there goes a big part of the car taxes as well as an alternative, not a discouragement. We Dutch are straight forward and that doesn't go well with a lot of other cultures. Specially the American arrogant attitude that they are God's gift to the rest of the world, doesn't sit very well here. We founded you, not the other way around. Don't come and judge us according to your low(er) standards. Asking "how are you" and then don't listen for the answer for example, is insulting and disrespectful to Dutch people. You have to learn the language basically to participate and be genuine, not just oust words that have no meaning to you, or our answer for that matter. That it is hard to make friends might be true, but Dutch see friends as someone that you can call in the middle of the night when there is a problem, someone you can trust to water your plants when you are on a holiday, not an acquaintance (een kennis) or call everyone a friend just because you bumped into each other or have the same love for sneakers. Generalizing, people in The Netherlands are busy, have a lot of hobbies, do not have maids or laundry services and cook at home mostly and plan things ahead because they have to out of time restrains. We also value time a lot more than money. So don't come and claim our money (being time). And we just don't like it when you just show up at their doorstep, blocking us from the things we want or need to do. Making friends in the summer is just ridiculous. Be reminded please that in The Netherlands, you have to make friends according to our definition and not expect to be accommodated according to your shallow perception of what a friend actually is. If you are not able to make friends in The Netherlands, it is your shortcoming of not being able to adjust to other values and cultures basically. Every country has weather. Here is it's hot, cold and a lot of rain in between or even during. The weather is not erratic because their is no plan behind it, it's nature! In your perception, erratic should be the floods, forest fires, earthquakes, hurricanes and tornado's. Rain is just water like your shower in the morning. For sure one is not sweet enough to melt, so bare with it or don't come or stay here if you are afraid to disintegrate upon arrival. Dutch do not always follow the regulations. It is a "national sport" to deduct from the tax system and bypass existing rules. When it comes to a professional (and even personal) environment, be on time, keep your word and be good for it, otherwise you waste other peoples time and trust. We follow the rules when others are involved because they also rely on it. It is all about respect. Honesty seems to be a problem with the vlogger. He rather beat around the bush and be superficial apparently and expect others to do the same, even in a foreign environment/culture. Most is not a negative but a absolute positive really. We are proud of who we are and have no intention to be American whatsoever or adopt their questionable values. There is no dark side, maybe for the American "visitor" that expect to continue there own life style abroad and expect to other to adopt to them or are simply in search of clickbait. Adjust, accept and respect; you are not at home and you don't pay for what we provide you as a guest. Our infrastructure and provisions are there for you to use and you mostly don't pay for them. Be respectful and stop complaining and, for sure, don't call it a dark side. We are so much more enlightened than you folks. Let's be honest, the US is pretty shady and gloomy, isn't it?! This video is clearly created to subdue the perception of a country that is considered as an example by many in the US and around the world. You do not get bigger by making others look smaller. They still stand at the same height and so do you.
@@baronmeduse The system in the Netherlands where all systems are connected, is so extensive that it is almost impossible to evade or avoid taxes. Everything is connected through the social security number and your ID. Whether you go to a hospital, receive child care, have social support, subsidies and, yes, pay your taxes or even your car registration. It all runs on the same system that makes it impossible to avoid anything. So if you are talking about The Netherlands, it is utter nonsense and extremely poorly informed.
Ohhhh... you're full of crap. You didn't steal land from Indians (Native Americans), but you stole it from South Africans, West Africans, along with a smattering of territorial acquisitions polka-dotting the globe. Americans bought slaves centuries ago brokered wholesale by Dutch traders on the Gold Coast. In South Africa, Apartheid ended only a few decades ago. You might be surprised where a good chunk of the wealth in the Netherlands is derived, wealth which pays for all that exorbitant infrastructure; I'm pretty sure it's not just tech and tax-haven financial instruments. Pesky foreigners? Well, that all started with the German occupation 1940s, whereby under the flag of neutrality, the Netherlands openly rolled out the Welcome-mat for the Nazis. In the end, it was foreigners who kept the Netherlands on the map, and to this day it remains a free country... with a little help from its distant neighbors.
high taxes is true, but a visit to the hospital is free. There is an annual fee, but besides that, you don't need to worry about unpayable bills and oh... everyone needs an insurance, but those are far more affordable than in the US. Besides that, I hear that we have great infrastructure, and when you get out of a job ,the government is paying a big part of your salary for a certain amount of time. There are benefits to paying high taxes
I d like to add that the childcare is quite expensive and poor quality. It’s not caring and too many part-time care givers whom don’t work full time. We lived in Singapore for 13 years, excited to move to Amsterdam, however things just shocked me and with comparison we left after 6 months. Childcare- expensive, minimum support and care. Public school- rough and basic. Medical care - can’t get anything treated and caused so many problems. Salary isn’t high and tax is insanely high Bad weather - just raining, dark for like 4 months. Food- literally lost appetite to go out. After this 6 months honestly after we moved back to Singapore we felt like we were in a developing country. The amount of care that Singapore schools are kindergartens give to children, they charge 7% tax but provide top notch services, great food everywhere…. I encourage European ppl to Aiden’s some time in Asia, like Hong Kong, Singapore, JAPAN. Korea.. you ll notice that East s rising and life here is better. I hope Europe can find the old glory back, but ppl in general need to have more drive, ambition to work and study. I find the emphasis is too much on benefit, relaxing, ect, this is not going to be sustainable. Even they tax 60%
Realy?! Have you been in the Netherlands? 75% in this video is just not true or exaggerated.. And why showing the Red Light district? That's 1 small street in Amsterdam and for tourists.. The Dutch themeselves don't go there.. If you want to know what it's like to live here, there are plenty of other, better informed vlogs here on YT
I've just come back from Amsterdam and I found the Dutch very friendly and polite. I'm English and try to get by with a few Dutch sentences. They could see that I was trying and immediately spoke English. 90 per cent speak English but it's best to learn the language anyway
I'm wiling to argue that owning a car is not expensive at all. I only paid like 50 a month with insurance and tax for my car and my car only costs $1500. Gas is also not THAT expensive, compared to the train or bus. It just depends on how much you travel and for what.
That's half the story. The other half is that in the 70s the housing crisis was way lower than today. Now we are back to the levels of 1945, and it's getting worse. So not entirely true what you say here.
The comment about the wheather is incorrect. There are not much days it rains all the time and spending indoor sin winter was maybe a few decades ago. But the mild winters don't allways bring snow or temperatures below zero. Below zero days in winter are rare these days.
1. It's expensive if you have an expensive life style. Depending on your occupation and how much you earn life can be easy or hard, that applies to any country not just the Netherlands. 2. You should learn the language of the country you live in but it's hardly required. If you don't you might miss out on important information and opportunities. You should not expect other people to know your native language, there's hundreds of different nationalities in the Netherlands and nobody speaks all the languages. 3. Accomodation, this is a problem. Not just in the Netherlands, there is a global housing shortage which raises prices for both buying and renting and with more people moving to the Netherlands this means more competition for the same limited number of houses. All in all, these "dark sides" are common and global, not something that applies specifically to the Netherlands. You will face the same issues anywhere you decide to move (unless you go to a country where the official language is the same as yours USAUKCanada)
Claims that the climate of a country is 'cold', or that 'driving a car is expensive', that 'taxes are high', that 'you need to master Dutch when living in the Netherlands' etc.are all statements based on a comparison. It is important to know what the comparison is then. I mean, for Scandinavians all these claims wouldn't make any sense, as taxes are higher, the climate is colder, it is more expensive to drive a car there and what not. So what is the yardstick for this video? Nigeria? Sri Lanka? That helps to understand the claims
I do agree on learning the language of the country you plan to live, it is only fair and respectful. This is my thoughts on the good and bad points to living in Holland. A good work life balance, as the Dutch are pretty chilled with not working to hard. Infrastructure such as buildings, streets and roads are kept very clean and well maintained. Probably the best roads in Europe. Travel expenses can be funded depending on the company, but I think that's with most companies. Central to most of Europe, so travelling is quicker. You can ride a bike almost anywhere. Feels like a safe place to live, never felt unsafe but I guess that depends on your location. Dutch people seem nice and not so direct as some may think. Good beers. Lots of music cultre and festivals. My bad experiences have to be, Very high taxes, even overtime and company bonuses are taxed at 50% (Crazy!) Houses are small and not cheap. Owning a car is very expensive as to taxes, even public transport is high price. Not much nature to explore, most places feel man made such as beaches and nature parks which makes it very boring. Not easy to find friends here, maybe it is just me but I don’t find it so easy. Almost no Dutch culture with food compared to Germany, France of the south of Europe.
