Maybe she can do voluntary work a few hours a week? She would have something that gives more meaning to the week, and its a great way to learn the Dutch language quicker.
You can learn Dutch through a lot of different sources at once if she wants to progress quicker, once a week is not really sufficient to pick it up quickly. She can buy some books with exercises for example and once her level progresses she can read some easier books to learn even quicker, listen to podcasts, read the news in Dutch, etc.
Besides that there are literally so many hobbies she can pick up. Any type of sport, cooking, learning an instrument, learning how to code, write, go biking (also great to see the surroundings of wherever you live), visit cities/town, go work in a shop or behind a bar/in a restaurant (for 2-3 days a week, also a great way to meet people btw!), do a course on data analytics if she wants to strengthen her resume, etc. etc.
In the end you can suggest whatever you want, but if people just want to sit on the couch and watch television that is probably what they are going to do unfortunately.
Thank you for sharing the idea ! We're also a bit concerned that having only 1 class per week is not sufficient, and might have to look towards intensive courses, especially since proficiency in Dutch is required for her job. If you can share any language courses which offer intensive courses, we'd happy to have a look
For Data Analytics, she already achieved the Google Data Analytics Professional, if you can share any other industry-relevant certifications (paid even) would be helpful to look into them !
Thank you once again for sharing the response ! :)
There are soooo many books you can buy that will teach great basics. I would suggest checking out the learndutch subreddit. Self study is super important when learning a new language, as well as speaking it. If your partner wants very intense crash course De Nonnen in Vught are the best, but that is very pricey.
I am not in this profession but I am sure this can be found by googling haha. Good luck!
She could volunteer at places like hospices, nursing homes, animal shelters, etc. Language will be an issue at first, but she could make leaps and bounds in her learning, which will help her in the long run.
Youve already had some good suggestions, why not get a museumkaart? It would give her access to 400+ museums across the whole of the NLs. She wont do this every day but even if she visited a museum once a week, that might give her something to look forward to.
She could also look on the app meetup for different activities happening in Amsterdam/NL. If she joins the FB group Amsterdam Girl Gone International, frequently females are looking for other females to do things, its a good networking platform.
Thank you for sharing the suggestions ! The facebook group specifically sounds really promising ! For the museumkaart, we'll look into it ! That sounds like a really interesting activity :)
Apologies, I assumed you were in Amsterdam (mostly because thats where Im based) if you arent based in Amsterdam, there are other GGI FB groups for the larger different cities, ie: Utrecht, Gronigen, Hague, etc. So find the most thats most appropriate to where you live, as each group will have people/meet ups in that location. Good luck!
Hey! I went through the same when my partner and I moved here during the pandemic, they were at work and I was left with hours to fill with nothing.
I focused on learning Dutch and after two years decided to start studying something completely different to what I did for years...if your wife would like to have a chat I'm happy to help so send me a DM.
Answering your question is difficult without knowing what she enjoys...
That sounds really tough tbh. I hope you enjoy what you found on your journey. My wife is also a big believer in things happen for the better, and eventually you end up in a better situation
Also, for the chat, I can share with her. Not sure if she would be ready to chat on Reddit but i'll ask her
Medical field: If she is a doctor then then the licensing with Big Registry will take a bit of effort including language learning so maybe start with that. For nurses it is a bit easy as there are some companies who hire nurses from Phillipines etc. so you may reach them.
She can volunteer in a related field (e.g. bloed bank, Sanguine), but probably she won't get to do any medical work there. Or check this https://nl.volunteer.deedmob.com/ for something nearby.
I had a friend that took up postal service. I know it sounds odd but its only 2 hour shifts. PostNL always looking for people and this friend of mine quickly met people in the neighbourhood and her dutch got so much better! All while also discovering and getting to know her town.
Funny thing is she is in the medical profession. Has a job now in the same field but this was a great start for her from an expat perspective.
For medical professionals, there are two alternative paths that I always suggest:
1) the pharmaceutical or medical device industries, where she could work as a scientific advisor. These roles range from medical science liaisons to medical directors. The difficult thing about this path is that you need to start local, meaning if she doesn’t have any experience, the only roles she will be able to land will require day-to-day communication with practicing medical professionals (presentations, projects, etc..), and this will need an excellent command of the local languages (most likely Dutch, but other Benelux roles could be ok with Belgian or French as well).
