The Singapore Forum

If I was to spend a few months in Amsterdam, presumably working in the central business district (assuming there is such a place), which area would I want to live in?

Those shophouses with the full plate glass windows out the front.

I have a friend who just moved there.

You want me to put you in touch ?

I nearly moved there earlier this year, can see if I find some old emails a Dutch friend send me about living in Amsterdam. There are a few tax things you need to consider as well.

I stayed in the Jordaan area earlier this year and I loved it - very boho/arty, fairly quiet, nice pubs and a variety of restaurants, walking distance (or a tram) to all the action and Central Station - so also very accessible from the airport.

The Museum district is also lovely, with a more upmarket feel.

Our office is miles (and 2 trams) out so do check your location, although I guess in your line of business it's likely to be central.

Talk to Noah's friend Irene as she's spent a lot of time there; a couple of years ago we stayed with a friend of hers who lives in a very trendy modern apartment in a district I can't remember.

edit: there was a street party round the corner from our hotel in the Jordaan - lovely community vibe going on.

Just a vague possibility at the moment..

"a few tax things" is just a bit of an understatement! 52%!!

BoD wrote: 52%!!

welcome back to the real well Boddy

Now I understand how M can be a tax exile in Australia of all places

http://www.belastingdienst.nl/ There is a way where you can get a junk of your salary tax-free

BoD wrote:If I was to spend a few months in Amsterdam, presumably working in the central business district (assuming there is such a place), which area would I want to live in?

as far away as humanly possible and still be on time to work... The Hague, probably...

by the way, the 'central' business district is outside the city and in an area -Bijlmer- where normal people -those with jobs and not on drugs or in gangs- don't want to live.

Will be actually going there this weekend

Why don't you just live in a caravan?

Here is what I got from my friend:

But I think nicest is to live in the Amsterdam city center. However, those prices roughly start at 1200 euro, and are often without furnture. Sometimes apartments and houses for rent are even delivered completely bare. So you might wanna skip those, unless you do not mind investing time and effort to put in a floor and stuff like that. I've done hat with my suburban the Hague apartment, but it's not something I recommened. Then again, I do now rent for just 700 euro a month, for a 2 bedroom apartment of 91 square meters. I think if you go a little bit away from the center, you might be able to rent in Amsterdam for below a 1000 euro in a more modern building.
If your Dutch is up to scratch, you might wanna take a look at this website: http://www.funda.nl/huur/kaart/#/amster ... -prijs-op/

As for medical insurance, that has changed quite a bit since I left. Basically you have to get a basic health insurance yourself, which is like 100 euro per person per month. This covers most treatments at general practitioner and hospital, with the first 155 euro each year own risk. Often through your employer you might get 15% discount on this insurance. I would say that the level of healthcare is decent, though sometimes a bit conservative (compared to Singapore).

Amsterdam is great! I had a cosmic time there, although I don't remember all of it in great detail.

I recommend you live somewhere near a good coffeeshop. Your accommodation might be crappy, but you won't care!

Make sure you keep plenty of snack foods on hand.

Friends of mine live in Diemen, which is easily reached by train/tram - pretty quiet satellite town and not that far from the city. Found this on the net: http://www.jlgrealestate.com/English/Diemen

Or how about a houseboat, if it's only for a few months?

I love Amsterdam (yes, even though I've never smoked a joint in my life). Our office is in a pretty remote place where I didn't feel entirely safe standing at the tramstop, but I'd say the city centre is just like most others in that respect. It's the drunk and stoned foreigners on stag weekends you have to watch out for.

Kooky wrote:Or how about a houseboat, if it's only for a few months?

winter is coming...

As ever with these things these days, I haven't heard anything back. I do wish that recruiters and companies would at least have the decency to phone/email you back when they promise (hand on heart and hope to die) that they will. How long does it actually take to send an "I'm sorry, no" email?

****s