Americans and other English-speaking countries often expect others to speak English and tend to get annoyed when they realize there are other languages out there.
The Netherlands is a very progressive and highly educated nation. The best and fastest way to assimilate in the Netherlands is to show proficiency in the Dutch language. As an American, I have worked and lived in the Netherlands for 20 years. Just get the language under control.
You do not need a car in Holland. The Public transportation is that good. You will gravitate to other expats rather than Dutch friends until you learn Dutch. The weather is worse than you think. In our 8 years there, we had only 5 “good” summers, the bad summers were rainy and cold. Holland is a Police state, you will be observed as a “boutenlander” I.e. outsider.
“It may take a while for the Dutch to include you into their inner circle.” Isn’t that anyone though? Sounds like a lovely place to me! The only pause I have is that it’s a “cold country” but I grew up in the Midwest so I don’t think it’d be too bothersome. The Netherlands is one of my top choices! ❤
"The income tax is higher than other countries in Europe" - Not true, it's about average compared to north european countries. There are many deductibles (aftrekposten), tax deductions (heffingskortingen) and grants (toeslagen) that lower the "average tax pressure" considerably. For example, someone with an income under 20k a year, gets a few thousand deducated from their tax and gets a few thousand in toeslagen. Ending up with a negative nett-tax rate in some cases "high costs of rents" - Mostly a randstad-only issue. There is enough of sub 1000 or even sub 800 homes available outside of the randstad.
Those are very very different country's, Portugal is cheaper but only if you earn above average there. Just like Spain the salaries are lower since the cost of living is low. That's not the case in The Netherlands and live is expansive but the quality of life is high. Good health care, clear governmental procedures, excellent English speaking officials etc. in my opinion. I'm from The Netherlands living in Spain currently.@@arindambanerjee8243
1. It's super expensive, and lately becomes more and more with very high taxes. Gladly, some second-hand stuff is in good shape, so you can save money from there. 2. Learning a language moving to a new country is something you have to expect anyway when you move. 3.housing is super expensive, unreasonably expensive, and very hard to find one to live in. It is one of the biggest problems in the country. 4.owning a car is not per se so expensive, but owning a new car it is, and becomes worse and worse. 5.it is really difficult to make friends here, to talk to them it is easy, they are ok to talk to,but to really become friends it is a different story. They have friends from childhood and uni and they hardly get out of this bubble. 6. The weather is terrible, and some years like this are worse than others. Too much rain and cloudiness,which I used to like but since I moved here I don't anymore, not to that extent. 7. Taxes are super high, you pay taxes almost for everything, eventually working more it doesn't give you extra cash. 8. The directness is good, but some become super rude or arrogant because they think they are always right. So let's keep it somewhere in between. 9. Spontaneity is not smth Dutch appreciate, they need to have a schedule for everything, if you get them out of this they get frustrated. Something you don't mention is that they have the "normaal doen" mindset, which means blend in, don't do smth will make you different, and that can have a positive and negative effect too, some people here they just compromise to be socially accepted, Dutch or not...
Your brother will not be respected as much as foreigners who do learn Dutch. To me it sounds like your brother is lazy or he doesn't care. He won't get my respect.
Watching this as a Dutchman, I am insulted by the fact that ‘we all live by our agenda’. No, not all do, when I was younger, friends always could show up unannounced, and if that was during dinner, we always had enough that someone could join us (and I still live to this standard, how I was brought up by my parents) It’s the southern hospitality as the Netherlands is so much more as ‘de Randstad’. And making friends hard? Totally not. I live in Manchester now and the friends from the Netherlands are all coming over to celebrate the New Year here in Manchester. And our friends from the Netherlands are Dutch, Portuguese, English, Maltese, Venezuelan, Polish, Greek, Iranian, Syrian, Lebanese, Palestinian, Israeli, American we all get a long well and we met during the year around, not only in spring and summer. It all depends on yourself, on your attitude. To be honest It takes more effort in Manchester to make friends as in does in the whole of the Netherlands, but I am happy with my friends here in Manchester as well as I still am with my friends back in the Netherlands.
If you left there tomorrow, it. Isn't likely you would be missed. I enjoyed the times I spent there and while I don't live in the Netherlands, I do enjoy a number of Dutch friends and neighbors in my small French village and in neighboring villages. When we move to a country that speaks another language it isn't just a hurdle to learn the language but a privilege.
Thanks! This all fits with what little I had learned about "the Dutch" from a friend from church in the St. Louis area. His surname is Klemm and when speaking of Dutch clannishness, he said growing up, the saying was "If you ain't Dutch, you ain't much!" Americans owe the Dutch for agreeing to lend the United States sorely needed money during the early years. However, if Trump does not shut up about Greenland, the Dutch will make short work of his international, uh, reputation, if he still has one.
We even pay tax on oure tax. But most of us are speaking very good English. The younger generation is anyways. Its treu we dont make friends fast but when you become one you really are a friend and we will help you harder then in a shallow relationship.
If I'm making the commitment to go and live in a foreign country then the least I can do is have the common decency to learn that country's language. It's convenient and respectful.
You think that this is dark ? Come to Portugal. Same issues, but when yo buy a car, you pay for 2, the minimum wage is not 1800 or 2200 like in the Netherlands, it is 3x LESS, 750 eur a month, and housing almost the same price. And no it is not clean.
As someone from the Netherlands I can say that most of this is true, but keep in mind that this is only a fraction of the whole. As for the 'Straightforwardness' or 'honesty' no one can ever be honest enough in my opinion, this is a thing most Dutch people aren't really sadly.
In France, I find that there is a certain honesty overall, people say what they think, but some subjects are taboo. I don't feel free to express myself on everything, to criticize too much or to debate all sorts of subjects. On the other hand, maybe the Dutch tend to want to go too far, to give their opinion when they haven't been invited, which can hurt.
Right, this little video works hard to find something negative to say, but actually I saw only one actual problem: the housing shortage is real. However if you have a bit of room in your budget that can be solved.
What a poorly argued video. Taxes are indeed ridiculously high, but our infrastructure is of very high quality, if you compare it with others countries inside and outside Europe. People who are unable to work due to disability can get a basic income. People with a disadvantage on the labour market can work in a special place, there are plenty to mention, which Dutch makes possible through taxes. In other countries, it is generally not as well regulated i as it is in the Netherlands. By the way, it is also quite normal, when you emigrate, that you have at least some command of the language of the country you want to go to... I don't think it would be accepted either if I, as a Dutchman, spoke Dutch when I emigrate. Indeed, even I adapt to do my comment in English, so that the wretches of this channel can also understand it.
these things are either not problems, very exaggerated or simply not true (dutch people are slow to do anything (its the opposite), it is difficult to make friends)
How is this the dark side? I plan to eventually moved to the Netherlands but not before I am fluent in Dutch! That’s the least expectations before moving to any country!
I have a Dutch partner … I’m from scotland but grew up in South Africa and afrikaans is a sister language of Dutch …. His English is now really good 👍 now
How is directness a negative? People in Canada aren't direct and I can't stand it. I'd probably find the directness jarring at first but I'd get used to it. I tend to respect people more when they're direct.
I’ve been to the Netherlands with my family was one of the bests time I had (unless some blunt security staff, officers… etc) however was in the uk for 30 days and couldn’t stand it to the point I got seasonal affective disorder because of the people anytime I spend 5 days plus in the uk I lose taste of food it was my worse days of my life! It’s not the weather when hearing the name it’s the people that affect everything to be more direct: it’s not the sin, it’s the heart!🖐🏻
I've just visited Amsterdam and found that it's a safe and clean city. Everything is well organized with many nice architecture buildings. In Nemo museum i saw a lot of children and i guess tht dutch govrtm must have cared much for their citizens. Ppls there must have paid high tax for this comfort and cozy. Weather in holland is so rainy ,fair cold and foods has nothing special. Dutchs are opened, direct way and focus in self interests. There r not many tourists at this time becuz of global crisis. Amsterdam city is worthy for u to visit.
