Well, I'm still quite young, and I'm considering immigration to Europe right after I finish university. First off, I want to clear things out. I do have a passport of a member state of the European Union ( I heard it changes alot of things.. ), and I'm getting my Canadian passport soon too. Anyways. I've been quite interested in immigrating to Belgium (Antwerp or Brussels, i don't know yet.), but I am not really sure if it's the right choice. Therefore, I'd like to ask some questions.. - I found out that the average annual income in Antwerp is 12000 euro. This is insane, average annual income here in Canada is around 45 000CAD. Is 12000 euro per year enough in Europe? - I know it's sort of impossible to name an exact amount, but how does an apartment cost monthly, approximately? (downtown antwerp/brussels, for rent) - I'm taking a Computer Sciences course in college. Is there alot of computer jobs in Antwerp/Brussels? (IT jobs) - Can I immigrate without knowing dutch, and learn it as I'm there? I speak English and French (both decent). I'm afraid that I'll need Dutch from the first day when I go there... which means I better start learning it soon. - Is it true that if I have a passport of a member state of the European Union, I can live and work in Belgium, for whatever amount of time I want? - Is it worth it going to Belgium? Thanks in advance.
Belgium - 2 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Hi, Normally you should easily find a job in Brussels even without knowing Dutch, and you will definitely earn more than 12000€ annually. Average starting salary for an It professional would be about 1500€/month or 1200/month+car (net income), on top you get a end of year bonus of 1 month and you get 20 days vacation paid (both legal minimum, some companies offer more). In IT it's also very common to offer a company car. You can increase your income as an IT consultant by setting up your own corporation, that way you won't pay that much taxes (but you will have to finance your health insurance, pension and company car by yourself). Rent for a decent flat in Brussels is about 800€/month, again you can decrease this by finding a flat mate, which is very common in Brussels (less common in Antwerp). And yes, it's definitely worth it to come to Belgium: it's safe, clean, it has some of the best restaurants in the world and less than 2 hours away from Paris, Amsterdam or London for the days that you want to escape Belgium.
2 :
I live in the Netherlands, so I can only answer part of your question, not all. If the annual income is 12000€ they have only a small part of the town Antwerp as source. I know that the average income and cost of living in Belgium and the Netherlands are not that different, and 12000 is a starter annual pay for people with an higher education, or a normal average for people with little education. It will be enough to live from by yourself, if you can find a cheap apartment, but it will not be a lot. People with a good education will earn more in the long run, but it may take a while. There are jobs in IT, but with the turn of economy now, I doubt there will be a lot of openings for starters, specially if not speaking the language. In Brussels you can certainly live without Dutch, although officially the city is bilingual, 80% is French speaking. In Antwerp you would be expected to learn Dutch, although English is well known there and might do for the first time. You will feel much more at home if you do speak the language, you will at least left out less when you can understand it. Yes, it is true that with an EU passport you can live and work in Belgium but if you are from one of the newer memberstates of the Eu there might be restrictions. You also might have to register and things like that. I think it is worth visiting Belgium, but I am not sure that it is worth to live there, Canada seems to be a good place to live too. And starting a new life on a different continent will be lonely, without support.
