so, amsterdam then

[beak]

having failed so far in my plan to go and study in gothenburg (hampered by a lack of about sixteen thousand pounds in my bank account), and not having heard back about that job in st. lucia i applied for, the time has come for a plan b in terms of getting off this shabby island.

mijn meisje proposed moving to amsterdam, as she's still on the housing list and by now would be eligible for a half-decent flat somewhere.

i'd need a job. a job that involves speaking english, preferably. do any of our dam-based correspondents have a clue about the state of the job market at the moment, especially more casual work? i'm qualified in social anthropology, and have doing admin shit-work for the council and the civil service, so have zero point fuck all useful transferrable skills.

[The Purple Cow]

so, amsterdam then

"so have zero point fuck all useful transferrable skills."

A successful career in management at AFC Ajax awaits you, saucy.

[I'll get back with a more considered response later this afternoon.]

[beak]

so, amsterdam then

i made that same joke during my interview, and next thing i knew cruyff had stormed off in a huff!

anyway, thanks. bear in mind i'm not interested in a career (which is nice, as i have no career prospects as yet), but survival would be completely great.

[Gerontophile]

so, amsterdam then

try http://www.multilingualvacancies.com/agency_profile.php?banner=388&id=640 which gives a couple of 'undutchable' agencies. Cant vouch for how good they are.

Failing that, find a list of every Irish pub in the 'Dam, and fire off your CV, saying you want a job, while you learn Dutch (or something).

[Gerontophile]

so, amsterdam then

or maybe TPC needs an office cleaner... (bagsy first dibs!)

[anton pulisov]

so, amsterdam then

There are a few big companies in the Amsterdam area where English is spoken. Versatel, Canon and Elsevier are three off the top of my head. Although I've heard that Elsevier is an awful place to work. Another idea would be to try to get a job at an English-language airline at Schiphol, sorting out passengers or something.

If you need an instant job when you first arrive, one that will pay money and is easy to quit, then TNT Post is always looking for people that can sort post. No language skills (Dutch or otherwise) necessary. If you have a license you could drive a van around. That's what I did for six months, it was great fun. But come to think of it, I had to speak to customers fairly often, so you'd need Dutch.

[beak]

so, amsterdam then

thanks all. if this ends up being a real plan, it looks like i'll head over for a week at some point and go knocking on doors, barging into meetings and whacking people with a rolled-up cv.

i may have a vague offer of some shifts in a coffeeshop, but it is probably the worst idea ever.

[The Purple Cow]

so, amsterdam then

First thing is avoid 'The Undutchables' agency like a plague - complete and utter bastards.

If you just want a quick down-and-dirty job, then your best bet is an Irish pub. My best would be O'Donnel's on Heinekenplein, because they cater to local expat alcoholics rather than in-amsterdam-for-a-weekend-on-a-stag-do pissheads. If you want I'll ask Seamus what vacancies he has going on when the time comes.

The only job I know of that requires any social anthropology is mine. If you fancy coming over to the dark side I could ask around the other agencies in Amsterdam see if they are looking to take on any trainee account planners anytime soon.

If you want to see if planning would be anything for you, go to Russell Davies' blog(s) (he of 'Eggs, bacon, chips and beans' and 'A nice place for a cup of tea and a think', fame).

http://russelldavies.typepad.com/home/

Or there's a good planning Wiki here...

http://plannersphere.pbwiki.com/

A good place to chat to others who have made the Jump to Amsterdam already is here...

http://forum.expatica.com/Netherlands-f207.html

...avoid the 'International News' section though. There are some total nutcases there.

[beak]

so, amsterdam then

thanks, i'll dig into your links when i get home tonight.

[beak]

so, amsterdam then

in ten days we will be putting all of our possessions into a rented van, and moving all the whole kit and caboodle to the lovely (if small) flat that we have found in westerpark.

i have enough pounds to support me in unemployment for about three months, and after that i am going to have to fend for myself.

this is happening.