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| Getting A Job Getting a [temporary] job means getting a work permit first, see below. After that the usual route is through a temp agency. Especially in the IT field it seems relatively easy to find something. Usually the forum has some current threads on this topic, try a forum search on 'job'. Liquor Laws From the age of 16 you're legally allowed to buy beer and wine. To buy liquor you must be 18 years old. Alcoholic beverages are for sale at liquor stores and supermarkets. Supermarkets only sell beer, wine and alcoholic beverages with an alcohol percentage up to 13 percent. Drinking and driving: it is prohibited to drive if your blood-alcohol ratio is higher than 0.5 promille. This applies to driving a car and riding a motor bike, scooter, moped or bicycle. Driving under influence is considered a criminal offense; you risk high fines, and your drivers license may [temporarily] be revoked. |
Money
The currency used is the Euro, symbol '€'. Here's a currency
converter. Read more about the Euro. Paying
in cash is still common practice, but nowadays plastic is becoming more
widely accepted for anything above €10. Note however that especially
restaurants sometimes do not accept credit cards, however high the bill
may be! Cash machines can be found troughout the center, and most of them
accept the major credit cards. Also there are a lot of small 'change' offices
in the center, which will happily convert your foreign bills or traveller
checks into Dutch guilders, for a small fee of course. Tipping is common
in restaurants, in bars and when paying for taxi's. As a general rule tipping
between 5 - 10% should be OK. |
| Policy On
Drugs For the record, trafficking in (importing or exporting), selling, producing and processing either hard or soft drugs are offenses in Holland. As you will probably be aware though, the Netherlands and especially the Amsterdam authorities carry a liberal policy on 'soft' drugs (marihuana and hashish). This means that although legally the selling and buying of soft drugs is forbidden, certain 'coffeeshops' are allowed to sell small quantities and you're allowed to smoke your purchase inside. The current rates lie between €5-€10 per gram. Be careful though, while smoking can be allowed in certain youth hostels, music venues and bars, it is not considered acceptable behavior everywhere. As a general rule, if you see other people smoking it should be no problem. See also: coffeeshops. Residence / Work Permits If you intend to stay in the Netherlands for more than three months, or if you intend to seek employment, you must apply to a Netherlands diplomatic or consular representative in your country of residence, for a residence permit prior to entering the Netherlands. If you intend to work in the Netherlands, you will require a work permit. This is issued by the 'Center for Work & Income' (CWI) in the city of your employment. If you came to the Netherlands as a tourist and wish to change your status to that of a resident, you must apply to the immigration authorities (Aliens Police at the local police station) for a residence permit. Studying From Abroad  As
you might expect, Amsterdam is rated high by the international student community.
The presence of several renowned educational institutions, the rich cultural
environment and the thriving nightlife all combine into an attractive package.
The general laid-back atmosphere of the Dutch, and the fact that Amsterdam
is smaller then most major European cities, generally make it easy to feel
at home for students from abroad. Institutions which offer international
study programmes:HvA - Hogeschool van Amsterdam UvA - Universiteit van Amsterdam. Telephoning  When
dialing from abroad, prefix any number you find in this site with +31 (for
Holland) and 20 (for Amsterdam). For example, you've found a hotel in the
sleep section and the number listed is 123 45 67, from abroad dial + 31
20 1234567. All public telephones in the Netherlands use calling cards,
widely available at post offices and tobacco shops. As an alternative you
could go to a 'calling center' which offer competitive rates for overseas
calling. Weather Due to the influence of the nearby North Sea, Amsterdam has a moderate climate with mild winters, cool summers and a fair bit of rainfall. It can be a bit windy, especially in spring and autumn. Below is a chart with the long term averages for temperature and precipitation. As you can see, on the average it doesn't freeze much during winter, but on the other hand it is not that uncommon to have the canals frozen over, a really picturesque sight. During summer average daily highs are around 68°F / 20°C, and you can expect some rain. Days with temperatures in excess of 75°F / 24°C are considered hot. 
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