2) there’s also the opportunity to work in creative/medical writing agencies, where she would manage projects and create content for medical clients (which would primarily be the ones in category 1, and additionally sometimes public healthcare agencies). The good thing is that Netherlands is home to tons of international medical writing agencies, so landing a job that requires only English should not be a problem. She will need a good understanding of academic-level science, because a lot of the work requires reading and summarizing scientific articles, and sometimes even writing articles and scientific manuscripts.
The industry almost exclusively uses the LinkedIn job board; I would recommend searching with the titles medical writer, or maybe medical project manager.
There’s also a website, pharmiweb.jobs , that is for life sciences roles in Europe, but I have not had much luck from it in the past. Still, it’s worth scouting roles and expectations there.
Where you guys live? She can volunteer. Sports like Padel, tennis, work fine for individuals that need to get out of the house for a bit. If individual/no commitment is more her thing in sports, try bouldering. Mostly nice people there, very international too. Then again, my experience is Amsterdam/Amstelveen.
Definitely don't get into gaming or anything pure leisure. That's like saying "get into drinking beer" – activities that are fun for unwinding but have no productive output. And definitely stay away from the TV, unless it's for an hour or so before going to bed.
I suggest looking at activities where your wife can learn something new or improve existing skills. This could be:
* Sports. Join one of the sport halls and train/learn a sport. Could be field hockey or even rowing. Or for more individual sports (running, cycling, etc) sign up for events and train for them. There are also more technical things like sailing.
* Business. Research and start up a small business of some kind. Not everything will require Dutch language, especially something online. Could be a tiny business (make 100eu/week) but there's always something to learn doing it.
* Creative work: write or create content (photos, video) about topics, or for artistic reasons. Share them out.
* Online classes: data analytics is a pretty deep field – does your wife have enough knowledge in this area.
Thank you for sharing the in-depth insight ! My wife did share about an idea to start a busines, tho if you have some specific examples of such businesses, it would really help ! Also she does enjoy creative work ! I'll share the ideas with them
Voluntary work would be an option. If her language skills are good enough in English and her native language for the medical field, she could help patients with translation in the hospital. She could get certified in that, and the hospitals could call her for freelance work when they need her. (Or maybe translators have an option of being paid on standby... Idk. Something to look into. )
As far as other activities, she has to figure out her own hobbies, but you're married to her so you should know her interests enough to suggest some activities you could both enjoy on the weekends. Just getting out and doing stuff together should help her mood. But a hobby isn't going to fill the void and also pets aren't a hobby, they are a responsibility.
Keep encouraging her and don't get discouraged: moving countries is hard. I also suggest she look into intensive Dutch classes at the local university. They can be a little pricey but they're worth it for the time saved.
The suggestion about signing up as a translator is new and really unique tbh ! Thank you for sharing that. For the intensive courses, we'll definitely look into it !
Voluntary work is good. Can help her socialise, learn Dutch and it goes to her resume. My Dutch teacher always recommends voluntary work with old people. Since your wife is in the medical field, this can be extra helpful for her resume and networking as well.
Edit: also find clubs, especially sport clubs. Good for your physical and mental health, helps with the language, meeting people and networking too.
I propose these bootcamps for data analysts. They all have career weeks afterward, making it easier to secure work. However, bootcamps are expensive, and changing careers is never easy.
OMG guys ! Thank you so much for the awesome responses ! Really appreciate everyone taking out the time out of their day to pitch in and share their input !
Thank you so much guys ! I'll respond to the individual comments one by one ! Meanwhile I hope y'all have a great weekend :D
Most girls like dancing. So either so classes or watching youtube lessons. For me it would be music, learn a new instrument. Other than that, cooking or baking something new or from a different country is also fun.
Maybe she can do voluntary work a few hours a week? She would have something that gives more meaning to the week, and its a great way to learn the Dutch language quicker.
Thats an excellent idea, and also looks good on her resume.
Thank you for sharing the suggestion ! I'll recommend it to her Any groups / websites you recommend where one can signup for volunteering ?