It comes beautifully packaged, but the real dark side hits when you have to deal with housing, bureaucracy, banks, competition (job), double-standards, etc. These things can also be considered as standard things, but the difficulty level in the Netherlands is a bit higher if you're a new comer. If you know the joke about "tourism and immigration", you know what I mean.
Learning the national language isn't a disadvantage.😅 That's just decency. I see how foreigners not learning English has negatively impacted America. I wouldn't inflict that on someone else. Common sense and common courtesy. I will learn Dutch if I move to the Netherlands, np.
You have no choice. if you live here and you speak any other language than Dutch you'll be ignored. Dutch is the official language or you would want to learn Frisian which is only spoken by Frisians.
@@knijn In my country it would be considered normal to want people to speak the national language. But the fact that locals understand another language well and are more tolerant of foreigners' mistakes when learning the official language is a good thing.
If learning the language of the country you move to is a "dark side" of that country for you, you shouldn't move out of your country at all. Of course you need to learn enough of the language to be a functioning adult in that country!
Amen! Preach!!
Literal common sense to study a language if you’re moving or traveling to a different country smh
Yep, that was my thought too. What a weird thing to say. You can say that about ANY country, and probably more so for English-speaking countries where the population rarely speak another language. At least in the Netherlands almost everyone speak pretty decent English, as well as French and German.
The British and the Americans tend not understand the concept of a 2nd language because they only speak one. Well, it's not as good the first, your compromising on expression, precision and humour. They will say something like 'they have the same sense of humour' but they actually have no clue because the typical Dutch humour is in Dutch and doesn't get through to them.
What they and other English speakers also forget is that Dutch learned English for their own advantage, not to encourage laziness in foreigners and explain them everything going on in the country.
Most of the English and American native's mentality still points to the colonial master mentality of superiority, with no need to learn another language. People who learn other people's languages have created an advantage for themselves that value diversity.
I can't stand how Americans and other English speaking countries just expect everyone else to speak English too and tend to get upset when they realize there are other languages out there. Learn at least some of the language not just out of necessity but as a courtesy to the native people as well.
I live in Azerbaijan and whenever people visit here, they want us to talk russian. Why should we when we have our perfectly good language? I definitely understand your frustration! I want to move to the netherlands in the future and learning the language is a very rational thing to do. I visited Korea this summer (learning the language in uni) and even though my korean isn't good yet, I tried my best to speak in korean if I knew what I was saying. It is also helpful in the long term, can't go your entire life somewhere without knowing the local language
@@AminaOwO because when Russia have done with Ukraine,they will be coming for your country sadly 😢
This video was produced in the Ukraine which is not an English speaking country.
@@petertownend7777 No, they won't. Stop guzzling the kool-aid
Most Americans are not like this at all. Considering they are already used to huge portions of their population not speaking English … sure some are ignorant but these are usually temporary tourists not expats. The number of expats living in the Netherlands who learn Dutch is extremely high, I am one of them. And I would say at least 70% of the expat community I know speak Dutch at a very high level.
Hoped for some stronger reasons against my country.
1) It's not that expensive, yes taxes are high but you also get a lot in return if you have a low income. It's however difficult to live very extravagant.
2) The Dutch are the best non-native country at speaking English, you will be fine if you only speak English and within cities you can socialize with other expats. Learning Dutch does help of course.
3) Accommodation is fair, it's very difficult to find affordable housing.
4) its expensive to own a car, but the great thing you don't even have to because you can live with just a bike. Half of the people I know within a city do not even have a car and it saves them a few hundred bucks a month.
5) It is always difficult to make friends, Dutch are welcoming but you need to make the first step. They also don't look at you weird if you say I need friends, we understand.
6) The weather, fair.
7) Taxes are high, already mentioned in 1. Yes they are but they also pay for a high quality of living, healthcare, childcare, infrastructure, safety, job security etc.
8) And yes we are direct, but not rude! We like to help and try to give solid advice if you would come to this country and are running into some things.
I add 9). Food, if you are a foodie you can of course go to restaurants etc. But it is not as a big thing as in other countries like France or Italy.
Only point 3 and 6 are fair. Point 5 is more dependent on you as a person. Point 1 is fair if you want to be a millionaire, show of your Ferrari and expect some praise of how successful you are. We do not do that here.
Arrogant people. Bad food except the cheese and bread. Hideous weather, bad beaches, no mountains, open prostitution and drugs, ridiculous political conformity, expensive , and much more.You are rude. People don’t need to hear your opinions in such a harsh way just as i am doing now. Unhelpful. The airport is the worst in the world too.
The fact that this list doesn’t have any real problems on it makes me want to move even more
Just thought the exact same haha
thanks for this.
Move and you will realize the problems after a while.
@@ninailia8552like... what?
@@rmyikzelf5604 very expensive rents and house prices, not so good Healthcare system, people overall are not so happy a lot of complaints, very high taxes. Young generations are not in a good position overall...
Here is the real list, from a foreigner, a Spanish speaker, living in the Netherlands:
- Rents too high (buying surprisingly not so much)
- Healthcare has good quality, but it's difficult to get something investigated. They tend to disregard your problem saying it's probably nothing (you may pay 300 euros for going to the emergency room in the middle of the night, where the only thing they did was listening to you and then telling its probably nothing).
- Weather sucks most of the time, even in the summer, but when it's sunny it is amazing.
- Dutch food isn't the best and the majority of foreign food also suffers from this. I'm amazed that Uber eats options are so much in Cuba. Luckily there are some good options once you find them and you can always cook your own.
- Taxes are very high. However, the country functions very well.
Good things:
- Dutch people are amazingly nice and welcoming (I love them). They are genuine and transparent, which sometimes can come across as rude to foreigners. But overall a good trait once you get used to it since it goes both ways, you can also be truly free to speak your mind.
- Virtually everyone speaks good English, French and in some cases Spanish, which I love they make the effort.
- It's a safe and peaceful place to live and they also don't care about looks or other superficial things.
- The country works so well. Everything is so organized.
this is a good list. I agree.
No, bad healthcare!!!! Very bad!!!!
Thank you. This is an actual list of pros and cons of living in The Netherlands.
these make more sense. And yea, lots of people see high taxes as a negative, but if the country functions as well as it does, I would gladly pay those taxes. Better than U.S. where the money basically disappears, goes to the army, or back into fixing asphalt roads.Never really improves the quality of life for the average citizen anyone anymore.
Buying is actually very expensive depending where you buy. Even if you move out of the three biggest cities you're looking at €300,000 if you don't want a 2 bedroom box. Plus there's a massive housing shortage (for the last 20 years).
I totally disagree with the language part. Dutch people are excellent English speakers. This is the main reason why it's so difficult to learn Dutch. You just can't motivate yourself enough since literally everyone speaks perfect English starting from the young age. You won't have a situation when someone doesn't understand you. But if you do learn Dutch and you're trying to use it in conversations, people are more than happy to help you.
Lana yeah is a nice English speaking country
But need to tell you some more about the country
Text me ❤
@Grote Scheiße I guess, they really enjoy speaking English and proud of it.
Not everyone here speaks perfect English. Have you ever heard of Dunglish? It's a mix Dutch and English and it's spoken by the majority of the Netherlands. You would call it broken English.
Being direct, honest and doing what you say are bad things now?
The world has gone insane! 😂
Yep modern society. You better be fake and lie! lol
We don't do snowflakes in here!
Hahahaha it’s amazing how Dutchies wanna say they are direct and honest when that is a lie on its own 😂 they are the worst of the worst and they can’t stand to hear the truth
Yeah shipping fees and some necessary activities are somehow high
But is a nice place to be
3:29 this is LITERALLY the main reason i want to move to the netherlands, because it isn't as stupidly car-centric as the usa. it feels like this guy is finding good things about the netherlands and trying to make them sound bad.
not just bikes watcher?
Hij is gewoon een luie amerikaan
@@yuulfujiwhat is that? US car dependency is just disgusting and depressing. No wonder everyone in the US is greedy, and depressed.
