No idea what that measure is I have strong doubts, because as much as the Dutch do indeed have a very strong command of English as a second language, we're really not native speakers, and can be very confidently wrong about idiom or pronunciation, even if we may be better at grammar than many native speakers (your/you're their/they're/there could of etc). After the UK I guess? But apparently beating out several native English-speaking countries according to at least one measure. My son (12) has since yesterday started claiming that Netherland has the second highest percentage of English-speakers in the world. The biggest difficulty in learning the Dutch language is that the Dutch instantly switch to English when they notice you're not a native speaker. When I visited Seattle a couple of years ago I was astounded by the street-level dystopia. The cost of living is higher because the quality of life is higher. Speaking of taxes, I feel like I get what I pay for: great (and always improving!) infrastructure, no violence, pervasive poverty, and ever-growing tent cities. ![]() Even in the year I bought a house I could complete my taxes by clicking "next" a bunch of times, because all of the numbers were already there. ![]() There are no parasitic companies like TurboTax (which should not even exist!). The best part is that almost everything can be done online through websites that do not suck, but when you interact with a human they are firm but fair and always pleasant (my sunny disposition may contribute to this). The "efficient government bureaucracy" is only /relatively/ efficient, but yeah, it's actually less of a hassle as an expat than the Canadian system was as a citizen. Some disadvantages: higher cost-of-living and lower salaries compared to the US narrower variety of consumer products (food, clothing, etc.) available than in the US/UK many say it's difficult to make Dutch friends, especially if you don't speak Dutch (though on the flip side, this effect makes it exceedingly easy to make expat friends) terrain is mostly flat weather sucks compared to California many find the Dutch language difficult to learn in spite of (or because of?) its similarities to EnglishĬanadian living in The Netherlands writing to very much agree with all of this. Some advantages: safety (both in terms of infrastructure and crime) affordable high-quality universal healthcare efficient government bureaucracy fast and easy travel throughout the entire country and to France, Germany and the rest of Europe relaxed attitudes toward dogs compared to the US (generally off-leash friendly and dogs can go into most shops & cafes) Might even be a lower total income tax rate if you're coming from a high-tax state like CA/OR/NY (keyword: 30% ruling). ![]() It's even possible to keep paying an income tax rate similar to that of the USA for the first 5 years. ![]() It is also surprisingly easy for Americans to relocate here if they are in a tech career (keyword: highly-skilled migrant) or remote-working/entrepreneurial (keyword: Dutch-American Friendship Treaty). In central Amsterdam, the default language may as well be English. The Netherlands may not be an English-first country, but something like 95% of the Dutch speak English, a higher percentage than in Canada(!).
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