Hello! - advice needed from anyone who has left good ol' Blighty to live/work in Europe (Brussel • Non-Gaming • General Non-gaming • Eurogamer.net

Deleted user 7 July 2011 09:53:43

This post will probably put the curse on it, but it's likely I'm about to be offered a rather lucrative 6 month contract in Brussels, with a permanent position to follow. I've been - once, for the first interview - and it seems nice enough. Chilling out in the grand plas with a beer was very pleasant indeed (even if it was 7 fucking euro a pint).

The chap at the interview stressed that (obviously) moving abroad isn't as easy as you might think, that there's lots of admin/unexpected obstacles/changes etc that it's hard to prepare for and that it takes time to adjust to. In fact that's what the second interview in London yesterday was about. He was happy I could do the job but was just concerned whether I could hack it abroad, as it seems previous people didn't come up to scratch. I'm aware that going somewhere for a holiday for a couple of weeks or whatever, is vastly different to becoming a full-time resident. So obviously I'm doing research online, but there's nothing like first-hand info, so anything anyone can add here would be much appreciated... thanks!

Dougs 7 Jul 2011 09:54:44 100,414 posts
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Otto's your man....

Salaman 7 Jul 2011 10:06:24 24,162 posts
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Otto used to live/work in Brussels.
It's a fair point that living and working abroad will require some adjustment but to be honest. As long as you're aware that there will be some red tape and a mild culture shock, I can't see it being too trouble some.
After all, you're only a 2.5 hour train ride away from London. It's not like you'll be living in isolation for months on end without being able to see your friends or family.

Brussels also has a very big expat community.
Have a look here for a change to speak to some people that have first hand experience.

Fab4 7 Jul 2011 10:14:43 8,924 posts
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My only advice (I moved from the UK to Holland 14 years ago) is, if you have one and are going to be there for a long period, get your driving license converted immediately. After a certain time they make you resit the fucking test.

Deleted user 7 July 2011 10:35:23

Thanks. I don't have a licence at all, so not really a problem.

And friends have been saying to me 'omg, abroad' etc, but as pointed out, it's not very far away. I live near Manchester. First interview was in Brussels. Took me 2 hours to get home. Second interview yesterday was in London. Took me 4.5 hours.

For the time being I'll probably keep my English 'place' too, as the monthly rent is less than a days pay, he he

Deleted user 7 July 2011 10:37:34

Salaman wrote:
Otto used to live/work in Brussels.
It's a fair point that living and working abroad will require some adjustment but to be honest. As long as you're aware that there will be some red tape and a mild culture shock, I can't see it being too trouble some.
After all, you're only a 2.5 hour train ride away from London. It's not like you'll be living in isolation for months on end without being able to see your friends or family.

Brussels also has a very big expat community.
Have a look here for a change to speak to some people that have first hand experience.

Cheers, will have a look round that site.

Fab4 7 Jul 2011 10:48:04 8,924 posts
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Greggywocky... wrote:
Thanks. I don't have a licence at all, so not really a problem.

And friends have been saying to me 'omg, abroad' etc, but as pointed out, it's not very far away. I live near Manchester. First interview was in Brussels. Took me 2 hours to get home. Second interview yesterday was in London. Took me 4.5 hours.

For the time being I'll probably keep my English 'place' too, as the monthly rent is less than a days pay, he he

Oh, then you are sorted

And yes, it isnt far away. I live in the arsehole of nowhere in Holland and I could be home in 5 hours if everything went to schedule. This is probably one reason why a lot of UK students are thinking of coming to Europe for their degree courses.

Btw, Belgian girls are easy

Deleted user 7 July 2011 10:50:50

ecosse_011172 wrote:

Greggywocky... wrote:
Thanks. I don't have a licence at all, so not really a problem.

And friends have been saying to me 'omg, abroad' etc, but as pointed out, it's not very far away. I live near Manchester. First interview was in Brussels. Took me 2 hours to get home. Second interview yesterday was in London. Took me 4.5 hours.

For the time being I'll probably keep my English 'place' too, as the monthly rent is less than a days pay, he he

You won't regret it, even if it all goes to shit you will have learned loads, be a better man for it and be able to feel proud of yourself for trying.

Belgian food (as well as beer) rocks btw.
Other cities close to Brussels (Ghent, Antwerp and Bruges) are gorgeous btw...

Yeh, looking forward to spending some weekends there. Bruges first I think.

Deleted user 7 July 2011 10:52:04

Fab4 wrote:

Greggywocky... wrote:
Thanks. I don't have a licence at all, so not really a problem.

And friends have been saying to me 'omg, abroad' etc, but as pointed out, it's not very far away. I live near Manchester. First interview was in Brussels. Took me 2 hours to get home. Second interview yesterday was in London. Took me 4.5 hours.

For the time being I'll probably keep my English 'place' too, as the monthly rent is less than a days pay, he he

Oh, then you are sorted

And yes, it isnt far away. I live in the arsehole of nowhere in Holland and I could be home in 5 hours if everything went to schedule. This is probably one reason why a lot of UK students are thinking of coming to Europe for their degree courses.

Btw, Belgian girls are easy

Well so am I, so that's handy.

Salaman 7 Jul 2011 11:21:00 24,162 posts
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Greggywocky... wrote:
Yeh, looking forward to spending some weekends there. Bruges first I think.

Might as well get the touristy disappointing one out of the way first I guess.
=)

And our girls are not easy! They're just sexually liberated.