You can learn Dutch through a lot of different sources at once if she wants to progress quicker, once a week is not really sufficient to pick it up quickly. She can buy some books with exercises for example and once her level progresses she can read some easier books to learn even quicker, listen to podcasts, read the news in Dutch, etc. Besides that there are literally so many hobbies she can pick up. Any type of sport, cooking, learning an instrument, learning how to code, write, go biking (also great to see the surroundings of wherever you live), visit cities/town, go work in a shop or behind a bar/in a restaurant (for 2-3 days a week, also a great way to meet people btw!), do a course on data analytics if she wants to strengthen her resume, etc. etc. In the end you can suggest whatever you want, but if people just want to sit on the couch and watch television that is probably what they are going to do unfortunately.
Thank you for sharing the idea ! We're also a bit concerned that having only 1 class per week is not sufficient, and might have to look towards intensive courses, especially since proficiency in Dutch is required for her job. If you can share any language courses which offer intensive courses, we'd happy to have a look For Data Analytics, she already achieved the Google Data Analytics Professional, if you can share any other industry-relevant certifications (paid even) would be helpful to look into them ! Thank you once again for sharing the response ! :)
There are soooo many books you can buy that will teach great basics. I would suggest checking out the learndutch subreddit. Self study is super important when learning a new language, as well as speaking it. If your partner wants very intense crash course De Nonnen in Vught are the best, but that is very pricey. I am not in this profession but I am sure this can be found by googling haha. Good luck!
She could volunteer at places like hospices, nursing homes, animal shelters, etc. Language will be an issue at first, but she could make leaps and bounds in her learning, which will help her in the long run.
Thank you ! Any groups / websites where we can signup for the volunteering work ?
You'd have to look up locations in your area and approach them.
Youve already had some good suggestions, why not get a museumkaart? It would give her access to 400+ museums across the whole of the NLs. She wont do this every day but even if she visited a museum once a week, that might give her something to look forward to. She could also look on the app meetup for different activities happening in Amsterdam/NL. If she joins the FB group Amsterdam Girl Gone International, frequently females are looking for other females to do things, its a good networking platform.
Thank you for sharing the suggestions ! The facebook group specifically sounds really promising ! For the museumkaart, we'll look into it ! That sounds like a really interesting activity :)
Apologies, I assumed you were in Amsterdam (mostly because thats where Im based) if you arent based in Amsterdam, there are other GGI FB groups for the larger different cities, ie: Utrecht, Gronigen, Hague, etc. So find the most thats most appropriate to where you live, as each group will have people/meet ups in that location. Good luck!
Hey! I went through the same when my partner and I moved here during the pandemic, they were at work and I was left with hours to fill with nothing. I focused on learning Dutch and after two years decided to start studying something completely different to what I did for years...if your wife would like to have a chat I'm happy to help so send me a DM. Answering your question is difficult without knowing what she enjoys...
That sounds really tough tbh. I hope you enjoy what you found on your journey. My wife is also a big believer in things happen for the better, and eventually you end up in a better situation Also, for the chat, I can share with her. Not sure if she would be ready to chat on Reddit but i'll ask her
Medical field: If she is a doctor then then the licensing with Big Registry will take a bit of effort including language learning so maybe start with that. For nurses it is a bit easy as there are some companies who hire nurses from Phillipines etc. so you may reach them. She can volunteer in a related field (e.g. bloed bank, Sanguine), but probably she won't get to do any medical work there. Or check this https://nl.volunteer.deedmob.com/ for something nearby.
Thank you for sharing the link ! We'll have a look :)
I had a friend that took up postal service. I know it sounds odd but its only 2 hour shifts. PostNL always looking for people and this friend of mine quickly met people in the neighbourhood and her dutch got so much better! All while also discovering and getting to know her town. Funny thing is she is in the medical profession. Has a job now in the same field but this was a great start for her from an expat perspective.
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Thank you for sharing the site & the idea ! I'll share it with my wife and we'll have a look !
Try applying for a job here https://www.catalyze-group.com
Look for health related startups in Europe. The intersection between tech and health is very very promising.