@@KK-fw4zq its a youtube channel all about how car dependant other countries are compared to the netherlands. if you’re interested in that kind of stuff I recommend his channel.
@@yuulfuji oh wow! Didn’t know such channel existed! Very informative and everything I thought was wrong living here in the US.
I wouldn't translate "Afspraak is afspraak" "A meeting is a meeting" but rather "An agreement is an agreement" (Honor your agreement)
its because its all computer generated videos.
Agreed, “a meeting is a meeting” is a poor translation
"afspraak" depending on which context it's used in means appointment, bijvoorbeeld " Op woensdag ochtend ik heb een afspraak met mijn dokter"..I'm not Dutch originally from London England, moved to the Netherlands 3 years ago now I speak dutch
@@daytonarol3x Yes, " an appointment is an appointment" is an even more accurate translation of " Afspraak is afspraak"
Heel goed gedaan!
How strange.... a Dutch speaking county mostly having signs in their native language. Oh well.
i am flabbergasted haha ik ken een spreekwoord, een bord voor je kop hebben,,,mmh tja
😂😂😂
Although the myth of Dutch people speaking English at a very high level is still promoted, foreigners do not seem to grasp the reality of Dutch speaking Dutch. In the Netherlands Dutch is the first language and that's why signs are in Dutch. If you really expect that all Dutch people will switch to English the moment that they notice that you're not Dutch you will be disappointed. A lot of Dutch people will insist on speaking Dutch even though they are quite capable of speaking English, German or French. The general thought is that if you're not willing to learn some basic Dutch sentences, why should Dutch people go to through the trouble of switching to a foreign language in their own country?
When you're in Rome, act like the Romans, when you're in the Netherlands, at least make an effort to speak Dutch.
We do not expect you to speak fluent Dutch. We won't hold it against you if make mistakes. We will however ignore you if you can't be bothered to at least make en effort to learn some basic Dutch words sentences.
What's difficult about:
Hallo = Hello
Tot Ziens = See you later
Goedemorgen = Good morning
Goede avond = Good evening
Bedankt = Thanks
Dank u = Thank you
Sorry = Sorry
Alstublieft = (if it pleases you) = Please
How rude of us, that we expect a foreigner to learn some basics of Dutch and we can't completely accommodate you in other languages the entire time, from A to Z. Even our signs are in Dutch, how dare we! Try this entitled attitude in countries as Germany, France, Spain, Poland or Italy and check how much they will adapt to your desire to be spoken to in English and then come back to this comment section. You hypocrite. When are you leaving? We'll throw a little party here when you are.
Dutch is a grotesque language.
No sane person wants to speak that wretched lingo.
The Dutch have a curious nature, eccentric but charmless.
@user-gz1hg7fd4v , hey being a 5"9 blonde blue eyed American woman, whose great grandmother was drowned for founding your church by the catholic church, and my grandfather was killed in a ship wreck. No wonder my orphan grandfather came to America to become a senator and his children became camandors of the American navy. I'm rude to, maybe I may not want to visit or learn the language of my country if this is how you act..
De beste manier om nederlands te leren, is nederlands proberen te praten. Dat wordt gewaardeerd .
Dutch is so similar to Afrikaans( which is what i speak) most of it is just a 2 letter difference so i dont think id really have a problem fitting in
As an introvert that likes cold weather and direct ppl living a high standard life, this is the perfect place for me ❤
Hehehe me too I think...
Is that the worst you got? To be honest I've heard all this before about Europe at large. Nothing that bad. Don't forget the taxes have two components, you get something in return for those taxes and second wages are adjusted to accommodate those taxes. Housing is legitimate but depending on where you are at in the US housing is insane here.
I moved here from England and friends asked me about the high taxation.
My reply is always that I can see a doctor, and we don’t have potholes in the roads
I'm a Brit living in the Netherlands for the best part of 25 years, I've lived in rural zeeland and now the port city of Rotterdam.... I'm afraid I don't recognise half of the comments made here...
Yes the taxes are high and the Dutch pretty much play by the rules ( sometimes to the point of being blinkered)
But the public transport system especially in the big cities is second to none,in fact in the city a car is a liability, the Netherlands is a very small country with a relatively large population and the majority of towns and cities were built so long ago there was no need for wide streets, and the houses were taxed on the width of the building ( so we have a lot of narrow, long and high buildings in the inner cities, this is not what the young countries with plenty of land are used to....as for the language issue,i know many people who live and work here from all over the world that don't speak Dutch but have English as a first or second language within any problems...( Don't forget there is a labour shortage like everywhere these days and people of all languages are welcome regardless)
The health care system is extremely good and so are the labour and employment regulations and workers rights.
The Dutch people are nothing like the way described as not easy to get into the circle of friends.....I have some of the closest friends I've ever had both in zeeland and Rotterdam, made just as if I had been in their lives for years and years.......
So yes taxes are high,a car can be expensive in the big cities, housing is in a problem but it's being addressed with big building projects all over the country ( which in itself is problematic because of the lack of young people who want to work in the building trade, the good wages and well regulated workplace has attracted lots of East European builders have arrived and make a huge difference, however they also need to be housed which leaves less for the local people, add to that the people who need to be rehoused in order to demolish the older buildings and build new)
Living and working here having no Dutch is not only possible but a good experience.....
Totally agree with you 💪🏽👌🏽🤝🏾🇬🇧🇳🇱
"You need to learn a New language" isnt that for moving to litteraly every other country? Like ofc ur gonna need to learn the language atleast a bit
Hell I'm dutch and my wife is japanese. She lives with me in the Netherlands and I'm learning Japanese because she needs to learn dutch for her inburgering.
It's only fair!
@@dankfarrik8376 Exactlyyy
No.
@@R53Hole why?
I would make it an international law, if you move to another country, you MUST learn their language to a reasonable level, within five years. I find it immensely ignorant when people move to another country and can barely speak the language even after 5 - 50 years. In addition, you must respect their culture and way of life, whilst keeping your own. Lastly, you must never make demands that suit your culture on your new country. As the saying goes, “when in Rome, do as the Romans do.” If you don’t agree with any of the above, then stay in your country. End of.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Agreed. I don't like it when foreigners, or even Dutch people, say that speaking Dutch is useless (in this case) just because "we" speak English well (about three million Dutch people DO NOT speak English well). Not integrating completely just because many of the natives speak your language well enough is disrespectful and rude. Hearing an adn seeing the use of aglicisms in the media and by young people is so irritating as well. If you're not a migrant who is still learning, then why are you mixing up Dutch with English? It's usually an indicator that the person sucks at speaking both languages seperately, but it's sold as being cool and trendy (and there's even people saying that we should abolish our mother tongue and just speak English- hereby disrespecting and disposing of our culture and history in favour of something as shallow as globalisation and "making it easier in terms of trade and geopolitics"). Indeed, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. If you can't or don't want to, stay where you are.
The biggest mistake Gulf Arabian countries do is to accept English language
@@Ned-nw6ge Can't argue for that one. But if you want that, we Americans can just leave NATO and let you guys sort yourselves out against Russia.
Which language though? If you're in England and you go to Cornwall should you learn Cornish too? English is a mash-up of other languages. What about Celtic? In Canada would you learn French, English and all the tribal languages? USA: English or Navajo, Cherokee, Choctaw, Muscogee, Dakota, Lakota, Western Apache, Keres, Hopi, Zuni, Kiowa, Ojibwe, O'odham, Miwuk?
I am Dutch and this is a fair assessment of what living in the Netherlands is like.
Yes, please stay away, don't relocate here.
North Africans love it here.🇳🇱🐪
Hahah, nice
Don’t worry the only foreigners they are welcoming are the so called asylum seekers in other words you are only welcome if you don’t adapt, destabilize the healthcare and housing market and above all don’t want to work. The real Dutch will pay for it all without any hesitation completely brainwashed by a Sesame Street government.
🤣🤣🤣
Yeah especially if you have the attitude of the guy in the video.
It's gets "cold" in the Netherlands. Have you been to Chicago? XD. I've been in the Netherlands for like 3.5 years and visited in the winter prior to living here, but it has never been Sub-Zero xD.
Well snowing that much in the netherlands never happens.
