Would you consider relocating from the UK to the Netherlands?

Mellani Georgiou, Principal Associate Director at Marks Sattin recently took a trip to our new European office, and here she looks at the ins and outs of relocating from the UK to Holland.

In December I was delighted to join Marks Sattin to launch their new office in Amsterdam. As you would expect, the macroeconomic factors of the past few years have caused significant disruption to the Netherlands’ finance and accountancy sector, resulting in unprecedented changes to how the industry operates. However, the sector is bouncing back with energy, and most companies are hiring again.

Organisations are keen to work with a range of professionals, not just EU nationals. For example, the Netherlands has long been an attractive option for British expats. I’m having more conversations than ever with people looking to make the move, so I thought it would be a good idea to address some essential concerns for people looking to move to the Netherlands.

Some comparisons between the UK and the Netherlands

Both the Netherlands and the UK are Northern European nations with constitutional monarchies and are devoted to talking about the weather! However, of course, there are key differences between the two countries:

• Where the British are polite, what’s known as “the stiff upper lip”! the Dutch can be very direct!
• The Dutch have a strong coffee culture.
• The Dutch don’t really drink pints, instead, they drink een fluitje, which in English translates to “little vase”. On average, a little vase costs around €3 which makes it considerably more expensive per millilitre than the humble British pint.
• The Netherlands is called the lowlands for a reason. It seems like a pretty obvious statement, but the UK actually has hills and mountains, so the scenery and terrain are very different.
• You don’t really need a car in the Netherlands, as public transport is considerably more reliable than in the UK.

Similarly to the UK, the Dutch housing market is extremely competitive at the moment, nowhere more so than in Amsterdam, where limited supply and high demand continue to drive up prices across the city. This can lead to houses selling for much more than their value, and rental prices soaring.

Much like the UK, our average working week is about 40 hours. However, more companies are starting to experiment with 32 to 36 hours a week as the desire for a four-day week increases. Moreover, flexible and hybrid working is commonplace since the pandemic.

In terms of annual leave, businesses are legally required to offer you at least 20 days, plus bank holidays. With that being said, companies are offering more annual leave to give them a greater competitive edge in the jobs market. Holiday allowance must be at least 8% of the employee’s gross wage you earned during the past year (from May to May). Other payments such as overtime, performance premiums, any commissions, supplements for working unsocial hours and year-end bonuses, do not count towards the calculation of your holiday payment.

Work-life balance is a huge topic at most companies. So, we see extra perks, such as gym membership, free lunches and snacks. Also, lots of companies offer an annual bonus or 13th-month pay. Here you can read more about what is the 13th month salary in the Netherlands. Moreover, car allowance is seen a lot with higher managerial jobs, like finance manager and CFO.

How Marks Sattin can help you relocate to the Netherlands

Job boards can be helpful for finding work opportunities in the Netherlands, but the Marks Sattin team in the Netherlands is also a great place to start your search.

As a long-established finance and accountancy recruitment specialist, we have unparalleled access to a broad range of finance and accounting roles to fit your personality and skills. Our consultants have in-depth knowledge of trends, packages, and can effectively consult on your career journey. 

If you would like to discuss any of the above and understand what our finance recruitment agency can offer you, please reach out to me. Alternatively, if you are looking to start your finance and accountancy career, check out our latest finance and accounting vacancies.