A recent study has listed two Dutch cities among the best places in the world for employees looking for a good work and life balance. Both Amsterdam and Rotterdam took part in the top 20 in this list.

The worldwide business life balance index, published by Forbes Advisor, examined 128 cities worldwide to determine the cities that are best in the best state when it comes to welfare of employees. The study evaluated each city according to 10 factors and gave each one out of 100 a general score. World Happiness Index ranking, gender inequality index ranking, average working hours, minimum legal annual leave (except public holidays), Real Estate Price to Income, Rate of Remote and Hybrid Jobs, Birth Permit Policy, Reserves, Unemployment Rate Criteria such as sunlight clocks were taken into consideration.

Although Amsterdam failed to be in the top 10, he took 55.6 general points out of 100 and settled in the 12th place. Rotterdam ranked 20th with a slightly lower score of 52.7.

As will be expected, both cities per week average working hours (26.9), happiness
Index score (7.46) and gender inequality index ranking (fifth row), annual paid leave amount (20 days) and national unemployment rate (4.01%) obtained the same results in some categories.

Amsterdam performed well in the number of parks and nature reserves per capita (58), but Rotterdam performed better when it comes to home purchase cost and weather. Amsterdam receives 1,670 hours of sunlight a year, while Rotterdam takes 1,722 hours of sunlight.

According to Forbes Advisor, 10 cities that offer the best balance of business and life:

1. Copenhagen, Denmark (70.5 out of 100)
2. Helsinki, Finland (65,1)
3. Stockholm, Sweden (64,8)
4. Oslo, Norway (63,2)
5. Auckland, New Zealand (62,7)
6. Göteborg, Sweden (60,7)
7. Reykjavik, Iceland (58.7)
8. Vienna, Austria (58,5)
9. Edinburgh, Scotland (57,1)
10. Belfast, Northern Ireland (57)

Did you know that the Netherlands is the 9th highest paying country in the international rankings?

Yes, that’s a real benefit of being right here. However, before you focus solely on salary and sign the deal, there are some important things you should know about salaries in the Netherlands.

2023 Salaries in the Netherlands

The Netherlands may also be one of the top paying countries worldwide, but it is very important to understand that the amount of pay you receive on the route depends on the type of fare you receive.

What is the minimum salary in the Netherlands in 2023?

What may come as a surprise to some is that the minimum salary in the Netherlands actually varies entirely with your age.

As of January 2023, the hourly minimum wage costs for a person over the age of 21 in the Netherlands:

36 hours: 12.40 €

38 hours: 11.75 €

40 hours: 11.16 €

What is the average salary in the Netherlands in 2023?

The Netherlands boasts an average monthly salary of 3,333 € or an average annual profit of 40,000 € in 2023!

However, life is generally pretty average no longer – and the same goes for your income. Depending on your mission, your payoff will be higher or lower than this variety.

Inflation and Dutch salaries in 2023

Beyond 12 months, house prices in the Netherlands soared to new highs. With living expenses rising by a staggering 14.5% towards the end of 2022, many of us entered the new year with overwhelming need for a pay rise.

Fortunately, as we have seen, the Dutch government solved this problem by raising the Dutch minimum wage by 10.15%. Meanwhile, in line with the ADP, average salary earners can count on their net earnings to increase by an average of €91 (3.7%) per month in 2023.

Will this be enough to fight inflation? However, it is worth noting that 2023 started with some correct indicators and at the end, the inflation rate fell once again.

What is the difference between Bruto camiis and Netto massis?

During your interview you will be offered an income after getting dressed and taking off your socks to impress your Dutch employers.

But before you get too excited about the numbers, you will listen to some numbers: these could be your Gross and Net profit and it is very important that you know the difference!

What is Bruto masais in the Netherlands?

One might be the amount you get before taxes and other deductions – that’s your Bruto salary and you can’t take it all.

What is Netto salaryis in the Netherlands?

Netto salaryis represents the money you receive after taxes and all other deductions.

How much of your profit will be taxed in the Netherlands?

Now, after all this talk about Netto and Brutto’s paychecks, you’re probably wondering how much of your paychecks the Dutch tax officer will get.

