Language & integration

Language and integration are connected. To integrate in the Netherlands, feel at home, and manage daily life, it's helpful to speak (or learn to speak) Dutch or English. Around 90% of the Dutch population speaks (reasonably) good English in addition to Dutch. So, you can manage well in the Netherlands with English. Speaking one of these two languages is not only useful at work, but also outside of work: asking for directions, asking where to find something in the supermarket, or reading the menu and ordering food in a restaurant. This all becomes much easier if you speak the language.

Flexible Human Services is happy to help you learn Dutch or English. That is why we have our own Talent Academy! Here you can follow a Dutch or English language course, often given by a teacher from your own native language. Language courses are regularly organized at different levels and locations. This is all paid for by Flexible Human Services*; we like to invest in your personal development. This is how we hope to become stronger together!

*We do expect you to complete the course if you register for a course. Otherwise, the costs will be for yourself. With this we want to encourage you to complete the entire course, where you have started.

FHS offers the opportunity to learn a language through Mondly, an application that makes language learning easy, fun, and playful. FHS covers the cost of the license to use this application. With this, you can quickly learn the basics of the language by practicing for just 10 minutes each day. We hope you are motivated and actively engaged in learning Dutch or English, which will help you in your work or daily life in the Netherlands.

In addition to our own “Talent Academy”, there are more ways to learn Dutch or English. Below you can find a number of tips:

The municipality in which you live can sometimes also help with learning the Dutch language. Consider a volunteer language coach. We call this person a 'language buddy'. Many municipalities have a project with language buddies. For this it is necessary that you already have basic knowledge of Dutch, the websites are only available in Dutch: www.hetbegintmettaal.nl/ and www.lezenenschrijven.nl/ 

There are also various foundations in the Netherlands that are committed to helping migrants integrate better into the Netherlands. These foundations are also committed to helping people get in touch with the community of other migrants in their place of residence. They can also give you advice on learning the Dutch language. In addition, they also offer help and advice about living in the Netherlands, integration and participation, about dealing with the rules and systems of the government and about all kinds of other things that are important for your integration in the Netherlands.

Below you will find some websites of foundations that are committed to this:

For the Polish community: Stichting Kreda
For the Romanian community: Stichting ROMPRO
For the Bulgarian community: Stichting BOC

Faith (church)

If you attach great importance to practicing your religious beliefs, there are various churches in the Netherlands where you can attend a service in other languages. There is a good chance that your language is also included. On the website of migrantenkerken.nl you can search for different languages, places and movements.

Feeling at home

To feel at home in the Netherlands, it can help to undertake other activities in addition to your work and build social contacts. Moving to another country can be quite exciting. Having contact with people who are also dealing with this and/or who are already integrated can help with this. If this does not work and you experience gloomy feelings as a result? On this page you can read about the psychological help that is available in the Netherlands.

Below are some tips for activities in your free time. Most things are present in almost all municipalities in the Netherlands, or in a place nearby.

Visiting a city
The Netherlands is rich with many beautiful cities, such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Utrecht. In addition, there are also smaller cities such as Alkmaar, Leiden, Breda, Middelburg, and Haarlem that are fun to visit. A walk through the city is always enjoyable, but there are also many historical highlights to visit and get to know the Netherlands. Curious about what you can do in a particular city? You can find that on the ANWB website.

Library
If you already know a little Dutch or English and enjoy reading, then the library is useful. Almost every municipality has a library. Here you can become a member and borrow books. You can find more information on this website.

Swimming pool
There is almost always a swimming pool nearby in the Netherlands. Here you can swim freely with friends or your children, or for example, swim laps for exercise. You can find all the locations of swimming pools in the Netherlands on this website.

Gym
For cardio or strength training, you can go to the gym. Many gyms also offer various group classes, from yoga to kickboxing. Search on Google for "gym" and you will find gyms near you.

Museums
The Netherlands has many (types of) museums. In every municipality, there is a local museum where you can learn more about the place where you live. In the larger cities, there are often many museums to visit. There is also a Museum Card, which allows you to visit almost all museums in the Netherlands for a fixed annual fee. More information can be found here.

Walking
Relaxing with a walk is very possible in the Netherlands. Many official walking routes have been mapped out. There are also signposts on the routes to follow. There are several websites where you can search for routes in your area. Recommendations are: ANWB and wandel.nl

Cycling
The Netherlands is also known as a cycling country; there are more bicycles than inhabitants! As a result, the infrastructure is also well-suited for cyclists; there are no less than 37,000 kilometers of bicycle paths in the Netherlands! So there are many recreational cycling routes available. These routes are well indicated. On this website you will find a lot of cycling routes throughout the Netherlands, for example along the blooming tulip fields in the spring.

