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  • Member Type: Expatica Member
  • Networks: The Netherlands
  • Profile Views: 889 views
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  • Last Update: April 16
  • Joined: November 26, 2011

neteditor

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  • Forum Posts(20)
  • neteditor
    neteditor replied to a topic in the forum Irish in the Netherlands:
    Hi Red
    The few quotes I had were so ridiculous that in the end we just got rid of all the big stuff and all the little things we couldn't replace we sent by DHL courier. I think I sent 9 big boxes and 12 small ones and paid under €300 door to door within 48 hours.
    • April 16
  • neteditor
    neteditor replied to a topic in the forum Relocating to the Netherlands:
    Hi Osita, thanks again. I can't really compare with UK costs as we haven't lived there for a couple of years. Ireland is MUCH more expensive than the UK for most things though, so probably somewhat comparable with some of the more expensive Dutch items.
    G...  more    Hi Osita, thanks again. I can't really compare with UK costs as we haven't lived there for a couple of years. Ireland is MUCH more expensive than the UK for most things though, so probably somewhat comparable with some of the more expensive Dutch items.
    Gas/Electric... ouch... I guess lots of woolly jumpers are called for! I don't like being cold and I do like doing all my cooking and baking!
    Nice to know there is no TV tax I totally resent paying that!
    We'll only have to pay for my health insurance so that is a little saving for us.
    That is an extremely useful list actually, thank you again.  less
    • December 9, 2011
  • neteditor
    neteditor replied to a topic in the forum Housing in the Netherlands:
    @ Osita - My husband used to work for KPN :D Not in customer services though :D
    Thank you for the link, I will read that next.
    Hi Peony thank you for your help also.
    I've now got a few agencies looking for properties for us so am feeling less anxious.
    • December 9, 2011
  • neteditor
    neteditor replied to a topic in the forum Relocating to the Netherlands:
    Business and Finance didn't seem the right place to put this, so I will drop it in here as I am unsure where it would go.
    Can anyone give me an idea of what the monthly bills are like there.
    i.e. what would we be paying in a 2/3 bedroom house for gas/wate...  more    Business and Finance didn't seem the right place to put this, so I will drop it in here as I am unsure where it would go.
    Can anyone give me an idea of what the monthly bills are like there.
    i.e. what would we be paying in a 2/3 bedroom house for gas/water/electric etc.
    Just a general idea would be ok.
    Thanks in advance.  
    • December 9, 2011
  • neteditor
    neteditor replied to a topic in the forum Housing in the Netherlands:
    Hi, thanks everyone for your reply, I am sorry to be leaning on you so heavily for information and very much appreciate all your help.
    Fortunately, my husband already has BSN number as he lived and worked in the Netherlands before we met (a long time ago)...  more    Hi, thanks everyone for your reply, I am sorry to be leaning on you so heavily for information and very much appreciate all your help.
    Fortunately, my husband already has BSN number as he lived and worked in the Netherlands before we met (a long time ago).
    I will have to come over with the children before the end of January as we can't afford to be renting houses in two places at one time. I have to be here in Ireland on the 19th Jan for an appointment I can't change so myself and children are looking at coming over the week after that.
    I have problems searching rooftrack as Google fails to translate it :(
    My head is spinning!  less
    • December 9, 2011
  • neteditor
    neteditor replied to a topic in the forum Housing in the Netherlands:
    Hi everyone, I am back again with more questions and problems.
    We are having massive difficulty now with the housing situation. It seems that all the agencies want paperwork that we simply will not have available to us when we arrive (bank statements etc). How do expats arriving newly in the country get around this? Is there flexibility within the agencies for this?
    The HR admin at my husband's new company is not very helpful at all. "It is Christmas, everyone is going home, I don't drive so I can't view places for you etc etc etc".
    They got burned by a previous incoming expat employee who decided they didn't like the place the company rented for them and demanded a hotel for their whole family for weeks so I suspect they are not interested in helping us much and getting into the same situation....  more    Hi everyone, I am back again with more questions and problems.
    We are having massive difficulty now with the housing situation. It seems that all the agencies want paperwork that we simply will not have available to us when we arrive (bank statements etc). How do expats arriving newly in the country get around this? Is there flexibility within the agencies for this?
    The HR admin at my husband's new company is not very helpful at all. "It is Christmas, everyone is going home, I don't drive so I can't view places for you etc etc etc".
    They got burned by a previous incoming expat employee who decided they didn't like the place the company rented for them and demanded a hotel for their whole family for weeks so I suspect they are not interested in helping us much and getting into the same situation.
    The problem is they only gave us just over 1 month notice of my husband's start date and so now we are panicking!
    Can you tell me if there are agencies which do not charge one month rent +vat as a commission fee. We si...    less
    • December 8, 2011
  • neteditor
    neteditor replied to a topic in the forum Family life in the Netherlands:
    Thanks Osita we had a good giggle reading that - I am already working in my head now on my poems for my children for next year!
    i was thinking we would do similar to you, if Christmas was different to UK, ie give them presents and have a big feast that da...  more    Thanks Osita we had a good giggle reading that - I am already working in my head now on my poems for my children for next year!
    i was thinking we would do similar to you, if Christmas was different to UK, ie give them presents and have a big feast that day. I don't think it's failure to integrate, to maintain a few old traditions. Maybe the Dutch wouldn't see it like that!
    I will look forward to not being in the over-commercialised Christmases that are common in the UK and Ireland, I buy my little ones gifts all year round anyway! Spoilt rotten!
    Dutch way sounds a lot of fun without too much pressure to spend, spend, spend!
    I enjoyed reading your post it was most amusing!  less
    • December 4, 2011
  • neteditor
    neteditor replied to a topic in the forum Housing in the Netherlands:
    Thanks again Osita :)
    I have been all over maarktplats like a rash for a few days now :D
    I don't mind tall houses but I have a phobia of open staircases - why do the Dutch love these so much? Especially the twisty ones! I get palpations looking at them!
    A...  more    Thanks again Osita :)
    I have been all over maarktplats like a rash for a few days now :D
    I don't mind tall houses but I have a phobia of open staircases - why do the Dutch love these so much? Especially the twisty ones! I get palpations looking at them!
    Another complication is we have to have furnished as we won't be moving much over with us. Also we imagine the first place we live will be a stepping off point, if you like, and we'll find somewhere we want to settle after we are in the country, so short term lets are good but another limitation on the search front.  less
    • December 4, 2011
  • neteditor
    neteditor posted a topic in the forum Family life in the Netherlands:
    Question: Sinterklaas and Christmas
    My children are aged 4 and 7 so Santa Claus i still a pretty big deal for them. They have asked me what happens in the Netherlands and I have found information but if anyone could pad it out with details I'd appreciate it.
     
