All about The Netherlands

The cost of living in the Netherlands is relatively affordable for western Europe, although the cost of living in Amsterdam and other main Dutch cities is typically higher. In the OECD Better Life Index, the Netherlands performs well for general well-being and ranks at the top in work-life balance. Earnings, housing, and education are also ranked above the average. When you start a new job in The Netherlands it’s always a challenge to understand how your salary is calculated. Here some general information about salary. 

Gross salary and net income in the Netherlands

One of the most important things to understand about your Dutch salary is the difference between your gross and net salary.

Gross salary

Your gross salary (bruto salaris) is the total amount of your salary before tax and other costs are deducted.

Net income

Your net income (netto salaris) is your salary after income tax, social security payments and contributions for your pension have been deducted.

Holidays allowace

In addition to your standard monthly salary, in the month of May, you will receive a holiday allowance equivalent to 8% of annual earnings (roughly one month’s salary).

When moving to The Netherlands you will have plenty of options to get your social life going. Dutch people in general are open, talkative and like to meet new people. The second language they are learning in school is English. Dutch people should be able to understand you and help you in any way. Finding a hobby or group of your interests shouldn’t be hard. Dutch cultural and social life is rich and varied, with influential artists and writers, a lot of museums, plenty of bars, restaurants and clubs.

The Netherlands has for centuries provided a safe haven for ethnic minorities fleeing from discrimination and persecution, with each minority influencing Dutch culture in its own way. Many Jews from Spain and Portugal and Protestant merchants from the Spanish-ruled southern Netherlands sought refuge in the Dutch Republic in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The twentieth century was characterized by the influx of guest workers from the Mediterranean, migrants from the former Dutch colonies, and refugees from war-torn countries.

The Netherlands does not have a strong uniform national culture. Most Dutch people reject the notion and consider it to be tainted with an unacceptable form of nationalism. Instead, they emphasize the country’s cultural diversity, tolerance of difference, and receptiveness to foreign influences. Nevertheless, the Randstad culture has been hegemonic in the Netherlands because of the concentration of political, economic, and cultural power in that densely populated region.

There are various ways to find a place to live in the Netherlands. You can buy a home or rent a home. Flats and houses can be bought on the housing market. Estate agents help people buy and sell homes. Housing associations let various types of housing, including dwellings intended for young people, older people and people with a disability. Dutch housing options fall under three main categories: home purchase, social housing, and private housing. Finding housing in the Netherlands can be a struggle as an expat because almost 75% of the rental market is set aside for social, or affordable, housing. Because the waitlists are so long, social housing is virtually inaccessible to new arrivals. So, many expats looking to rent, are competing with each other for the 25% of the market that they can access, in the private housing market.

Euronize helps and organize housing process for the candidates and their families before they come to the Netherlands and according to the shortage of houses, this item and support is really important.

Many Dutch people believe that religion should not play an important role in politics and education. Religion is also primarily considered a personal matter that should not be discussed in public.

The Dutch Constitution guarantees freedom of education, which means that all schools that adhere to general quality criteria receive the same government funding. This includes schools based on religious principles by religious groups. Several Christian religious holidays are national holidays (Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and the Ascension of Jesus). 

Freedom of expression is an essential part of a properly functioning democracy and a free society. People in general, and journalists in particular, should be free to express themselves both online and offline. But in many parts of the world freedom of expression is under threat. The first chapter of the Dutch constitution codifies the rights of all inhabitants of the Netherlands. These are both negative and positive rights as well as democratic rights. This includes a ban on discrimination (the first article of the Netherlands), the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of association and freedom of assembly and the right to privacy. These are limitations on government, which citizens can enforce these classical civil rights directly at the judge. Additionally there are social rights such as the right to housing, social security, health care, education and employment. These are duties of the government towards its citizens, but these cannot be enforced by a judge. Democratic rights include the passive and active right to vote. The Netherlands has banned capital punishment during peace time and war time. The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations is responsible for the constitution. In the Netherlands there are still some legacy laws conflicting with the freedom of speech. Lèse-majesté and Blasphemy law (amongst others), the latter was officially abolished on February 1, 2014. The Netherlands is signatory to all relevant international human rights instruments such as European Convention on Human Rights, Rome Statute (for the International Criminal Court) and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, European Convention on Torture and the European Social Charter.