The International Schools Review Forum

Currently living and working in Asia but wanting to move closer to home.

What are wages like in the Netherlands? I'm single but with children in University that'll need financial assistance. I was particularly interested in Amsterdam or The Hague.

Any recommendations? ISH and ISA appeal.

I can't speak through direct experience, but people don't normally go to Europe to save money.

Specifically - most teachers (who I have spoken to) earn enough to live and take short trips around Europe or North Africa. As such, I'm not sure that you will find a school in Western Europe which will allow you to live comfortably and also put a student through university. I could be wrong though....

I taught at a Dutch state school (bilingual program), and later at the International School of Amsterdam. It was impossible to pay rent in Amsterdam on the money I made at either place, and I had to take some other jobs on the side. After some years in other countries I thought of going back to the Netherlands for family reasons. Maastricht and Hilversum had openings in my subjects at that time. They both pay on the Dutch Public Salary Scale "LB"- which wasn't much, even with the 30% tax deal. (You can google the salary scale.) It would be impossible to do as a single, and you certainly won't save money for the future. On the other hand, universities in some countries, including the Netherlands, are much cheaper, so maybe an option for your kids if they grow up in NL?

Hi again, sorry, I see your kids are already in university, so the last part is irrelevant.

A final note: be careful where you live. Our neighbourhood in Amsterdam was run by a Moroccan gang, I was the only woman without a headscarf on the street and harassed on a daily basis. The police did not respond to calls in our neighbourhood. Theft and vandalism were daily issues. I was pickpocketed several times and everyone I knew had been robbed multiple times. If I went back to NL, I would live in a village in the middle of nowhere. With a Rottweiler.

American School of The Hague is probably your best option. If you are smart, you can save about 10k euros a year while travelling and having a good time. The package is probably one of the best in Europe. The school isn't really in The Hague...rather 15-20 minutes north of there in Wassenaar. Leiden is a great place to live that is not far away by bicycle or bus. I know people that worked there who supported college kids but they were teaching couples...being single in this situation will make things more difficult financially.