When was the last time you see so much snow in the Netherlands?
Vorige eeuw of zo😅
@ebalbal3370 The last time it froze so hard that the river Rhine froze over was in 1956. I remember it well.
I remember a lot of snow for a few days in like 2018 or so, remember having a great time cycling home in weather I had not expected or prepared for at all, and witnised a poor guy falling of his bike near the Grote Kerk in The Hague because the combination of snow hiding the tram tracks and the slipperiness.
But that snow was also gone like a few days later.
As a child in the 80 we could ride a sleigh most years but only a couple of days in december January or februari, for the last 30 year there is a lot less snow or skating in ice. The climate is not so bad i think. Uk and Scandinavië are a lot worse.
@@jan22150 Start or end of 1956? I was born in that year.
I am really surprised that you complain about learning another language. Is it not normal to learn the language of the country you gonna live in? When I am going to live in the USA I have to learn to speak English. I cannot expect that every American will talk Dutch to me. So why is it a dark side of the Netherlands to learn to speak the local language?
Directness is a Dark Side? For me as a Finnish it’s a great PLUS. I hate the Indian taxi driver attitude of ”no problem sir!” Or the all-around American smiling attitude in every, even tricky, situation.
Yeah you basically always have to play a guessing game and read minds what people actually think ( at least that’s how I always felt) like someone will dislike you but smile to your face and invite you to their birthday like what????? Or someone will say “yes we will order that for the project “ and never order it because they’re immune to saying “no” like wtf 😮😮 plus dutch aren’t that direct in some cases , most of. The time they try to be respectfully direct at least people around me .
This level of directness is considered to be rude for foreigners. We do not mean it that way, but it's usually received as rudeness.
@@knijnAh, the typical response. Why is it so difficult for many people from blunt cultures to understand that 1) honesty and politeness are not mutually exclusive 2) just because you're being honest and your intent is not bad doesn't mean you are not rude 3) being honest/direct without any filters IS rude?
@@ihsahnakerfeldt9280Because culture is based on norms and values, and our culture renders your points (especially 2 and 3) inapplicable to the situations where we state our opinions while you consider it rude directness
Edit: also, who said we dont have a filter? Its just a filter that filters out other things than you would filter out
@@viktorvondoom9119 If someone you think is unattractive hits on you, do you think it's ok for you to reject them by saying "no you're ugly" as opposed to "sorry you're not my type"?
Making friends in the Netherlands is still difficult when you're Dutch 💀. Especially if you live in a different region than the one you were born in (because the locals will notice, and will subtly let you know that they don't see you as 'one of them'- at least that's my experience as a Hollander living in Brabant). You have the best chance in a group where nobody knows each other yet, like in a first year's student class.
Most points except for the part where the govt is tryna discouraging driving sounds like Canada. Except add more Indian people and less walkable or bikeable areas and lack of forthrightness.
Shopping on Amazon Germany doesn't make sense. As soon as you pay, the VAT will be calculated according to the country it is shipped to. This is European law.
Wow and landlords that charge higher rents due to shortage, this litterally happens in EVERY country especially when there is tourism.
The facts are so general that you can almost copy them one on one to every European country.
You are mentioning the high taxes twice, but you are not mentioning what you get in return for that, a very high level social security system, nor do you mention anything about the subsidies you get when you are earning the minimal wage.
I thought that this video would have some sarcastic humouristic view at the Netherlands but this is just rubbish, non informative and one really learns NOTHING from this.
Although it may seem counterintuitive, shopping on the German Amazon site is cheaper than buying on the Dutch site, I would say 9 out of 10 times. The differences can be substantial.
It has nothing to do with btw, which is 2 percent point higher in Germany anyway. This is why I keep my Prime subscription on the German site (can't have'm on both) whilst I live in The Netherlands.
@@johnvanderschee6345 Yes it is true that the German site is cheaper, but as you say, this is not due to the VAT, which the video is suggesting. How high is the VAT in the Netherlands these days? When I left the country it was 21% and Germany 19% I believe.
I live in Portugal and Portugal does not have its own Amazon website so I must use the Spanish one. But I am sure that if we would have one, everything would be more expensive here. Now if I shop something on the Spanish site, the price always goes up because of our ridiculous 23% VAT we have here in Portugal.
waiting long for service has not been my experience but i find most dutch locals to be aloof and detached
Except for the housing shortages this is basically every country
Its not an expensive country, maybe now with the war in Ukraine, but that is in every country nowadays. Also, off course its expensive to book a hotel in Amsterdam, thats pure tourism, go somewhere else in the NLs then, plenty of place.. look American, this country doesnt only exist of Amsterdam. If you went on a trip to France, you stay at Paris only, cause why not.. youre a culture crusher and not looking at the rest of the country person, you have to pay very much more.. and why ?? BECAUSE OF TOURISTS LIKE YOU WHO ONLY GO TO PARIS AND AMSTERDAM
It’s 50% bullshit and 50% accurate. The Dutch are one happiest in the world and 18th GDP in the world and 6th GDP in Europe. Good infrastructure, cheap healthcare and almost everyone speaks English. The Neterlands is not much different then Belgium, Germany or Denmark
They give you straight answers when you ask and it's not that expensive in Amsterdam if you live in London or Paris
It's their country learn their language - it's courtesy and everyone speaks English anyway unless you go to the country side
The people are more open polite and kind as you move out of the cities - like most cities
The biggest problem about this video is that they seem to focus on Amsterdam and then explain it as being a country, while outside of Amsterdam rents are usually lower and especially when you get outside the Randstad, prices can be very mild in general.
And about the countryside: I sometimes get the feeling people there speak better English than in big cities like Amsterdam or Rotterdam. Especially the English of members of staff in public transport is sometimes abysmal.
Ik ben in januari van dit jaar begonnen met investeren en handelen op de digitale markt. Ik ben 28 jaar en spaar momenteel 1.500 euro van mijn salaris. Ik heb nergens spijt van, behalve dat ik niet tijdens mijn studie ben begonnen met beleggen. Bedankt Naoko Muriel, zonder jou zou ik nog steeds geld van mijn bankrekening verbranden
I live year and a half in Netherlands, I love the country and the Dutch people, but I'm moving soon. It is too expensive, I've had a lot of issues with certain institutions, the rents especially for foreigners are very high and not good at all. Above that, Netherlands is a very beautiful country with nice people and it was a positive experience in my life!
well the states rents are no better, the USA is very expensive under this administration of Biden, the worst president ever, wait until he gets out of office, so far this place sucks
Where are you moving
The rent for foreigners...
No you jump on the migrant tour where they all clod together in the same provinces and cities which we the dutch refuse to live. They sell you overpriced homes up to 400% in amsterdam for example over Emmen.
So you let yourself be scammed. because if you called IND which is the immigration service they helped you with all these issues without f-ing you over with places like amsterdam or such recommendations.
you scam yourself dont blame the nation, every place has a area that wants to extract your money, the west part of NL and the south both have a giant hand in that. So if you choose to live in 60m2 for 2000 euro thats your failure.
If you decide to live in the east you find homes for
@@user-fq2ty Why didn't you read his message?
The second sentence. "It is too expensive".
@@knijn I said "Where" no "Why" you motherfucker, don't you know the difference? Why didn't you read my message?
there is a dutch girl that told us the kids in netherlands are toxic
She's right.
Yes, if you eat Dutch kids you'll get sick
they are extremly rude. Can't behave in public places, most of them of course.
They're horrible. Deport them!
The income tax rates are mostly not correctly displayed. There are a lot of "belastingschijven" where you are taxed according to your taxable income, not gross income. They tend to talk about the gross rates and not the taxable amounts, ignoring the salary deductibles and the rates for healthcare, pension and social security. I think The Netherlands has the highest numbers of possible deductibles as well and there are a lot of subsidies and child support, among many others. The Netherlands has chosen to follow the socialist model (no, Americans, that is not far left or even communism). It is where society looks after all, specially the less fortunate and provides social services for everybody, even foreigners. We maintain a model where the taxes flow back to the people, not the 1% and then trickles down.