There are two different tax brackets in the Netherlands in 2023. You may be taxed at a certain rate depending on your property and business income. Let us list them for you.

TAXABLE INCOME: TAX RATE

Less than €73,031 per year36.93%Above €73,031 per year49.50%

What is included in your Dutch salary?

Yes, taxation is high in the Netherlands – but being employed in the Netherlands also has its advantages – a number of advantages in particular.

Vacation share (vakantiegeld)

In the Netherlands you can receive at least 8% of your gross salary as holiday pay. Employers normally pay you in a lump sum between May and June, but depending on your contract, it can be awarded in increments each month.

Note: If you are a trainee, self-employed or earning three times the Dutch minimum wage, you are not entitled to holiday pay in the Netherlands.

“13th month”

In any task, there is a constant luck of receiving bonuses. But in the Netherlands, some companies provide what is described as a “13th month” under certain contracts.

If your salary includes a “13th month”, you can basically get an extra monthly payment! It is normally given before the holiday period in November or December and also equals 8.33% of an employee’s earnings.

Sick leave

In the Netherlands, most employment contracts even cover you due to illness. According to Dutch law, your business venture must pay you 70% of your salary if you become ill at any point in your contract.

If you’ve been sick for a long time, you don’t have to worry about your organization losing you. In fact, according to Dutch regulation, a company is required to pay up to 104 weeks of sick leave.

A great work-life balance

Ok, that’s not exactly a financial advantage that can be discovered for your Dutch earnings – but it is indeed an advantage. A great work-life balance is valued in the Netherlands.

This means that you are no longer expected to bring your work home “as part of the corporate subculture”.

How do you know your Dutch payslip?

Once you’ve found yourself a job and the earnings to come with it, the payroll can be very difficult to understand.

Luckily, we have listed all these difficult words for you.

If learning Dutch sounds like a daunting task, you can take a look at the interesting information that experts offer about the best learning strategies for our brain.

As you learn a language, many neural networks are active in your brain and new connections are formed at lightning speed. You learn most quickly and effectively when you use your brain’s pre-existing networks. This is the best way to remember words and grammar rules.

Want to learn a foreign language but don’t know where to start?

You can activate your brain for optimal language learning by doing the following things:

1. Identify connections between your native language and your new language: This is how you create strong connections in your brain. For example, there are many related words, such as words that sound almost the same in different languages. By focusing on these words, you can recognize most of the texts. The more connections you see between your native language and the new language, the easier it is to make new connections in pre-existing networks in your brain.
2. Activate your existing knowledge of the new language: You usually know more about a language than you think. By highlighting this information, you activate your brain and learn more easily.
3. Build a custom vocabulary that fits your world: Everyone uses different words depending on their profession, age or character. By building your vocabulary thematically, you also strengthen the neural networks in your brain.
Your brain needs to be in good shape to be fully at work to learn another language. It may not make sense to work non-stop for hours all the time.

The things the brain needs are:

• Exercise to provide oxygen,
• Consume healthy foods,
• Get a good night’s sleep to process information and strengthen newly established networks,
• Create a stress-free environment,
• Enjoy the learning process.

Bilingual people have strong brain connections, so their risk of Alzheimer’s disease is reduced. Don’t be afraid to take steps to learn a new language.

According to a study by Nuffic, more and more Dutch students are going abroad to earn their degrees, complete their studies or do internships.

The number of students going abroad for all of their diplomas has doubled in 10 years. And those who went abroad for a part of their education or internship increased by a fifth in 5 years.

“A study or internship abroad is very valuable for Dutch students. “They are developing skills for the internationally oriented labor market they come from after their education,” said Nuffic researcher Anneloes Slapdel-Henschen. “Internationally competent students are also better equipped for the multicultural society and the collaboration across national borders necessary to solve global challenges.”

In 2019, the latest figures available, 20,000 Dutch students went abroad for diplomas. Almost twice as many people went to 98 different countries than they did 10 years ago. Belgium, the United Kingdom, and the United States were the most popular destinations.

According to researcher Soaradh Favier, Belgium has been the most popular study destination for Dutch students since 2015.

