On March 11th, Pauline Son, Director Operations and Sales of the Relocation department of the Expat Management Group in Amsterdam and I were invited to participate in a Webinar for the International Education and Schools in the Netherlands Fair series, where we had a chance to share our extensive experience of moving families into the Netherlands – the challenges and the opportunities. The webinar was hosted by Fiona Murchie, the publisher and managing editor of Relocate Global.
During the event, we discussed the different international education options and the range of schools available in the Netherlands, particularly in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Eindhoven, which are the most popular cities for internationals.
We also talked about the challenges that people have when it comes to relocating, especially during Covid times.
When it comes to education, not being able to visit the schools before choosing, and having to decide on a school online, as well as having no possibility to go inside the schools when you are new to the country are a big problem at the moment, and this is a topic where international families can struggle.
Some of the topics that we discussed and talked about are:
- Where are the International Schools to be found and what are the differences?
- How easy is it for small children to become bilingual?
- The Dutch immersion programme in Primary and Secondary schools
- What is the current availability of school places?
- What school records and documentation are needed for admission?
- How have schools responded to lockdowns? Online and hybrid learning.
- What are the most challenging aspects of moving to the Netherlands?
- What is the availability of property like?
- What type of organizations are moving or planning to move at the moment?
- International Education and Schooling: the options available to relocating families.
- Schooling in the Netherlands: the challenges and opportunities.
All this is vital information for globally mobile families considering a move to the Netherlands, so we were happy to also share what kind of documents and processes international families need to consider and have ready before making the move. This relates to immigration, accommodation procedures and what is needed to enroll their children in their new schools. This makes their move much easier.
Because relocating is more than just the logistical and immigrational procedures, as a bonus tip we shared what the Netherlands has to offer in terms of lifestyle: its people, the culture, the language and security and how it is as an international to adapt and feel at home here.
You can watch the Webinar recording here.
If you are moving to the Netherlands soon and need help choosing the right school for your family, you can book a call with Annebet here: https://new2nl.com/families/.