The government takes things in their own hands (like public services, hospitals, drugs), paid for by taxes to all. But at the same time, The Netherlands is one of the most free and liberal countries in existence, often introducing liberal thoughts first like euthanasia, registered prostitutes, same sex marriages, use of soft drugs and so on. Not even to mention The Netherlands provided the first company, shares, stock market and 99% of your constitution which you now all call your own. You are living according to our model but, quite frankly, have messed it up altogether. The 247-year old experiment as you want to call it, has pretty much failed. And then there are the privacy laws here that are basically non existent in the US. You just live in a totally different manner, with different values and morals which are, mostly all, inferior to ours.
Customer service goes by the idea that people have their own responsibility and fortitude. Not like the US where the tendency is that people need to be handheld and taught (hence the burning coffee, chicken nuggets and dog in a microwave story). Dutch people are not submissive people because we believe everyone is equal. So don't expect to be treated as such in general and with Customer Service in particular. I honestly don't know where the statement comes from that "The Netherlands is known to...". It sounds like a wild guess or clickbait or American tunnelvision that everything should be sculpted after their example.
The customer is King, but only if they act Royal, is the Dutch credo! They are there to help you, not to be perceived like a servant.
The housing crisis is caused by too many people living (and want to live) in The Netherlands, combined with the effects of the Corona crisis where new development was put on hold. Not even want to mention the banking crisis 15 years ago the US faced us with by providing too much credit their own economy could no longer afford or the international politics they push down our throats that make prices rise and cause inflation allover the place till date. They have caused so many shortages in supply that prices must rise. And in The Netherlands we have to import a lot of things and we rely on international market prices. We just don't have a lot of local raw materials and depend on other countries, markets and American policies and politics.
We live with almost 18 million people in a country that is half the size of West-Virginia and still want to maintain parks, nature and other facilities. The main problem is that foreigners/expats all want to live in the same area, usually highly concentrated (and hugely overrated) areas like Utrecht, Amsterdam and Rotterdam and then complain about the houses that are (not) available. And they are far, far better than your New York or Chicago still. The Netherlands is not an open-air amusement park as portrait in your movies where one should have lived at least ones and all come to live on top of each other.
Mainly, US expats/immigrants want to live on those anthills, pushing prices up tremendously. Claiming that the prices are unreasonable is caused by the people that actual mention it, don't blame us. Housing is expensive here to begin with. We had no Native Indians to steal the land from. Moreover, a lot of available housing is used for AirBnB's, hostels and hotels, making housing less available that is a burden to us but an inconvenience to you.
Dutch people consider a rental house as their own and maintain it as such. Therefore, there is this rule that a house needs to be handed over they way it was accepted. That usually means without carpet etc. because that might not be your choice or liking and you should not be left with a bad choice or have to dispose of it. You have to remove the things before the next one moves in.
Don't forget that The Netherlands is created for Dutch tax payers, not for Americans that think that the rest of the world is at their service or it is our job to accommodate you. We set the standard.
Having a car is not an investment. I don't understand the limited, unrealistic perception of the vlogger. It is a liability, not an asset. And yes, it is expensive but we have a lot of roads and bicycle lanes to maintain that are kept in a excellent state (unlike the US and many other countries). Where do your taxes go by the way? Quality needs to be paid for.
It is not at all a discouragement of the government by upholding costs (where did you get that from) but the people that work on your car have to earn a decent salary as well and not done by Mexican immigrants or underpaid people that need to run 2 or 3 jobs, sorry. That is just a wild guess and a wrong assumption. You can buy a car in another country but you have to pay certain taxes over it because the car will be used on the Dutch roads. It is not forbidden at all. There is free exchange of goods and labor within the Schengen countries. And you want to bring your American gas-guzzler over here, you pay for it. There is also an excellent public transport system that is heavily subsidized by the government. So there goes a big part of the car taxes as well as an alternative, not a discouragement.
We Dutch are straight forward and that doesn't go well with a lot of other cultures. Specially the American arrogant attitude that they are God's gift to the rest of the world, doesn't sit very well here. We founded you, not the other way around. Don't come and judge us according to your low(er) standards. Asking "how are you" and then don't listen for the answer for example, is insulting and disrespectful to Dutch people. You have to learn the language basically to participate and be genuine, not just oust words that have no meaning to you, or our answer for that matter.
That it is hard to make friends might be true, but Dutch see friends as someone that you can call in the middle of the night when there is a problem, someone you can trust to water your plants when you are on a holiday, not an acquaintance (een kennis) or call everyone a friend just because you bumped into each other or have the same love for sneakers. Generalizing, people in The Netherlands are busy, have a lot of hobbies, do not have maids or laundry services and cook at home mostly and plan things ahead because they have to out of time restrains. We also value time a lot more than money. So don't come and claim our money (being time). And we just don't like it when you just show up at their doorstep, blocking us from the things we want or need to do.
Making friends in the summer is just ridiculous. Be reminded please that in The Netherlands, you have to make friends according to our definition and not expect to be accommodated according to your shallow perception of what a friend actually is. If you are not able to make friends in The Netherlands, it is your shortcoming of not being able to adjust to other values and cultures basically.
Every country has weather. Here is it's hot, cold and a lot of rain in between or even during. The weather is not erratic because their is no plan behind it, it's nature! In your perception, erratic should be the floods, forest fires, earthquakes, hurricanes and tornado's. Rain is just water like your shower in the morning. For sure one is not sweet enough to melt, so bare with it or don't come or stay here if you are afraid to disintegrate upon arrival.
Dutch do not always follow the regulations. It is a "national sport" to deduct from the tax system and bypass existing rules. When it comes to a professional (and even personal) environment, be on time, keep your word and be good for it, otherwise you waste other peoples time and trust. We follow the rules when others are involved because they also rely on it. It is all about respect. Honesty seems to be a problem with the vlogger. He rather beat around the bush and be superficial apparently and expect others to do the same, even in a foreign environment/culture.
Most is not a negative but a absolute positive really. We are proud of who we are and have no intention to be American whatsoever or adopt their questionable values. There is no dark side, maybe for the American "visitor" that expect to continue there own life style abroad and expect to other to adopt to them or are simply in search of clickbait. Adjust, accept and respect; you are not at home and you don't pay for what we provide you as a guest. Our infrastructure and provisions are there for you to use and you mostly don't pay for them. Be respectful and stop complaining and, for sure, don't call it a dark side. We are so much more enlightened than you folks. Let's be honest, the US is pretty shady and gloomy, isn't it?!
This video is clearly created to subdue the perception of a country that is considered as an example by many in the US and around the world. You do not get bigger by making others look smaller. They still stand at the same height and so do you.
It also has a lot of tax evaders/avoiders.
@@baronmeduse The system in the Netherlands where all systems are connected, is so extensive that it is almost impossible to evade or avoid taxes.
Everything is connected through the social security number and your ID. Whether you go to a hospital, receive child care, have social support, subsidies and, yes, pay your taxes or even your car registration. It all runs on the same system that makes it impossible to avoid anything.
So if you are talking about The Netherlands, it is utter nonsense and extremely poorly informed.
Ohhhh... you're full of crap. You didn't steal land from Indians (Native Americans), but you stole it from South Africans, West Africans, along with a smattering of territorial acquisitions polka-dotting the globe. Americans bought slaves centuries ago brokered wholesale by Dutch traders on the Gold Coast. In South Africa, Apartheid ended only a few decades ago. You might be surprised where a good chunk of the wealth in the Netherlands is derived, wealth which pays for all that exorbitant infrastructure; I'm pretty sure it's not just tech and tax-haven financial instruments.
Pesky foreigners? Well, that all started with the German occupation 1940s, whereby under the flag of neutrality, the Netherlands openly rolled out the Welcome-mat for the Nazis. In the end, it was foreigners who kept the Netherlands on the map, and to this day it remains a free country... with a little help from its distant neighbors.
I lived there it was NOT GOOD to cold
high taxes is true, but a visit to the hospital is free. There is an annual fee, but besides that, you don't need to worry about unpayable bills and oh... everyone needs an insurance, but those are far more affordable than in the US. Besides that, I hear that we have great infrastructure, and when you get out of a job ,the government is paying a big part of your salary for a certain amount of time. There are benefits to paying high taxes
I d like to add that the childcare is quite expensive and poor quality. It’s not caring and too many part-time care givers whom don’t work full time. We lived in Singapore for 13 years, excited to move to Amsterdam, however things just shocked me and with comparison we left after 6 months.
