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DutchNews podcast – The Nijntje’s Jumbo Nightmares Edition – Week 47

While shoppers hunt for a Black Friday bargain, the Dutch government faces a Code Black scenario in hospitals as coronavirus infections continue to spread. Unrest boils again in Dutch cities as bars are forced to shut early and stricter rules are mooted for unvaccinated people. The cabinet comes in for criticism for its mixed messages, ineffective measures and late start to the booster vaccine campaign. If all else fails for Hugo de Jonge, there’s good money to be made from... More >

Six tips for a great video interview

If you are applying for a job and your CV and motivation letter convinced the hiring manager you could be just the person they are looking for, chances are the next step is an invitation to an interview – but what if it is online? Video interviews were pretty common before coronavirus, to shorten hiring time and to improve accessibility for applicants based further away. But with with working from home remaining the norm, interviews via Zoom or Google Meets... More >

Share your voice on work and careers

After running surveys on quality of life and healthcare, the Share My Voice organisation is now turning to the field of work, with its third survey. Participate and fill out the survey here. The new survey will focus on international workers views on training and education at work and on their wishes and opportunities for further developing their careers. The aim, the organisers say, is to ‘improve the employment conditions and quality of life for labour migrants in the Netherlands’.... More >

'Language is only part of communication'

Abi Daruvalla fled to Amsterdam from the UK more than 40 years ago and worked for many years as a journalist/foreign correspondent and as a trainer with the Dutch World Service and Free Press Unlimited. She had a crush on Ruud Gullit for 30 years, loves asparagus and has no plans to leave the Netherlands, ever. How did you end up in the Netherlands? I was born and grew up in England but as my parents were Indian immigrants, I... More >

Universities and foreign students

A seemingly unstoppable rise in foreign student numbers is threatening to overwhelm Dutch universities. But the problem, professor Annette de Groot says, is largely of their own making. Opting to conduct a big chunk of their degree courses completely in English (71.6% of the total at the last count) Dutch universities have made them irresistible to foreign students. Now they are struggling to cope with the effects of their language policy, which is making the national housing crisis even worse.... More >

A journey to America in a pandemic

The pandemic has made international travel almost impossible, especially for those going further afield. A few weeks ago, Brandon Hartley returned to his hometown of Portland for the first time in over three years. We were 35,000 feet over Greenland when a mask-less woman bumped into my ankles with her head. This was one of the few scenarios my longtime partner and I hadn’t prepared for while planning our first trip back to Portland in over three years. Plotting how... More >

Podcast: The Infection Inquisition Edition

2G or not 2G? That is the question vexing Dutch politicians as coronavirus cases keep soaring and the calls for tighter restrictions grow louder. The coalition talks are still on track despite a careless party leader leaving confidential documents on a train. Sparks fly in parliament as far-right party FVD is accused of threatening behaviour. And that could be the only flashpoint we see this winter after ministers bow to pressure to ban New Year fireworks. Want to support the... More >

Waste app even rescues orange peel

According to waste collection warriors Seenons, ‘waste is only waste if we waste it’. As big-name companies sign up to their app, we find out how one of Amsterdam’s fastest growing startups is rescuing the valuable raw materials in the stuff we throw away. Liqueur company Dik & Schil regularly receive morning deliveries of coffee and freshly squeezed oranges at their workspace in Amsterdam. But the juice and hot coffee have been enjoyed elsewhere – it’s the grounds and the... More >

This is how much your health plan costs

The annual window for changing your health insurance has officially begun. Comparing and switching plans should pay off, as price differences have increased yet again. Here is what you need to know for 2022. Dutch health insurance companies have increased their premiums in 2022 by €48 a year on average. According to Zorgwijzer’s price overview, the average basic health insurance accounts to €128.30 euro per month with the statutory €385 own risk payment. Roughly 85% of the population is insured... More >

Give me year-round kruidnoten

Historically, rich Dutch people shoved nutmeg and cinnamon (in disgusting quantities) into dishes during all seasons. There’s nothing inherently wintery about spices that only grow in tropical climates. Forget vaccine mandates, Molly Quell writes, the real injustice is the conspiracy that keeps us from enjoying kruidnoten through the entire year. This weekend, I took my winter coat and my mittens out of storage. The city of Delft strung up its holiday lights. I have begun a list of gift ideas... More >