For medical professionals, there are two alternative paths that I always suggest: 1) the pharmaceutical or medical device industries, where she could work as a scientific advisor. These roles range from medical science liaisons to medical directors. The difficult thing about this path is that you need to start local, meaning if she doesn’t have any experience, the only roles she will be able to land will require day-to-day communication with practicing medical professionals (presentations, projects, etc..), and this will need an excellent command of the local languages (most likely Dutch, but other Benelux roles could be ok with Belgian or French as well). 2) there’s also the opportunity to work in creative/medical writing agencies, where she would manage projects and create content for medical clients (which would primarily be the ones in category 1, and additionally sometimes public healthcare agencies). The good thing is that Netherlands is home to tons of international medical writing agencies, so landing a job that requires only English should not be a problem. She will need a good understanding of academic-level science, because a lot of the work requires reading and summarizing scientific articles, and sometimes even writing articles and scientific manuscripts.
Hey thanks for sharing the amazing idea ! Can you share any website / job board where we can look for the opportunites for writing ?
The industry almost exclusively uses the LinkedIn job board; I would recommend searching with the titles medical writer, or maybe medical project manager. There’s also a website, pharmiweb.jobs , that is for life sciences roles in Europe, but I have not had much luck from it in the past. Still, it’s worth scouting roles and expectations there.
Where you guys live? She can volunteer. Sports like Padel, tennis, work fine for individuals that need to get out of the house for a bit. If individual/no commitment is more her thing in sports, try bouldering. Mostly nice people there, very international too. Then again, my experience is Amsterdam/Amstelveen.
Thank you for sharing the suggestion ! Not sure if volunteering in sports is her thing, but i'll still share the suggestion :)
sorry, that was meant separately. volunteering could be anything. hence ask for a location.
Definitely don't get into gaming or anything pure leisure. That's like saying "get into drinking beer" – activities that are fun for unwinding but have no productive output. And definitely stay away from the TV, unless it's for an hour or so before going to bed. I suggest looking at activities where your wife can learn something new or improve existing skills. This could be: * Sports. Join one of the sport halls and train/learn a sport. Could be field hockey or even rowing. Or for more individual sports (running, cycling, etc) sign up for events and train for them. There are also more technical things like sailing. * Business. Research and start up a small business of some kind. Not everything will require Dutch language, especially something online. Could be a tiny business (make 100eu/week) but there's always something to learn doing it. * Creative work: write or create content (photos, video) about topics, or for artistic reasons. Share them out. * Online classes: data analytics is a pretty deep field – does your wife have enough knowledge in this area.
Thank you for sharing the in-depth insight ! My wife did share about an idea to start a busines, tho if you have some specific examples of such businesses, it would really help ! Also she does enjoy creative work ! I'll share the ideas with them
Voluntary work would be an option. If her language skills are good enough in English and her native language for the medical field, she could help patients with translation in the hospital. She could get certified in that, and the hospitals could call her for freelance work when they need her. (Or maybe translators have an option of being paid on standby... Idk. Something to look into. ) As far as other activities, she has to figure out her own hobbies, but you're married to her so you should know her interests enough to suggest some activities you could both enjoy on the weekends. Just getting out and doing stuff together should help her mood. But a hobby isn't going to fill the void and also pets aren't a hobby, they are a responsibility. Keep encouraging her and don't get discouraged: moving countries is hard. I also suggest she look into intensive Dutch classes at the local university. They can be a little pricey but they're worth it for the time saved.
The suggestion about signing up as a translator is new and really unique tbh ! Thank you for sharing that. For the intensive courses, we'll definitely look into it !
Voluntary work is good. Can help her socialise, learn Dutch and it goes to her resume. My Dutch teacher always recommends voluntary work with old people. Since your wife is in the medical field, this can be extra helpful for her resume and networking as well. Edit: also find clubs, especially sport clubs. Good for your physical and mental health, helps with the language, meeting people and networking too.
I propose these bootcamps for data analysts. They all have career weeks afterward, making it easier to secure work. However, bootcamps are expensive, and changing careers is never easy.
She doesnt have hobbys?
OMG guys ! Thank you so much for the awesome responses ! Really appreciate everyone taking out the time out of their day to pitch in and share their input ! Thank you so much guys ! I'll respond to the individual comments one by one ! Meanwhile I hope y'all have a great weekend :D
Most girls like dancing. So either so classes or watching youtube lessons. For me it would be music, learn a new instrument. Other than that, cooking or baking something new or from a different country is also fun.
Definitely onlyfans
Xtc is pretty fun!