Childcare- expensive, minimum support and care.
Public school- rough and basic.
Medical care - can’t get anything treated and caused so many problems.
Salary isn’t high and tax is insanely high
Bad weather - just raining, dark for like 4 months.
Food- literally lost appetite to go out.
After this 6 months honestly after we moved back to Singapore we felt like we were in a developing country.
The amount of care that Singapore schools are kindergartens give to children, they charge 7% tax but provide top notch services, great food everywhere….
I encourage European ppl to Aiden’s some time in Asia, like Hong Kong, Singapore, JAPAN. Korea.. you ll notice that East s rising and life here is better.
I hope Europe can find the old glory back, but ppl in general need to have more drive, ambition to work and study. I find the emphasis is too much on benefit, relaxing, ect, this is not going to be sustainable. Even they tax 60%
Realy?! Have you been in the Netherlands? 75% in this video is just not true or exaggerated..
And why showing the Red Light district? That's 1 small street in Amsterdam and for tourists.. The Dutch themeselves don't go there..
If you want to know what it's like to live here, there are plenty of other, better informed vlogs here on YT
The Netherlands invented alot of things, very well developed
I've just come back from Amsterdam and I found the Dutch very friendly and polite. I'm English and try to get by with a few Dutch sentences. They could see that I was trying and immediately spoke English. 90 per cent speak English but it's best to learn the language anyway
I'm wiling to argue that owning a car is not expensive at all. I only paid like 50 a month with insurance and tax for my car and my car only costs $1500. Gas is also not THAT expensive, compared to the train or bus. It just depends on how much you travel and for what.
Housing shortages have been in the Netherlands since the Second World War and never went away. Just a very small country with lots of people.
That's half the story. The other half is that in the 70s the housing crisis was way lower than today. Now we are back to the levels of 1945, and it's getting worse. So not entirely true what you say here.
The comment about the wheather is incorrect. There are not much days it rains all the time and spending indoor sin winter was maybe a few decades ago. But the mild winters don't allways bring snow or temperatures below zero. Below zero days in winter are rare these days.
Me : crying for saying all mean stuff to my country me unsubing
1. It's expensive if you have an expensive life style. Depending on your occupation and how much you earn life can be easy or hard, that applies to any country not just the Netherlands.
2. You should learn the language of the country you live in but it's hardly required. If you don't you might miss out on important information and opportunities. You should not expect other people to know your native language, there's hundreds of different nationalities in the Netherlands and nobody speaks all the languages.
3. Accomodation, this is a problem. Not just in the Netherlands, there is a global housing shortage which raises prices for both buying and renting and with more people moving to the Netherlands this means more competition for the same limited number of houses.
All in all, these "dark sides" are common and global, not something that applies specifically to the Netherlands. You will face the same issues anywhere you decide to move (unless you go to a country where the official language is the same as yours USAUKCanada)
You can say that making friends in any country is difficult not just The Netherlands.
22nd highest tax rate out of 38 is not that high, or did I misunderstand
Claims that the climate of a country is 'cold', or that 'driving a car is expensive', that 'taxes are high', that 'you need to master Dutch when living in the Netherlands' etc.are all statements based on a comparison. It is important to know what the comparison is then. I mean, for Scandinavians all these claims wouldn't make any sense, as taxes are higher, the climate is colder, it is more expensive to drive a car there and what not. So what is the yardstick for this video? Nigeria? Sri Lanka? That helps to understand the claims
As a person that lived in Holland for 10 years I can tell you that the weather REALLY sucks 😅
I do agree on learning the language of the country you plan to live, it is only fair and respectful. This is my thoughts on the good and bad points to living in Holland.
A good work life balance, as the Dutch are pretty chilled with not working to hard.
Infrastructure such as buildings, streets and roads are kept very clean and well maintained. Probably the best roads in Europe.
Travel expenses can be funded depending on the company, but I think that's with most companies.
Central to most of Europe, so travelling is quicker.
You can ride a bike almost anywhere.
Feels like a safe place to live, never felt unsafe but I guess that depends on your location.
Dutch people seem nice and not so direct as some may think.
Good beers.
Lots of music cultre and festivals.
My bad experiences have to be,
Very high taxes, even overtime and company bonuses are taxed at 50% (Crazy!)
Houses are small and not cheap.
Owning a car is very expensive as to taxes, even public transport is high price.
Not much nature to explore, most places feel man made such as beaches and nature parks which makes it very boring.
Not easy to find friends here, maybe it is just me but I don’t find it so easy.
Almost no Dutch culture with food compared to Germany, France of the south of Europe.
Americans and other English-speaking countries often expect others to speak English and tend to get annoyed when they realize there are other languages out there.
The Netherlands is a very progressive and highly educated nation. The best and fastest way to assimilate in the Netherlands is to show proficiency in the Dutch language. As an American, I have worked and lived in the Netherlands for 20 years. Just get the language under control.
You do not need a car in Holland. The Public transportation is that good. You will gravitate to other expats rather than Dutch friends until you learn Dutch. The weather is worse than you think. In our 8 years there, we had only 5 “good” summers, the bad summers were rainy and cold. Holland is a Police state, you will be observed as a “boutenlander” I.e. outsider.
Buitenlander😊
It's the 2nd most densely populated country in the world( after Tokyo)so of course it's going to be expensive...
country Tokyo???????
The Netherlands is the fifth most densely populated countries of Europe.
I'll still live in the Netherlands no matter what
“It may take a while for the Dutch to include you into their inner circle.” Isn’t that anyone though? Sounds like a lovely place to me! The only pause I have is that it’s a “cold country” but I grew up in the Midwest so I don’t think it’d be too bothersome. The Netherlands is one of my top choices! ❤
"The income tax is higher than other countries in Europe"
- Not true, it's about average compared to north european countries. There are many deductibles (aftrekposten), tax deductions (heffingskortingen) and grants (toeslagen) that lower the "average tax pressure" considerably. For example, someone with an income under 20k a year, gets a few thousand deducated from their tax and gets a few thousand in toeslagen. Ending up with a negative nett-tax rate in some cases
"high costs of rents"
- Mostly a randstad-only issue. There is enough of sub 1000 or even sub 800 homes available outside of the randstad.
Is it Portugal 🇵🇹 is cheaper than Netherlands? Plz guide me. I am confused..that should I come to Netherlands or portugal? I coming from Dubai
Those are very very different country's, Portugal is cheaper but only if you earn above average there. Just like Spain the salaries are lower since the cost of living is low. That's not the case in The Netherlands and live is expansive but the quality of life is high. Good health care, clear governmental procedures, excellent English speaking officials etc. in my opinion. I'm from The Netherlands living in Spain currently.@@arindambanerjee8243
Learning a new language is the case for most countries lol. The Netherlands is actually not that bad because most can speak English.
1. It's super expensive, and lately becomes more and more with very high taxes. Gladly, some second-hand stuff is in good shape, so you can save money from there.
2. Learning a language moving to a new country is something you have to expect anyway when you move.
3.housing is super expensive, unreasonably expensive, and very hard to find one to live in. It is one of the biggest problems in the country.
4.owning a car is not per se so expensive, but owning a new car it is, and becomes worse and worse.
5.it is really difficult to make friends here, to talk to them it is easy, they are ok to talk to,but to really become friends it is a different story. They have friends from childhood and uni and they hardly get out of this bubble.
6. The weather is terrible, and some years like this are worse than others. Too much rain and cloudiness,which I used to like but since I moved here I don't anymore, not to that extent.
7. Taxes are super high, you pay taxes almost for everything, eventually working more it doesn't give you extra cash.
8. The directness is good, but some become super rude or arrogant because they think they are always right. So let's keep it somewhere in between.
9. Spontaneity is not smth Dutch appreciate, they need to have a schedule for everything, if you get them out of this they get frustrated.
Something you don't mention is that they have the "normaal doen" mindset, which means blend in, don't do smth will make you different, and that can have a positive and negative effect too, some people here they just compromise to be socially accepted, Dutch or not...
Im american and im the dxact same way.