Most Dutch students don’t go very far to study. Three-quarters remained within the European Economic Area. Despite the doubling of the number of Dutch students pursuing degrees abroad, the Netherlands still lags far behind the European level on this front. With 3 percent diploma mobility, the Netherlands is well below the European average.

In the case of students going abroad for part of their education or internship, there are no exact figures on the total number. For this reason, the researchers looked at the number of Dutch students who went abroad with an Erasmus+ grant. According to the researchers, about a third of students who go abroad for part of their studies do so with an Erasmus+ grant.

In the 2018-2019 academic year, more than 14,000 Dutch students went abroad, 31 percent for internships and 69 percent for a part of their studies, on an Erasmus+ grant, according to the latest figures available. This represents an increase of 20.7 percent compared to 2014. The most popular destinations were Spain, England, and Germany.

“While the Netherlands lags behind the European level in terms of diploma mobility, the opposite is strikingly true in terms of student loan mobility: the Netherlands ranks first in Europe in this regard,” the researchers wrote.

Wondering in case your job is full- or part-time? Feel like you’re running too much additional time unpaid? Find out approximate operating hours in the Netherlands and associated regulations beneath.

Full-time work in the Netherlands

A general Dutch working week is 38 hours. The majority of full-time (voltijd) jobs in the Netherlands are between 36-40 hours a week, or seven to 8 hours an afternoon, 5 days every week.

Some businesses have a forty-hour running week instead of the usual 38 hours, in which case employees acquire greater earnings for extra hours labored.

Another manner employers can also compensate for higher weekly hours is by growing annual holiday departures (every so often to around 12 extra days).

In the Netherlands lunch breaks are typically half-hour, unpaid.

Part-time work in the Netherlands

If you work less than 36 hours a week, but more than 12, then you are considered running component-time (deleted). A high proportion of women within the Netherlands, approximately 74 percent, work component time.

Opinions are divided approximately the blessings of this trend because it has each benefit (decreased strain tiers, more time with family and kids) and downsides (lower monetary independence, slow professional improvement).

What is working hours in the Netherlands?

Legal limits to working hours inside the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, a worker can legally work a most of 12 hours per shift and a most of 60 hours according to week. This limit is most effective for quick durations, for longer time frames the limit is decreased.

Across a four-week duration, an employee won’t work more than fifty-five hours consistent with the week, and over a sixteen-week length, an employee won’t work greater than 48 hours in keeping with the week.

If you work a shift of more than 5, five hours then you have the proper to a 30-minute (unpaid) wreck, which you can additionally cut up into breaks of 15 mins.

Working extra time within the Netherlands

Unlike many other international locations, frequently running long hours overtime is not so not unusual in the Netherlands.

Whether or no longer you get hold of repayment for hours worked extra time relies upon the situation of your working settlement. Some companies will stipulate in the settlement that (a sure quantity of) additional time work comes with the activity and is covered with the aid of your regular profits, whilst others might also offer economic repayment or time in lieu for any greater hours labored.

If you feel like you are working too much (uncompensated) extra time then it is important to raise the problem with your business enterprise.

Flexible hours inside the Netherlands

For a few employees, it’s miles possible to barter flexible operating hours with their organization. This can consist of:

running from domestic one or greater days per week.
longer running days in trade for one unfastened day according to week or fortnight.
time in lieu to replace hours labored in the evenings or on weekends.

If you would like to explore the possibilities of flexible work then make sure to elevate the issue whilst discussing your employment settlement or at an overall performance overview assembly.

Most organizations have earnings ranges for diverse functions, and but there are continually candidates who manage to negotiate it above the variety.

However, there are also others who will place themselves below the bottom. Often those exclusive salaries don’t have some thing to do with the candidates’ qualifications. So, what does affect income ranges? The solutions are education, self-self belief and metallic-nerves.

How to negotiate your revenue inside the Netherlands

1. Preparation

Preparation is the critical step, and you can’t start early sufficient with this manner. Most of the time, the question approximately your income expectations isn’t something you would assume to be requested at some stage in the primary interview, but it does take place very frequently. This is more likely when you are being screened by means of recruiters.