Podcast: The Vaccinterklaas Edition

With Code Black looming in hospitals, the Dutch government brings in a ‘lockdown lite’ in the hope of bringing infections down by Sinterklaas. But at least there’ll be less black on the faces of the saint’s entourage, as research show ‘sooty Piets’ have become the dominant strain. December 5 is also the date when Mark Rutte hopes to have his fourth cabinet installed, a mere nine months after the general election. In sports news, Feyenoord’s plans for a new stadium... More >

Dutch health insurance: the 2022 changes

The government expects health insurance premiums to rise by around €2.75 a month next year. So what do you need to know? Every year the government outlines what it expects the price of health insurance will be when it publishes its spending plans for the following year on the third Tuesday in September. This year, the government said it was forecasting a rise of €2.75 a month, which would take the average premium to around €121.25 a month. The figure... More >

'I can't get over how loudly people talk'

Kristóf Hajós (45) is a singer-songwriter and lead singer of The Unbending Trees. He left his native Hungary for Amsterdam three years ago after Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party tightened its grip on power in the 2018 general election. He cycles everywhere, drinks karnemelk for lunch and loves the tranquillity of the Dutch countryside. How did you end up in the Netherlands? I moved here in September 2018. I’d been coming here two or three times a month on business, so... More >

Dutch destinations: cheese and Gouda

‘Cheese’ is the first thing that might come to mind when you think of Gouda, but fear not if you’re lactose intolerant. The city is also famous for its pottery, stroopwafels, and smoking pipes in addition to its picturesque centre. Long before its now world-famous cheese market rolled out its curdy wheels for the first time, it was little more than a swampy marsh. The Van der Goude clan showed up in the Middle Ages to build a castle along... More >

How can businesses adapt to the Covid age?

With coronavirus still likely to be with us next spring, its impact on all parts of life is becoming increasingly permanent. But what does that mean for entrepreneurs and the development of new ways of working? If you put together a group of business leaders with handful of visionaries and a sprinkling of change-makers, what will come out of their talks? It’s a question that the BASE Conference team are hoping to answer with this year’s event. The 2021 Base... More >

Podcast: Assistance Admiral Walrus Edition

With coronavirus cases on the rise again, experts call for firm, decisive action to bring infections down. Politicians, however, prefer to tinker with work from home rules, rely on a patchy QR code system and put the hard decisions off for another week. Elsewhere this week the Netherlands clocked up a record number of billionaires, while Amsterdam announced plans to restrict the city’s housing market for private landlords. Ajax marched on in Europe but Rotterdam’s mayor lost his rag with... More >

First public art depot opens in Rotterdam

Rotterdam’s Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum is still under renovation but has transferred its entire collection to its stunning new warehouse opposite and made museum history. Passengers in glass elevators make vertical journeys either side of a six-storey atrium and watch the glass-encased objects stream past. Zigzagging around them are clear-sided walkways where people in white coats gaze into transparent rooms or shuffle in and out of storage spaces. Downstairs, a docking system awaits new arrivals, but they’ll have to acclimatise... More >

Inburgering with DN: key facts about beer

With the nights drawing in, what better thing to do follow the DutchNews.nl inburgering course? Lesson 26: Beer Beer brewing in the Netherlands dates back to the 9th century, though craft beer has recently experienced a considerable resurgence in the country. Ever since Heineken won the gold medal for its pilsner at the World’s Fair in 1889, the Dutch have been known for that brewery and style, but brewing in the Netherlands is much more than that. Beer was not... More >

13 great things to do in November

Amazing art, stunning stars and taking the mickey out of cheese heads – there is an awful lot to see and do on the cultural circuit this November. Go to university Combine a stroll through the oldest botanical gardens in the Netherlands with a visit to the historical Oude Sterrewacht (old observatory), also at Leiden University, and find out what astronomers discovered during a century of star gazing. Weekends only. From November 1. Website See the Dutch through their eyes... More >

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