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Here in The Netherlands we have a legal minimum of 4x the amount of hours you work per week for time off. So you work 40 hrs, you get 160 hrs off each year. The

Here in The Netherlands we have a legal minimum of 4x the amount of hours you work per week for time off. So you work 40 hrs, you get 160 hrs off each year. The vast majority of employers give more, though. I haven't seen less than 24 days off. In addition to that, you get 8% of your yearly gross income as "vacation money" in the month of May. I never get why most Americans have so much trouble with taking/giving time off. Or working part-time, for that matter, which is basically impossible, from what I've heard.

LordHumungous 13y ago
Sigh.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
pseudonym44 13y ago
> you get 8% of your yearly gross income as "vacation money" in the month of May. I dislike this type of policy, which essentially acts to obfuscate your true gross income. "Oh, you understood that we would add vacation money? We included vacation money in the quoted income, sorry." I'm not in the Netherlands but I've been in this situation and had to take frustrating legal action (which, under new legislation, I would now have to pay for).
- dirktheman 13y ago
  It's pretty well known, when you're quoted a yearly salary, the 8% is usually included. When you're quoted a monthly salary, it isn't. Weird, I know, but it's so common here that almost everybody knows. Though i can imagine it's frustrating for people from abroad! On a side note, true gross income doesn't say that much. You have taxes, 401K plans that are sometimes partially included, meal plans, etc. i had a bigger paycheck at my last job, but my net income is higher at my current job. Unfortunately, the only way to truly know what you're making is to wait a month after starting working somewhere, and check your bank account.
notastartup 13y ago
How do I become a citizen of Netherlands?
- dirktheman 13y ago
  That's actually a lenghty process, but the good thing is these rules also go for foreigners working here :)
  - notastartup 13y ago
    How can I get a software developer job in Netherlands? Or do a startup. I am willing to learn the native language if I must. Btw, I'm Canadian, can we speed up the process? never mind, the tax rate is higher. but seems like a great place to work. or be financially poor but live a great quality of life from social benefits.
    - dirktheman 13y ago
      Finding a job could be difficult, the financial crisis is not showing any signs of going away anytime soon, and there's a decent supply of CS grads for a small number of jobs. This could change in the future, though. No need to learn Dutch, it's a hard language to learn (as in unpronouncable!) and everybody speaks English anyway. Doing a startup here is challenging, too. The Dutch are pretty risk-adverse, the market is small (16 million) so we don't really have angels or VC money. If you start the startup in the US and then move to The Netherlands after, say, round B, that does sound like a plan. Which is exactly the way I'm planning on doing mine! Tax rates are pretty high, with the exception of big multinationals. Think U2, Gucci, KPMG. They're officially based in The Netherlands because of the tax breaks. On a side note: as a Canadian, you probably would like it here. Climate and mentality are pretty similar, and I know several people who made the switch. My elementary school teacher was from Canada.
  - nknighthb 13y ago
    There's actually a treaty -- the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty (DAFT, yes, really)[1] -- that makes it relatively easy for Americans to go to the Netherlands and start a business, and I believe time spent under the permit counts toward the requirements for permanent residency. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DAFT_(treaty) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DAFT_(treaty)

LordHumungous 13y ago

Sigh.

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]

pseudonym44 13y ago

> you get 8% of your yearly gross income as "vacation money" in the month of May. I dislike this type of policy, which essentially acts to obfuscate your true gross income. "Oh, you understood that we would add vacation money? We included vacation money in the quoted income, sorry." I'm not in the Netherlands but I've been in this situation and had to take frustrating legal action (which, under new legislation, I would now have to pay for).

dirktheman 13y ago
It's pretty well known, when you're quoted a yearly salary, the 8% is usually included. When you're quoted a monthly salary, it isn't. Weird, I know, but it's so common here that almost everybody knows. Though i can imagine it's frustrating for people from abroad! On a side note, true gross income doesn't say that much. You have taxes, 401K plans that are sometimes partially included, meal plans, etc. i had a bigger paycheck at my last job, but my net income is higher at my current job. Unfortunately, the only way to truly know what you're making is to wait a month after starting working somewhere, and check your bank account.

notastartup 13y ago

How do I become a citizen of Netherlands?

dirktheman 13y ago
That's actually a lenghty process, but the good thing is these rules also go for foreigners working here :)
- notastartup 13y ago
  How can I get a software developer job in Netherlands? Or do a startup. I am willing to learn the native language if I must. Btw, I'm Canadian, can we speed up the process? never mind, the tax rate is higher. but seems like a great place to work. or be financially poor but live a great quality of life from social benefits.
  - dirktheman 13y ago
    Finding a job could be difficult, the financial crisis is not showing any signs of going away anytime soon, and there's a decent supply of CS grads for a small number of jobs. This could change in the future, though. No need to learn Dutch, it's a hard language to learn (as in unpronouncable!) and everybody speaks English anyway. Doing a startup here is challenging, too. The Dutch are pretty risk-adverse, the market is small (16 million) so we don't really have angels or VC money. If you start the startup in the US and then move to The Netherlands after, say, round B, that does sound like a plan. Which is exactly the way I'm planning on doing mine! Tax rates are pretty high, with the exception of big multinationals. Think U2, Gucci, KPMG. They're officially based in The Netherlands because of the tax breaks. On a side note: as a Canadian, you probably would like it here. Climate and mentality are pretty similar, and I know several people who made the switch. My elementary school teacher was from Canada.
- nknighthb 13y ago
  There's actually a treaty -- the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty (DAFT, yes, really)[1] -- that makes it relatively easy for Americans to go to the Netherlands and start a business, and I believe time spent under the permit counts toward the requirements for permanent residency. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DAFT_(treaty) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DAFT_(treaty)