Salary variety

Knowing the salary variety for a given characteristic in every industry is crucial. One of the excellent sites to test income rages is Glassdoor, wherein the income degrees are frequently disclosed for diverse corporations.

Gross and internet earnings

Very crucial to preserve in mind is the distinction among gross and internet earnings inside the Netherlands.

Most of the time, you will negotiate your gross income (income before Dutch taxes). Also keep in mind that the 8% extra holiday pay (on pinnacle of your gross annual income) is a type of 13th month charge. When talking approximately your revenue, continually make certain which you and your organisation are talking about the equal aspect.

Additional perks

Keep in mind that frequently, depending on the dimensions of the company, there could be other matters to recollect than the base income. Those things will be the following:

• Bonuses
• Travel allowance
• Training price range
• Company automobile or public transport card
• Pension schemes
• Flexible / remote paintings
• Gym allowances

2. Self-confidence

Most of the time, the ones who negotiate the high-quality salaries for themselves are those who’ve a strong cognizance of what they bring to the desk. Self-confident candidates probable have their achievements written down. But how do you locate self belief for your self?

Know your price

I usually suggest my clients to sincerely kingdom their achievements and write down the testimonies or information which help them. Seeing your accomplishments honestly described no longer most effective lets you prepare for the interview but additionally increases your self assurance. Ask yourself: What do you convey to the desk? What specific and particular experience do you have got that provides cost to the agency? The clearer you’re approximately those factors, the better you will be able to talk it for your potential organisation.

Balance it out

When negotiating a salary, the intricate component is keeping a stability between healthy self belief and vanity – especially inside the Netherlands wherein “being an excessive amount of” is frowned upon. At the same time, but, you do not want to undersell your self and be overly modest. That’s why it’s far crucial to have a listing of your precise achievements and let them speak for you.

Anchor it high

You may have heard of the well-known negotiating technique known as anchoring. When you anchor at some point of a salary negotiation, you advise a salary on the higher cease of the range. The idea at the back of that is that you can usually pass down, but you received’t be able to go up.

Use confident and tremendous language

When speaking about the salary, you want to seem assured, calm and high-quality. Therefore, watch your body language, tone of the voice and the language you operate closely. Cut down all of the “maybes, ifs, sorrys and justs”. The fine way to advantage self belief is to exercise a couple of times with a partner or a pal.

Focus on the benefits for the agency

When pointing out your revenue degree and negotiating it, returned it up with the blessings that the agency gets once they lease you.

3. Nerves of metal

Negotiating your salary correctly regularly boils down to who has nerves of metallic? A lot of my customers say, “Yes, Dorota, however I need this process so much. So, isn’t it higher to begin with a decrease provide?” I constantly say, in case you recognise that you could do the process well, it’s far a whole lot higher to country what you’re really worth confidently and by no means undervalue your self.

Accepting a decrease provide is also by no means a very good option psychologically. This is due to the fact desperation isn’t attractive. In the quit, the company might pick out a candidate who asks for greater, as they’ll accept as true with this person could be able to do a higher process due to the fact they understand their well worth. Keep in mind that even as handling their budgets, maximum hiring managers are going for the applicants who they perceive because the best for the job – not just the cheapest ones.

Do now not be afraid to beat back

And what if you stated your profits and the offer you obtained is some distance underneath your expectations? Lots of human beings may have an urge to accept straight away. But keep in mind that frequently the primary provide from the organization doesn’t want to be the very last one. Also, in the Netherlands, salary negotiations appear on a daily basis, so don’t be afraid to beat back. The reality that they gave you a proposal approach that they’re inclined to spend money on you.

Which European countries are most compatible with remote or hybrid work? According to recent data, the Netherlands has the largest percentage of employees who work remotely among the member states of the European Union.

As a result of lockdowns and other restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 epidemic, there was a significant shift in the number of persons working remotely.

The surge of remote work within the European Union from the start of the epidemic in 2020 to the end of 2022 has now been charted by Remote, a global provider of HR solutions.

According to the data, 30% of workers routinely worked from home in the EU last year (either entirely remotely or using a hybrid model), compared to just over 15% in the UK.

