Study in the Netherlands

After arriving in Holland, Travel Active will take you on an orientation week. In this week you will meet other exchange students and you will get well prepared for your exchange adventure. During this week a Dutch course will be given to help you get acquainted with the Dutch life and culture. In the afternoon we will go sightseeing and we will show you a bit of our country. At the end of the orientation week your host families will come to pick you up and welcome you in their homes and hearts. Then your typical Dutch experience will start.

This video gives you an impression about your exchange adventure. Have fun watching it!

During the academic year there will be 4 excursions (2 for the semester students). Trips in the past have included visits to Amsterdam, ice-skating and Volendam. In this way we would like to give you the opportunity not only to get to know Holland.

Both, you and your host family will get personal assistance during your exchange period from a local coordinator. The coordinator will keep in contact with you, your host family and your high school during the exchange period and will help you with everything when needed. You can always count on his/her assistance. The coordinator will contact you on a regular bases in order to see how you are doing.

• You must be at least 15 years old, but not older than 18 years and 6 months when you arrive in Holland
• You must have good grades and a basic knowledge of English (at least 3 years)
• You must be interested in Europe and of course especially in Holland!
• You want to learn the Dutch language
• You are flexible and you like to do something really different and exciting!

If you decided you want to come to Holland as an exchange student, you need to apply at an agency in your own country that is a partner of Travel Active. You can not apply at Travel Active directly! If you want to know with which agency in your country we cooperate, you can send us an email to highschoolholland@travelactive.org

Every student who would like to apply for the High school Holland program must submit a complete application form. There are different exchange organizations in your country with whom we cooperate. Your organization in your home country will provide you with this information and they will also assist you during the application process. The partners will send us your application, we will look it up and if everything is good we will accept you in our program.

As soon as you are accepted for the High School Holland program, we will start to arrange a host family and school for you. Students are placed with carefully selected host families, interviewed by a local coordinator. You will stay in close contact with the organization in your home country. They will give you all the information you need and will help you to prepare yourself for your big adventure!

As soon as we have found a host family and a school for you, you will get a placement form with the contact details of your new family and your new school. You will also receive the host family application form which your host family had to fill in. This application gives you a global impression of your host family in the Netherlands and also will help you to get prepared for the big adventure in the Netherlands. After reading this information, you can give them a call and start counting down the days before coming to Holland!

Responsibilities of your host family:

• Providing you with a home for the period of a year or a semester;
• Welcoming you as a full family member and encouraging you to take part in family activities;
• Providing you with a room in their house of your own;
• Taking care of your daily meals

Your host family is ready to welcome you as a member of their family. They will not receive money for your stay in their house. The host family has a strong belief in cultural exchange and that is why they welcome you in their family on a voluntary basis. The host family expects you to speak Dutch and they will help you with this. Do not be afraid to make mistakes; the only way to learn a language is to practice a lot!

Responsibilities of the school;

• Offer you a suitable 5 day lessons schedule
• Offer you an encouraging environment
• Help you when needed

We have developed an exercise book . This book contains all kinds of exercises that students will have to do during the period that they are in Holland, in this book you will learn more about the Dutch way of live. Working with this book is mandatory for our program, all students have to complete the exercises before returning home.
Here are a few examples of the exercises :

• Making a photo collage about their impressions of Holland
• Tell something about the weather in Holland (in Dutch of course)
• Doing an interview with a student and a teacher about a news item
• Prepare a typical Dutch meal for the host family

• The Netherlands and Holland are the same?
• That about 60% of the population lives below sea level?
• The Dutch are the tallest people in Europe?
• Amsterdam is built entirely on piles?
• Everyone in Holland has a bike and there are twice as many bikes as cars?
• Amsterdam has 1.281 bridges?

The Dutch are considered to be good at speaking foreign languages. This is because Holland has a high standard of education and an education system which focuses on the international position of the country. English teaching starts in the last 2 years of primary school and is an obligatory part of the national exam.

We have developed an exercise book . This book contains all kinds of exercises that students will have to do during the period that they are in Holland, in this book you will learn more about the Dutch way of live. Working with this book is mandatory for our program, all students have to complete the exercises before returning home.
Here are a few examples of the exercises :

• Making a photo collage about their impressions of Holland
• Tell something about the weather in Holland (in Dutch of course)
• Doing an interview with a student and a teacher about a news item
• Prepare a typical Dutch meal for the host family

Holland is known for its open and friendly culture for many decades. Student will notice the flexible and open spirit the very moment they arrive in Holland. Therefore integration and adaptation will be easy for motivated students. Do not be afraid to ask questions to people you don’t know. Dutch people are very hospitable and will help you to solve a problem. The Dutch are also known for their professionalism; they like to get down to business straight away and have a no-nonsense culture. Foreigners who come to Holland to work or to learn the Dutch language, may find it surprising, that even the manager director of the company or the teachers are called by their first name.

Holland is a country that is simply made for bicycling. The flat landscape and its endless miles of cycling paths, make cycling enjoyable, relaxing and more often a necessary way of transportation. The Dutch love their bikes and have a special, widely used biking infrastructure.

One very famous traditional festivity in the Netherlands is the festivity ‘Sinterklaas’. This festivity is celebrated on the 5th of December; specially celebrated in families with small children. On this date, also known as ‘pakjesavond’ sinterklaas rides his white horse Amerigo over the roofs of the houses to bring presents to the children. During the period leading up to Sinterklaas, the children will also find small presents hiding in their shoes which have been left out near the chimney to be fill in.

Another traditional festivity is Kings day or ‘Koningsdag’ on the 27th of April. This is celebrated in honor of the King's birthday. On this day people are allowed to sell their belongings on the street without paying taxes for it (free market) and all sorts of festivities take place. It is also very popular to wear orange clothes. Orange is the royal color!