BillMurray 7 Jul 2011 11:23:38 9,736 posts
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Belgium is really nice. I dont have anything helpful to add but i'd be quite happy to live there. Definitely visit Ghent and Leuven(sp?)

Deleted user 7 July 2011 11:29:10

Salaman wrote:

Greggywocky... wrote:
Yeh, looking forward to spending some weekends there. Bruges first I think.

Might as well get the touristy disappointing one out of the way first I guess.
=)

And our girls are not easy! They're just sexually liberated.

Yes. Just a case of avoiding all the midgets and hitmen I guess.

BravoGolf Moderator 7 Jul 2011 11:36:23 12,787 posts
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Sounds interesting, best of luck with it. I can't offer you any advice though

LionheartDJH 7 Jul 2011 11:39:07 20,303 posts
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7 Euros a pint?! Pull the plug on this shit now Greggy!

Fake_Blood 7 Jul 2011 11:42:51 11,093 posts
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I can't comment on living abroad.
I do live and have lived in Brussels for 30 years now.
Here's a list of municipalities to avoid:

Anderlecht
Sint-Jans-Molenbeek , (that's where I'm at)
Saint-Gilles
Saint-Josse-ten-Noode
Schaerbeek
Uccle
Ixelles
Auderghem

Derblington 7 Jul 2011 11:49:23 35,161 posts
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Worst case: You don't get on with it after 6 months and move back. It's a hit on the wallet, but what can you really lose?

Deleted user 7 July 2011 12:00:16

Thanks Fake_Blood

And Derbs, you're right, nothing. In fact I'll be up cash-wise whatever happens. Pro rata the job works out at over 84k a year. I believe tax can be a bitch over there though, something else I need to look into...

LionheartDJH 7 Jul 2011 12:03:26 20,303 posts
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Say Greggy, want to be my new best friend?

Derblington 7 Jul 2011 12:09:35 35,161 posts
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I imagine that it's similar to Stockholm, all told. The biggest "problem" I have is the language barrier, but specifically only for automated telehone systems (and some snail mail). It can be a pain when you need to discuss a billing error or similar, but I'm sure you'll have people at work that can help you out.

Deleted user 7 July 2011 12:10:54

Of all the things I've typed into search engines over the years, 'belgian tax law' is without doubt the most exciting.

Deleted user 7 July 2011 12:39:02

Salaman wrote:

Greggywocky... wrote:
Yeh, looking forward to spending some weekends there. Bruges first I think.
Might as well get the touristy disappointing one out of the way first I guess.
=)

And our girls are not easy! They're just sexually liberated.

/stealth belgians dont FHUTA post

Deleted user 7 July 2011 12:43:07

Our English girls are the very models of chastity, of course...

agparrot 7 Jul 2011 12:58:36 11,901 posts
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The tax situation in most of Europe is traditionally pretty high, percentage wise.

Think yourself lucky that you aren't Belgian, and moving abroad, because you'd still have to pay taxes back home. Even if you left 40 years ago.

Or so I hear.

I lived and worked in France for a number of years, and probably the best piece of advice I can give is to learn enough of the local language that you can have and understand a conversation in your local tax office. This allowed me to bypass all the inaccurate and wildly differing advice of various ex-pats I met in France. The tax officials, and officials responsible for the various professional bodies I had to get involved with, were surprisingly eager to simplify the process of filling out all the paperwork - which, in France, is a shitload.

Red-Moose 7 Jul 2011 13:21:07 5,344 posts
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moving abroad is easy as long as you make plenty of money and like to drink a lot

Salaman 7 Jul 2011 14:34:14 24,162 posts
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Greggywocky... wrote:

Salaman wrote:

Greggywocky... wrote:
Yeh, looking forward to spending some weekends there. Bruges first I think.

Might as well get the touristy disappointing one out of the way first I guess.
=)

And our girls are not easy! They're just sexually liberated.

Yes. Just a case of avoiding all the midgets and hitmen I guess.

And don't get shot in the face with a safety gun.

LionheartDJH wrote:
7 Euros a pint?! Pull the plug on this shit now Greggy!

Well to be fair if you're gonna go sit in the Grand Place for a pint you deserve to be stitched up by touristy prices.
He probably even tipped the bloody waiter as well.

Worth knowing. It's not customary to tip in Belgium. Service is always included in the price, so nobody tips except for tourists of course.

As for language. It may be a little different in Brussels due to the high amount of French speaking Belgians but you'll normally get along dine on English.
And with the European institution, NATO and many international companies in Brussels I wouldn't be surprised if some of the administration caters for English speakers.
Not your local council I'm sure but the tax office and such might possibly.

Deleted user 7 July 2011 14:56:44

Yes, as far as I can tell in Brussela most people speak some English.

I didn't tip the waiter, but did tip a taxi driver I think.

Deleted user 7 July 2011 14:59:24

agparrot wrote:
The tax situation in most of Europe is traditionally pretty high, percentage wise.

Think yourself lucky that you aren't Belgian, and moving abroad, because you'd still have to pay taxes back home. Even if you left 40 years ago.

Or so I hear.

I lived and worked in France for a number of years, and probably the best piece of advice I can give is to learn enough of the local language that you can have and understand a conversation in your local tax office. This allowed me to bypass all the inaccurate and wildly differing advice of various ex-pats I met in France. The tax officials, and officials responsible for the various professional bodies I had to get involved with, were surprisingly eager to simplify the process of filling out all the paperwork - which, in France, is a shitload.

Cheers. The one thing putting me off slightly is the tax. If it's 52% I'm wondering if it's worth it. Still, international experience looks very good on a CV I suppose.