Originally Posted by
hannibal lecter
I am surprised about the bashing towards Dutch people and KLM in particular. (Note: I am not Dutch nor I have any Dutch relative, only have a couple of friends which I first met in the flight deck) My own experience is good, I`ve worked with some Dutch colleagues and they are professional, polite and very open and friendly, never saw anything that would raise my eyebrows in surprise or concern.
KLM is one of the biggest and oldest airlines in the world, probably they've done mistakes in the past but like everybody else. Now I think is one of those airlines who have been taken steps for opening up since many years ago.
And by the way, there is an old saying amongst senior pilots that if you have any sort of problem, always go to Amsterdam/Holland. They will always welcome and support you. That cannot be coming from no where.
That's great!
I just want to point out that working with Dutch people outside of the Netherlands, and working as a foreigner not speaking the language in a Dutch company, are not the same.
What I'm talking about here is best descibed by the following reddit posts that may reflect what you're in for if you try to live full time in the Netherlands as an expat:
"Commendable that you are going for this. I've been in NL for nearly 13 years, moved here from Eastern Europe.
I'm fluent in Dutch, studied here, working with Dutchies everyday.
You'll get accepted into the social life much, much more easily if you speak the language, BUT, and I might be unfairly throwing everyone under the same bus, you'll never be fully treated like other Dutchies.
There will always be that look, that one little comment to remind you who you aren't and where you came from. It's part of the "Western mentality", maybe a superiority complex, hidden deep within the nation. Who knows, but it's there, and if you know then you know.
Difficult to explain it without experiencing it first hand."
and
"I dont feel like a victim, so no, no such mentality here, just plain fact.
Dutch culture, being Germanic in nature is much colder and less open than one might expect from southern Europe or even Eastern Europe, which are more community oriented.
My comment about Western Superiority still stands. It is a part of the heritage which is something not easy to shake off, but I dont hold a grudge, I have no reason to.
But even after all these years, learning the language and doing my best to adapt ro Dutch society, all that hard work will only get me so far.
And this is not me complaining, it's just the way things are. As I've said before, if you know, you know."
it's from a subreddit called 'netherlands', where expats in the Netherlands discuss.
Again, just showing the full picture for someone moving to another country.