Your move to The Netherlands

Expat Podcast - Interesting insights from an American Executive in the Netherlands.

Dutch people are known for being direct, but that doesn’t mean you can skip the listening part as a leader. People want to be heard. And if they don’t get that chance, it becomes really hard to follow.”

One insight from my conversation with Gary Sullivan in Expat Podcast the Netherlands.

Gary is an American executive in the pharmaceutical industry. He has lived and worked with his family in Austria, Switzerland and now the Netherlands.
In the podcast, he shares what it is like to be an international leader of a team that is mostly Dutch. He also talks about what it means to build a life in the Netherlands as an expat with his family.

Another observation from Gary that really stood out to me:
“In the Netherlands, you can feel comfortable quite quickly. But real integration takes more. You have to ask questions, learn the language and look beyond the surface.”

Gary has also made a real effort to learn Dutch himself.

In short: an interesting conversation about leadership, family life abroad and what it really means to land well in the Netherlands.

Thank you, Gary, for sharing your story.

You can listen to the full conversation via the website of Your Move to the Netherlands(Link in Bio), on Spotify or on other podcast platforms. Search for ‘𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗮𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀’.

Or comment here and we will send you the direct link.

𝑳𝑼𝑵𝑪𝑯 𝑾𝑬𝑩𝑰𝑵𝑨𝑹: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀?

Thursday 16th of april, Michel Daenen is hosting a lunch webinar: What Recruiters Really Look for in the Netherlands. 

In this live conversation, he will speak with Revelino Azzaro, Director of recruitment company ExactPi, and Brad van Camp, Senior Business Manager at ExactPi.

🔹Together, they will share first-hand insights into Dutch recruitment, what employers really look for, and how expats can improve their chances on the Dutch job market.

Join live to learn how it really works — and ask your questions directly during the session.

𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲: simply go to the community My Dutch Homebase (via the orange ‘members login’ button on the website of Your Move to the Netherlands www.yourmovetothenetherlands.nl  and click the Zoom button for the right event. It’s all very straightforward.

𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐭⁉️
You can join right away via the orange button below. That same button will also take you straight into the community.

🔹The first 14 days of the annual membership is free. After that it is only 15 euro per month. The membership gives you access to a wealth of support and connection.  

🔹You can also use the Huddle app to access the community (download from your Appstore). After you’ve set up your account and logged in once, you’ll stay connected easily on your phone or tablet via de app. 

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Tot ziens ✋🏻

Image: .archaeologist

Do you already speak some Dutch, but still feel insecure when you have to use it in a job interview?

Maybe you notice that you can have a normal conversation in Dutch quite well, but that it becomes much harder when the pressure is on. You hesitate, lose the thread in your answer, or switch back to English. Not because you are not qualified, but because it is simply harder to talk about your experience, motivation and added value clearly in Dutch in that moment.
If that sounds familiar, our Dutch Job Interview Clinic may be exactly what you need.

On 22 April in Amsterdam, we are organising a one-day practical clinic for international professionals who already speak Dutch at B1 level or higher, but want to feel more confident and stronger in Dutch job interviews.

This is not a traditional language class. It is a focused, hands-on training where we work on the real situation: how to present yourself professionally in Dutch during a job interview.
During the day, you will work on:

• answering common and difficult interview questions in Dutch
• talking about your work experience and motivation more clearly
• staying calm and structured when you feel under pressure
• presenting yourself with more confidence in a Dutch interview setting

You can work with your own vacancy, or with realistic examples from the Dutch labour market.
And at the end of the day, you will also have the chance to practise with a real recruiter, so you can really test how it goes and put everything you have learned into practice.

The clinic is organised by DNA Languages and Your Move to the Netherlands, combining expertise in Dutch language training and career coaching.

Practical details
Date: 22 April
Time: 09:30 – 17:00
Location: ECB Meeting Centre, Keizersgracht 62-64, Amsterdam
Price: €295 incl. VAT
Includes: lunch

The trainers are:
Anneke Siemons – DNA Languages
Michel Daenen – Your Move to The Netherlands

You can find more information here:
https://services.yourmovetothenetherlands.nl/dutch-job-interview-clinic

By the way: if you are a community member, we can send you a coupon code when you want to sign up. With that code, you get 15% discount on your ticket. So if you would like to join the clinic, just send a message to [email protected] and we will send you the code.

Hi everyone,

Last week, municipal elections took place in the Netherlands. On that same day, we had our community Q&A session.

One of the questions that came up was: “Could you tell us a bit more about Dutch politics?”

So I’ve recorded a short 15-minute video about how Dutch politics works.

That way, I won’t have to spend the next Q&A session giving a full presentation. Not because I don’t like doing that, but because this gives us more space for a real dialogue instead of only me talking.

You can already watch the video now, and then next Wednesday we can discuss any questions you may still have.

Click this link to log in to the community or to create an account: https://mydutchhomebase.yourmovetothenetherlands.nl/login

Tot ziens.
Michel Daenen, founder of Your Move to the Netherlands

In this episode, Michel Daenen speaks with McKenna Mahacek — a dancer from the USA who turned her passion into her profession after moving to the Netherlands four years ago.

During the Expatfactor book launch, McKenna performed live in a green screen setup in Endorfine Virtual Studios. The audience thought they were watching a recording… until they discovered it was happening live. In this episode, she shares how that moment felt and what it was like to be part of such a unique experience.

She also talks about her journey to the Netherlands, building a life in Amsterdam, and how dance helped her feel truly at home.

🎙️ Enjoy listening: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5JkDNyIxzhO5e7e57Apgr7?si=c55bb6a7777241dc