According to Remote’s analysis of data from Statista and Eurostat, 65% of Dutch workers in 2022 did at least some of their job remotely.

The Netherlands is far ahead, with Luxembourg coming in second with 54.4% and Sweden coming in third with 51.8%.

Here are the top 10 EU nations with the greatest proportion of remote workers.

Which European countries are most compatible with remote or hybrid work?

The information was gathered in August 2022. The percentage of remote workers in the top five EU nations was also predicted by Remote for 2023.

The business projects that this year, roughly 10% more people will work remotely in the Netherlands, increasing the total to 73.5%, while the percentage of remote or hybrid workers in Luxembourg will increase to 60.6% and in Sweden to 56.4%.

Both Belgium and Ireland are expected to experience significant increases, reaching 61.6% and 56.1% respectively.

Europe’s outlying working capital

According to the data, the Netherlands has a share of remote workers that is four times larger than either the UK or the US.

The Netherlands became one of the first nations to formally permit remote working flexibility with the approval of legislation last summer, making working from home a legitimate option.

Employers are now required by law to examine requests for remote employment and give a justification if they are denied.

According to the Remote study, the Netherlands already had a high proportion of remote workers before the pandemic, with a rate of 28%, which was one of the highest in the EU at the time.

Which European countries are most compatible with remote or hybrid work?

You want to live in the Netherlands and want to start looking for a job, but there is one problem: you do not speak Dutch!

The Netherlands, especially the city of Amsterdam, is a real meeting point for international citizens. Excellent infrastructure, innovative understandinģ and excellent transport opportunities with the rest of Europe make the Netherlands a dream country for immigrants. The Netherlands is the country where English is the most widely spoken and best spoken country among the non-native speaking countries in the world. This sounds good doesn’t it? But while Dutch people can speak great English, that doesn’t mean you can “prefer” to just speak English while living in the Netherlands.
You don’t have to speak Dutch to work in the Netherlands. Many immigrants find employment with international companies in Amsterdam (or other Dutch cities). These people can meet the country and run their business entirely in English, in or out of the office.

However, we have a caveat: although you don’t have to speak Dutch to work in the Netherlands, we definitely recommend that you can!

Here are some reasons for this:

If you don’t speak Dutch, your job opportunities may be limited.
This is actually not that surprising. You live in a foreign country with its own language, so most work is done in Dutch. There are many companies in the Netherlands that operate almost entirely in English, but still, the majority of companies speak Dutch.

Job competition in the Netherlands is also very intense, so in some cases, knowing Dutch can give you a great opportunity among other candidates.

If you don’t speak Dutch, you may miss the social aspects of work life at times.

The Dutch are famous for having one of the best work-life balances in the world.

Unless you’re working for an international company, social conversations such as afternoon drinks (borrolen), company outings, or even conversations around the coffee machine are usually held in Dutch.

Living abroad might not be that fun if you don’t try to integrate
The Netherlands has an ever-evolving multinational community. So you can definitely find lots of immigrant friends to build your close circle. But if you really want to be a part of Dutch life and all the daily habits that come with it, it’s worth trying to learn the language.

Learning Dutch can be surprisingly fun for you, as well as gaining a new language skill – even just being able to order a Dutch coffee – will be appreciated by the locals.

There are many big international brands in the Netherlands where you can find a job and speak English.

You can start with these companies to apply for job postings:

1.Booking.com

2.Heineken

3.IKEA

4.Liberty Global (VodafoneZiggo, Virgin Media etc.)

5.Nike

6.Philips

7.Shell

8.Tesla

9.TomTom

10.Under Armor

11.Unilever

Make sure you meet the requirements to be able to Work in the Netherlands.
If you are in a European Union country, you probably have a work permit. If not, you should check whether you need a visa to work in the Netherlands or if you are eligible for a sponsored one in the Netherlands.

Tailor your CV to Dutch standards
The CV you use for job postings in your home country may not be Dutch. Make sure your CV is fully optimized for Dutch recruiters, while looking simple and useful.

Update your LinkedIn
LinkedIn is actively used by companies in the Netherlands as an application. Make sure it is up to date and active. In addition to LinkedIn, Indeed.nl, De Nationale, Vacaturebank, Mosterboard.nl and wer.nl are also popular options.