    So, Sinterklaas comes to the Netherlands in November and children leave their shoe out. SK or his helper will leave sweets in the shoe if they have been good.
     ...  more    My children are aged 4 and 7 so Santa Claus i still a pretty big deal for them. They have asked me what happens in the Netherlands and I have found information but if anyone could pad it out with details I'd appreciate it.
     
    So, Sinterklaas comes to the Netherlands in November and children leave their shoe out. SK or his helper will leave sweets in the shoe if they have been good.
     
    Question... What date does this start and does this happen every night for those weeks up to 5 December? Do they get a "visit" every night?  Are the shoes left outside the house or does "out" just mean somewhere obvious in the house like the middle of the kitchen floor or beside the front door or somehwere else?
     
    What exactly happens on 5 December? Sinterklaas comes in the night and leaves one gift or would a Dutch child expect more than one?
     
    What happens at Christmas itself? Do children get more gifts then from family?
     
    Do Dutch people decorate their homes and if so would that be for 5 Dec or 25 Dec...    less
    • December 4, 2011
  • neteditor
    neteditor posted a topic in the forum Pets in the Netherlands:
    Cat boarding / Cattery
    I've tried searching for a place we can board our cat for a short time until we can arrange a home in NL.
     
    I found kattenoppa but they seem to be more visitors to your home who take care of daily care while you are away. 
     ...  more    I've tried searching for a place we can board our cat for a short time until we can arrange a home in NL.
     
    I found kattenoppa but they seem to be more visitors to your home who take care of daily care while you are away. 
     
    We need somewhere the cat can stay and be cared for near Vlaardingen, where my husband will be staying.
     
    Kattery (sp?) seems to be cat breeders.
     
    Can anyone advise the Dutch word I need to search for what I want?
     
    We can't see a way to have a house arranged over there before my husband arrives in the first week of Jan and the friends he will initially stay with have got cat-eating dogs!
     
    I imagine our poor cat will be fairly traumatised after a very long journey (she hates the car) by ferry and road. As my husband will arrive quite late at night we would ideally need somewhere she can go to as soon as he arrives.
     
    I can't fly with her because I'd have to go to the UK first by ferry then fly over from there and with two children, three suitcases et...    less
    • December 4, 2011
  • neteditor
    neteditor replied to a topic in the forum Housing in the Netherlands:
    Hi Ouloveit3
     
    Close... but no cigar :) We are Scottish living in Ireland :)
     ...  more    Hi Ouloveit3
     
    Close... but no cigar :) We are Scottish living in Ireland :)
     
    Thanks for all the information you gave, From what I can see of accommodation in our budget in the Rijswijk area it doesn't look ideal for small children who are used to garden space.  Delft also seems very expensive for very small places.  I keep seeing "furnished" places with two bedrooms but the second bedroom has no bed and we would need two for the girls! 
     