My brother lived & worked in Utrecht for 6 years & doesn't speak Dutch
Your brother will not be respected as much as foreigners who do learn Dutch. To me it sounds like your brother is lazy or he doesn't care. He won't get my respect.
Watching this as a Dutchman, I am insulted by the fact that ‘we all live by our agenda’. No, not all do, when I was younger, friends always could show up unannounced, and if that was during dinner, we always had enough that someone could join us (and I still live to this standard, how I was brought up by my parents) It’s the southern hospitality as the Netherlands is so much more as ‘de Randstad’.
And making friends hard? Totally not. I live in Manchester now and the friends from the Netherlands are all coming over to celebrate the New Year here in Manchester. And our friends from the Netherlands are Dutch, Portuguese, English, Maltese, Venezuelan, Polish, Greek, Iranian, Syrian, Lebanese, Palestinian, Israeli, American we all get a long well and we met during the year around, not only in spring and summer. It all depends on yourself, on your attitude. To be honest It takes more effort in Manchester to make friends as in does in the whole of the Netherlands, but I am happy with my friends here in Manchester as well as I still am with my friends back in the Netherlands.
If you left there tomorrow, it. Isn't likely you would be missed. I enjoyed the times I spent there and while I don't live in the Netherlands, I do enjoy a number of Dutch friends and neighbors in my small French village and in neighboring villages. When we move to a country that speaks another language it isn't just a hurdle to learn the language but a privilege.
Most images and clips are American. Thanks to Getty Images. Old images for example the ‘IAMsterdam’ sign is already gone for many years.
Thanks! This all fits with what little I had learned about "the Dutch" from a friend from church in the St. Louis area. His surname is Klemm and when speaking of Dutch clannishness, he said growing up, the saying was "If you ain't Dutch, you ain't much!" Americans owe the Dutch for agreeing to lend the United States sorely needed money during the early years. However, if Trump does not shut up about Greenland, the Dutch will make short work of his international, uh, reputation, if he still has one.
Living in the Netherlands is just pure awesomeness.
We even pay tax on oure tax. But most of us are speaking very good English. The younger generation is anyways. Its treu we dont make friends fast but when you become one you really are a friend and we will help you harder then in a shallow relationship.
If I'm making the commitment to go and live in a foreign country then the least I can do is have the common decency to learn that country's language. It's convenient and respectful.
Sub zero temperatures? Not much.
As a Dutch person I can say that many of these points are not based on fact. E.g. many Dutch people will not stick to rules very conscientiously
You think that this is dark ? Come to Portugal. Same issues, but when yo buy a car, you pay for 2, the minimum wage is not 1800 or 2200 like in the Netherlands, it is 3x LESS, 750 eur a month, and housing almost the same price. And no it is not clean.
When you live in a big city in The Netherlands, you DO NOT need a car. And calling a car an investment is funny :)
That’s every major city in most countries
This British guy is the king of nitpicking
As someone from the Netherlands I can say that most of this is true, but keep in mind that this is only a fraction of the whole. As for the 'Straightforwardness' or 'honesty' no one can ever be honest enough in my opinion, this is a thing most Dutch people aren't really sadly.
In France, I find that there is a certain honesty overall, people say what they think, but some subjects are taboo. I don't feel free to express myself on everything, to criticize too much or to debate all sorts of subjects.
On the other hand, maybe the Dutch tend to want to go too far, to give their opinion when they haven't been invited, which can hurt.
Right, this little video works hard to find something negative to say, but actually I saw only one actual problem: the housing shortage is real. However if you have a bit of room in your budget that can be solved.
As a Dutch person, i thought i was clinically depressed. Turns out i was just living in the Netherlands. Left last year and never looked back.
The incometaxes are lower than in belgium france and germany
What a poorly argued video.
Taxes are indeed ridiculously high, but our infrastructure is of very high quality, if you compare it with others countries inside and outside Europe. People who are unable to work due to disability can get a basic income. People with a disadvantage on the labour market can work in a special place, there are plenty to mention, which Dutch makes possible through taxes. In other countries, it is generally not as well regulated i as it is in the Netherlands.
By the way, it is also quite normal, when you emigrate, that you have at least some command of the language of the country you want to go to... I don't think it would be accepted either if I, as a Dutchman, spoke Dutch when I emigrate. Indeed, even I adapt to do my comment in English, so that the wretches of this channel can also understand it.
these things are either not problems, very exaggerated or simply not true (dutch people are slow to do anything (its the opposite), it is difficult to make friends)
The Dutch, according to my own personal experiences, are extremely difficult to get along with.
And how are your social skills?
How is this the dark side? I plan to eventually moved to the Netherlands but not before I am fluent in Dutch! That’s the least expectations before moving to any country!
dont come,,stay away pls.
You don't really need a car because the transport infrastructure is so good !
That's only if you live in the Randstad. And even there, my daily commuting time on public transport/bike is 4 hours.
Title: "The Dark Side of Living in The Netherlands"
Real Title: "A Tourist Complaining About Everything."
Question. Did you ever go to the Netherlands. Don't talk about things you don't know. This is all nonsense.
As a Dutch Guy I’m so glad I moved abroad 🎉
I have a Dutch partner … I’m from scotland but grew up in South Africa and afrikaans is a sister language of Dutch …. His English is now really good 👍 now
How is directness a negative? People in Canada aren't direct and I can't stand it. I'd probably find the directness jarring at first but I'd get used to it. I tend to respect people more when they're direct.
Ik = I
Jij = you
Hij= he
Zij= she
Wij = we
Jullie = you ( plural)
Zij = they
Dutch is very doable for basic conversations
As a Brit... I'm extremely jealous of them. I would move there if I could.
there is only one reason for this......Negative comments are also comments..
I’ve been to the Netherlands with my family was one of the bests time I had (unless some blunt security staff, officers… etc) however was in the uk for 30 days and couldn’t stand it to the point I got seasonal affective disorder because of the people anytime I spend 5 days plus in the uk I lose taste of food it was my worse days of my life! It’s not the weather when hearing the name it’s the people that affect everything to be more direct: it’s not the sin, it’s the heart!🖐🏻
95% of this video shows only the centre of Amsterdam. The Dark Side of this video.
The World : let's establish 15 minute zones.
Netherlands : hold my bike 😅
Americans spontaneously combusting when they have to learn a new language when traveling to a new country:
Being straightforwardness as a necessary trait to being civilised is implemented from the Muslims Spain during the renaissance period
I've just visited Amsterdam and found that it's a safe and clean city. Everything is well organized with many nice architecture buildings. In Nemo museum i saw a lot of children and i guess tht dutch govrtm must have cared much for their citizens. Ppls there must have paid high tax for this comfort and cozy. Weather in holland is so rainy ,fair cold and foods has nothing special. Dutchs are opened, direct way and focus in self interests. There r not many tourists at this time becuz of global crisis. Amsterdam city is worthy for u to visit.
Silly video! They don't talk at all about the Netherlands but about Amsterdam.
It comes beautifully packaged, but the real dark side hits when you have to deal with housing, bureaucracy, banks, competition (job), double-standards, etc. These things can also be considered as standard things, but the difficulty level in the Netherlands is a bit higher if you're a new comer.
If you know the joke about "tourism and immigration", you know what I mean.
Learning the national language isn't a disadvantage.😅 That's just decency. I see how foreigners not learning English has negatively impacted America. I wouldn't inflict that on someone else. Common sense and common courtesy. I will learn Dutch if I move to the Netherlands, np.
You have no choice. if you live here and you speak any other language than Dutch you'll be ignored. Dutch is the official language or you would want to learn Frisian which is only spoken by Frisians.
@@knijn In my country it would be considered normal to want people to speak the national language. But the fact that locals understand another language well and are more tolerant of foreigners' mistakes when learning the official language is a good thing.
Can anybody PLEASE help me to find an old Dutch friend I have not heard from in over 20 years, steven
he's probably in Florida now
Ik ben een Nederlander & deze "video" is disrespectvol, jullie weten niets over Nederland dus 🤫
Ik ben ook een Nederlander en ben het er wel mee eens.
Ik ben het ook met deze video eens. Z'n prachtig land is Nederland niet. Ik ben bijna 40 en heb niks als bezuinigingen meegemaakt. Tering land!