While you don’t have to speak Dutch while working in the Netherlands, being able to speak Dutch will benefit you greatly both socially and for your career in the Netherlands.

Master

There are two rounds of psychology master’s programs in the Netherlands. One of them is two years old and passes as a research master. This master’s program is ideal for those who want to pursue an academic career later on. Because in future PhD applications, students who have completed this education are given priority. Students who complete the one-year master’s program, I am talking about the clinical master, have the title of psychologist. In the first half of the clinical master’s program, theoretical education is given on certain subjects determined by the University and at the same time, there are practical courses on therapy methods. Theory training can be courses such as addiction, forensic psychology, statistics and personality disorders. Therapy methods generally include methods used in popular and short-term treatments. For example, schema therapy, mindfulness, and cognitive and behavioral methods. The second semester is devoted to writing thesis.

Post master
A person who has completed his master’s degree in clinical psychology in the Netherlands has the title of ‘basis psycholoog’, that is, a psychologist with basic knowledge. Any psychologist who has completed his master’s degree can become a member of the Netherlands Institute of Psychologists (NIP). NIP has been protecting psychologists since 1993, so that people who have completed university education and those who call themselves psychologists are separated by this classification. There are two options for psychologists who want to continue their post-master education and have a higher title: GZ psychologist and psychotherapeut titles. GZ psychologists can obtain the title of clinical psychologist by taking an additional four years of training.

GZ Psychologist (Gezondheidszorgpsycholoog) and Psychotheraupeut
In order to become a GZ psychologist, basic psychologists need to both work and receive training for about two years. In order to be accepted to this training, there is a condition to complete certain trainings beforehand. For this, you need to know Dutch. The title of GZ psychologist indicates that the psychologist has a certain experience. Insured treatments (for example, at a GGZ board) require the approval of GZ psychologists. The GZ psychologist is also responsible for consulting the clinical psychologist about the diagnosis he predicts. One of the benefits of being a GZ psychologist is that the insurance covers the session fee. This is an advantage in the Netherlands, because everyone has to be covered by insurance and there are almost no extra charges for health care expenses. GZ psychologs can reach the status of Klinische psycholoog (which we can call a clinical psychologist) after four more years of training.

Psychotheraupeut (we can translate as psychotherapist), unlike GZ psychologists, they are subjected to a three-year training. They specialize in the treatment of patients with complaints usually caused by personality disorders. Psychotherapists offer a more intensive and longer treatment than a GZ psychologist.

How to find a job?
Finding a job as a psychologist in the Netherlands is not easy. Moreover, it is very difficult to find a job without knowing Dutch. There are institutions that provide psychological treatment to immigrants in their own language. In these institutions, there is a condition to be known in Dutch. If you show that you learn the language and improve yourself, your chances of finding a job will increase. Another way is to set up one’s own clinic. The handicap here is that the insurances cannot cover the sessions. As I mentioned before, every citizen in the Netherlands has insurance and most of the treatments are included in this insurance fee. Therefore, even if the waiting times are longer than private clinics, this period can be up to one year, and clinics where the fees are covered by insurance are preferred.

The “Working Abroad Index”, which reveals the working conditions of expatriates in various countries and the related satisfaction or dissatisfaction, gives the following results for the Netherlands:

-The Netherlands shows the best performance in the “Working Culture and Satisfaction Category” in the Working Abroad Index and ranks 4th in this category.

– 79% of expatriates in the Netherlands view the country positively in terms of political stability and 78% in terms of freedom of expression.

-94% of expats find it easy and safe to cycle or walk around the Netherlands; 88% are also satisfied with the existing automobile infrastructure.

– The Netherlands is ranked 49th in the category of “Accommodation” and is in the last five in the world. 69% of expats agree that it is difficult to find housing in this country, and 53% think that it is difficult to find suitable housing.

-The rate of those who stated that they were disappointed with the quality and unaffordability of health services: 54%.

-More than 46% of expats find the cost of living too high, but 77% think their income is sufficient to live in the Netherlands.