    Schiedam has been recommended to us, does anyone have negative information about this area?    less
    • December 4, 2011
  • neteditor
    neteditor replied to a topic in the forum Housing in the Netherlands:
    Thanks again so much, I had searched funda.nl but hadn't come across the second one, will have a hunt there now. :)
    • December 3, 2011
  • neteditor
    neteditor replied to a topic in the forum Healthcare in the Netherlands:
    Hi Osita - I was typing my response to CW when you posted! so I missed your post until now.
    I checked and it is on that site and appears to have been available longer in NL than in Ireland and UK from what I can see. That is comforting to know.
    I would pr...  more    Hi Osita - I was typing my response to CW when you posted! so I missed your post until now.
    I checked and it is on that site and appears to have been available longer in NL than in Ireland and UK from what I can see. That is comforting to know.
    I would probably be better off trying to read the Dutch than decipher what Google gives me! Especially annoying when it translates street and road names when searching for housing!  
    • December 3, 2011
  • neteditor
    neteditor replied to a topic in the forum Healthcare in the Netherlands:
    Hi Canuckywoman, thanks for the response. I am at a stage with my care here that I just see my psych once every 3 months, he asks if I am ok, I say I am, he writes a new prescription and off I go! Fingers crossed they won't ask me too many questions in th...  moreHi Canuckywoman, thanks for the response. I am at a stage with my care here that I just see my psych once every 3 months, he asks if I am ok, I say I am, he writes a new prescription and off I go! Fingers crossed they won't ask me too many questions in the Netherlands. I can live in hope.
    On the subject of Dutch, slightly off topic, I do intend to learn Dutch to fluency and will be putting a lot of effort into this. My children and I are doing a CD course at the moment. My 7yo and I are naturally good at language and as they will be going to a Dutch state school I imagine they will pick it up fast and I want to be keeping up with them!
    Thanks again :) Nice to meet you after reading lots of your posts!  less
    • December 3, 2011
  • neteditor
    neteditor posted a topic in the forum Housing in the Netherlands:
    Good/bad places to live with family
    My husband starts a job in Rijswijk in January. We have two young daughters and will be looking for a family home in a nice, quiet, safe area with easy commuting to Rijswijk.
     
    Our budget for rent is maximum €1,000 per month and my husband wants to avoid blocks of apartments.
     ...  more    My husband starts a job in Rijswijk in January. We have two young daughters and will be looking for a family home in a nice, quiet, safe area with easy commuting to Rijswijk.
     
    Our budget for rent is maximum €1,000 per month and my husband wants to avoid blocks of apartments.
     
    It's not easy to tell from web sites what an area is actually like to live in so I was hoping some expats could recommend good places to look for a home.
     
    Also  if possible, advise on which places to avoid would be good.  We have friends in Rotterdam and Amersfoort but have been advised the former is a bad place (violence, crimes etc) and the latter a  long commute.
     
     
       less
    • December 2, 2011
  • neteditor
    neteditor posted a topic in the forum Irish in the Netherlands:
    Removal from Ireland
    I was wondering if any Irish people living in the Netherlands could recommend a removals company.
     
    I've had a couple of quotes but would seek recommendations if anyone can help.
     
    Thanks in advance.
    • December 2, 2011
  • neteditor
    neteditor replied to a topic in the forum Healthcare in the Netherlands:
    Thank you for your very informative and detailed response. I much appreciate you taking the time.
    We don't yet know where we will be living (I will probably post again for advice on this topic!). Husband is starting a job but I won't be working initially though there is a possibility of something in the pipeline. I think his new company said they would pay for his insurance and possibly include the children on it, but we don't know if it will include me or not.
    It is encouraging to hear human frailties are acceptable in the Netherlands. I dare not mention my mental health situation here to people, their reactions can be very disturbing.
    One of my medications has no generic alternative at this stage, it has only been available for a couple of years I think. ...  more    Thank you for your very informative and detailed response. I much appreciate you taking the time.
    We don't yet know where we will be living (I will probably post again for advice on this topic!). Husband is starting a job but I won't be working initially though there is a possibility of something in the pipeline. I think his new company said they would pay for his insurance and possibly include the children on it, but we don't know if it will include me or not.
    It is encouraging to hear human frailties are acceptable in the Netherlands. I dare not mention my mental health situation here to people, their reactions can be very disturbing.
    One of my medications has no generic alternative at this stage, it has only been available for a couple of years I think.
    I looked at the health insurance site earlier and I think it's actually in Double Dutch! I couldn't figure it out and gave up! Will have to try again in a better frame of mind one day!
    Thanks again :)  less
    • December 2, 2011
  • neteditor
    neteditor posted a topic in the forum Healthcare in the Netherlands:
    Information needed about psychiatric care
    We are moving to the Netherlands in January 2012 and I will need to be able to continue my psychiatric care when we arrive.
     
