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But I certainly don't want to sell everything I own and then find out I misjudged my ability to earn a living in Holland.


Suggest talking to a head-hunter or two to feel out the current demand.

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My vision of living in Amsterdam is in the old part of the city. I've lived in the soul numbing US suburbs my whole life and I love how alive and pedestrian/bike friendly the inner city is. I also like the architecture and history. I like having so many things close by. Do I lose that as I go further out? For example, even De Pijp was much less appealing to me.


Most Dutch people consider De Pijp much more vibrant and interesting than the "stuffy" old centre. Oud-Zuid ("Old South") and the Jordaan rank very high too. But there are a lot of areas just outside the "old money belt", where living is much cheaper but the centre is still within 15 minutes by bike.

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[bureaucracy and red tape]

Boy this must be bad because every Dutch person I talk to cites this as one of the worst aspects of Dutch life.


Don't even get me started...

But at least the Dutch system, despite being complicated and frustrating, has some sort of logic and consistency to it, as opposed to the corrupt and chaotic system further south.