Mountain biking
Do you want a little more excitement while cycling? Then there are also many mountain bike routes/paths in the Netherlands. You can also rent a mountain bike in various places. Please note that it is required that you can cycle reasonably well before you do this. You can find the mountain bike routes in the Netherlands here.

Cinema
Almost every city has a cinema. But also in some villages, films are regularly shown, for example in the local theater. On this website you will find a page with all cinemas and film houses in the Netherlands. In the cinemas, the films are subtitled, but not dubbed. This way you can also go to the cinema if you do not speak Dutch, but for example English. Or maybe there is a film in the theater or cinema in the language of your home country!

Late-night shopping and Sunday openings
In the cities, shops are often open 7 days a week, but also in villages there are sometimes Sunday openings and usually one late-night shopping evening per week.

Did you know?

Here are some fun facts about the Netherlands:

The Dutch are known for their directness; they often say immediately what they think and feel. They themselves call that open and honest. Complaining is also part of it, especially about the weather. The weather is anyway a topic that many Dutch people often talk about. Dutch people are good at finding creative and innovative solutions for everything.

There are about 17.5 million people living on an area of 41.5 thousand square kilometers in the Netherlands. Is that a lot? Yes, the Netherlands is not only the most densely populated country in the EU, but even one of the most densely populated countries in the world. More than 40% live in the 'Randstad', the area between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht.

Bollenstreek
The FHS head office is located in Noordwijkerhout, which besides being in the Randstad is also in the middle of the Bollenstreek (bulb region), from mid-April to mid-May there are fields full of beautiful colorful flowers in this region. Many of our employees work and live in the Bollenstreek.

The Keukenhof flower park is also located in the bollenstreek. The Keukenhof is only open for three months each year. In these three months, more than a million people visit the park. Do you want to visit the park? Purchasing entrance tickets in advance is recommended, and keep in mind that it can be very busy on certain days. More information can be found at: www.keukenhof.nl

Tip: During the months when the flowers are in bloom, it is wonderful to take a bike ride in the region.

King's Day
The Netherlands is a monarchy, which means that we have a royal family. On April 27, the king's birthday is celebrated. King's Day is always a big party in the Netherlands, everyone dresses in orange and there is a diversity of parties and festivities. Most companies are closed on this day.

Typical Dutch food & snacks
The Netherlands has a lot of food and snacks that are typically Dutch. Below is a list of things that you should try at least once when you are in the Netherlands:

• Cheese
  Dutch cheese is probably different than you are used to. The Netherlands has many types of cheeses. The most famous names are Gouda cheese and Edam cheese. Many types of cheese can be found in the supermarket. But the Netherlands also has many real cheese shops.
  
• Pancakes & Poffertjes
  You may be familiar with 'Pancakes'. Dutch people love them. This is often eaten as an evening meal, with (powdered) sugar, syrup, apple or of course cheese. Poffertjes are a kind of mini pancakes, often eaten with powdered sugar and butter.

• Fries with mayonnaise
  Dutch people really love sauces, so also with fries, preferably with mayonnaise. This should not be missed when you are in the Netherlands. Dutch people also call this a "Patatje met"

• Peanut sauce
  Peanut sauce is also widely eaten in the Netherlands. It originates from the former colony of the Netherlands in Indonesia. It is a kind of paste made from ground peanuts. Very tasty with satay, therefore also called satay sauce.
  
• Dutch fried snacks
  The kroket, bitterbal and frikandel are real Dutch snacks that you can order in a snack bar. The kroket is a ragout ball of beef rolled in breadcrumbs. The bitterbal is a small round ball that is eaten in one or two bites. Both snacks are delicious with mustard. The frikandel, on the other hand, is a stick of different types of meat. The frikandel speciaal is a variant with mayonnaise, curry and onions.

• Hagelslag
  Hagelslag is a sandwich topping that consists of small chocolate sprinkles. The name was invented because it looks like hail.
  
• Beschuit with muisjes
  Both beschuit and muisjes are typically Dutch. Beschuit is a kind of very dry form of bread, it is similar to toast. Muisjes are a sandwich topping in the form of small balls, made of anise seeds and coated with a pink, blue or white sugar layer. This is often served in honor of the birth of a child. Pink for a girl, blue for a boy.

• Oliebollen
  During the winter months, oliebollen are sold in the Netherlands. In many places there are then "oliebollen stalls". It is a spherical fried dough ball, very tasty with powdered sugar. Traditionally, these are eaten on New Year's Eve.

• Stroopwafels
  They are originally also called syrup waffles. It consists of two round dough waffles with a diamond pattern. In between there is a sweet syrup.

Some more facts:

• The Dutch are the tallest people in the world
• The Dutch eat an average of 14.3 kilograms of cheese per year
• Almost 1/3 of the Netherlands is below sea level

Read more about living or working in the Netherlands. And what Flexible Human Services can do for you.