So after lots of thinking, emotional breakdowns and general fuckery I’ve decided I would like to experience living abroad for a year or so.
I’ve got nothing keeping me here and I all I need to do my job is my laptop and a decent internet connection, if ever there was a time to do this, it’s now!
I will probably move to Amsterdam with my boss for a few months to start with and see how I get on, maybe Prague after and a few months in Alicante over xmas. I’ve never done anything like this before so was just wondering if anyone had and if they have any tips or advice to pass on?
I think I’ll make friends pretty easily and I already have a few friends in where I intend to go so that’s not a problem but what about healthcare etc.?
The E111 card should cover you legally though I remember when I went to a hospital in the Cz. Republic at 4am (I sliced a bit of my finger with the razor that was in my bag as I was unpacking) the nurse looked bewildered. My friend had to pull his student card out…
Amsterdam… funny that, I’ve been thinking of moving there as well a lot lately. Need to find a job first though
I have native friends in all the countries I’m thinking of staying in so if anything did happen I would have a safety net, I’m literally just going to go there and rent somewhere with a few clothes in my bag, my laptop and my passport
Will you be working for foreign employers?
You may need to get the equivalent of an NI number unless you want to get paid under the table; the legal route should, depending upon the country and its healthcare system, entitle you to regular treatment without the need for a Euro Healthcard.
Healthcare in Spain is very good, well, my experience of it is i.e. emergency rooms, semi-intensive care and the accompanying aftermath. Waiting lists and queues are the same if not shorter than in the UK.
Get some colour photocopies of you passport, laminate one to carry with you in countries which require an ID card.
Learn the language.
No really, learn the language.
In The Netherlands if you want to work legally you’ll need to register at the town hall and get a Sophie number (equivalent of an NI number). If you earn over a certain amount you have to arrange your own health insurance, if you earn below a certain amount it’s provided by the government. You generally pay more income tax in but as a result the streets are clean. Get yourself a Dutch bicycle as they are the most comfortable. Avoid buying one from a junkie as that is a crime which you can get fined for. Everybody speaks reasonable English so it’s pretty easy to get by, plus everything there just seems to work. It’s a great place to start.