    My psychiatrist here (Ireland) said it was no problem, I just let them know where we are going to be and they send on all the details.
     ...  more    We are moving to the Netherlands in January 2012 and I will need to be able to continue my psychiatric care when we arrive.
     
    My psychiatrist here (Ireland) said it was no problem, I just let them know where we are going to be and they send on all the details.
     
    So, what details will I need to give my psychiatrist? Would it by the huisart we register with or do I have to find my own psychiatrist and give my current one their details?
     
    How difficult is it to access good psychiatric care? I am finally on an excellent drug regime which keeps me on the right side of normal 99% of the time and am desperate not to change if possible.
     
    How is psychiatric care paid for in the Netherlands?
     
    Will we need to have health insurance in place before we register with a huisart?
     
    Will I have to pay the full price for drugs over the counter (the ones I am on are super expensive)?
     
    What is the general attitude in the Netherlands towards mental illness? That is among doctors and the general p...    less
    • December 2, 2011
  • neteditor
    neteditor replied to a topic in the forum Relocating to the Netherlands:
    Hi Osita and thank you for the welcome and the helpful advice.
    • December 2, 2011
  • neteditor
    neteditor posted a topic in the forum Relocating to the Netherlands:
    Relocating to Netherlands Jan 2012
    Greetings to all expats.
     
    I have been lurking for a long while here but now it is "official" (and officially scary) I thought I would introduce myself before wading in with questions all over the forums!
     ...  more    Greetings to all expats.
     
    I have been lurking for a long while here but now it is "official" (and officially scary) I thought I would introduce myself before wading in with questions all over the forums!
     
    We are Scots but have been in Ireland for a few years and now my husband has work starting early January we are moving on again.
     
    We have two daughters, aged 4 and 7, and will be bringing our little cat with us, too.
     
    The first bit of advice I seek the answer to is should I pepper the forums with posts asking indivdual questions in appropriate topics, or stick it all in one big post here for example?
     
    I've read so, so much here and there is a wealth of great information though some I have read may be a few years out of date and be worth asking again.
     
    Thanks for reading and I look forward to chatting wiith you.  less
    • December 2, 2011
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Personal Information

  • * City of Residence: Dublin
  • * Country of Residence: Ireland
  • * Home Country: United Kingdom
  • When did you become an expat?: January 19, 2000
  • April 16, 2012 2:02:00 PM CEST
    in the topic Removal from Ireland in the forum Irish in the Netherlands
    Hi Red The few quotes I had were so ridiculous that in the end we just got rid of all the big stuff and all the little things we couldn't replace we sent by DHL courier. I think I sent 9 big boxes and 12 small ones and paid under €300 door to door within 48 hours.
  • December 9, 2011 6:52:05 PM CET
    in the topic Relocating to Netherlands Jan 2012 in the forum Relocating to the Netherlands
    Hi Osita, thanks again. I can't really compare with UK costs as we haven't lived there for a couple of years. Ireland is MUCH more expensive than the UK for most things though, so probably somewhat comparable with some of the more expensive Dutch items. Gas/Electric... ouch... I guess lots of woolly jumpers are called for! I don't like being cold and I do like doing all my cooking and baking! Nice to know there is no TV tax I totally resent paying that! We'll only have to pay for my health insurance so that is a little saving for us. That is an extremely useful list actually, thank you again.
  • December 9, 2011 3:28:37 PM CET
    in the topic Good/bad places to live with family in the forum Housing in the Netherlands
    @ Osita - My husband used to work for KPN :D Not in customer services though :D Thank you for the link, I will read that next. Hi Peony thank you for your help also. I've now got a few agencies looking for properties for us so am feeling less anxious.
  • December 9, 2011 3:21:15 PM CET
    in the topic Relocating to Netherlands Jan 2012 in the forum Relocating to the Netherlands
    Business and Finance didn't seem the right place to put this, so I will drop it in here as I am unsure where it would go. Can anyone give me an idea of what the monthly bills are like there. i.e. what would we be paying in a 2/3 bedroom house for gas/water/electric etc. Just a general idea would be ok. Thanks in advance.
  • December 9, 2011 11:23:37 AM CET
    in the topic Good/bad places to live with family in the forum Housing in the Netherlands
    Hi, thanks everyone for your reply, I am sorry to be leaning on you so heavily for information and very much appreciate all your help. Fortunately, my husband already has BSN number as he lived and worked in the Netherlands before we met (a long time ago). I will have to come over with the children before the end of January as we can't afford to be renting houses in two places at one time. I have to be here in Ireland on the 19th Jan for an appointment I can't change so myself and children are looking at coming over the week after that. I have problems searching rooftrack as Google fails to translate it :( My head is spinning!
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