Congrats Ox!
I'm interested in how your job works out as well. Working for the EU is somewhere in my future plans too (heck, I'm even studying it).

Great news indeed. And no doubt it will be a stepstone to other future jobs. Because often that's what you need: 'experience'.

And i'd IKEA it too, i've been living together with my wife for several years now, and it's much better to acquire the 'good' furniture over time. And start with cheap stuff, or old stuff from your grand(grand)parents and such.

Btw can you give me the job title in dutch. I'm not sure what Home Office is, or what department you're in.

And where in Brussels will you be working/living? I hope a nice area

haha, congrats dude. I'm sure that, compared to Dallas, all of Brussells is a nice area. Sounds like a sweet position. Makes me want to get a new job myself. Actually, I guess I already wanted a new job. Anyway, keep us informed.

Regarding furniture, yea, just get cheap shit. As you make money you can replace it with higher quality stuff. There's no way you can buy nice furniture for an entire apartment unless you're really banking.

Congrats Ox, way to go! About time you got out of that shitty job that was below you. And agree with everyone else, cheap furniture is great, particularly IKEA. I get most of my stuff from there now. It's relatively cheap, pretty well made and available in a few different designs, from fairly traditional to minimilist type stuff to the outright weird. I made the mistake of getting some cheap furniture from random companies and it's just not lasted. You'll not want to be lugging tons of expensive stuff round until you're properly settled in for the foreseeable future years and after all, once a woman tames you she'll probably have her own visions for the place haha.

As for the whole hating job thing, my job is looking up too. We had a new manager at the start of September (along with a new regional as well who kicks ass and is from Yorkshire! ) and she's bloody brilliant. Everyone is so much happier with her, the store is doing better than it has in the 3 years I've been there and our regional loves us! Plus I'm hoping (kinda) that I may get a promotion at some point. Trouble is it would come at the expense of our deputy atm who I do love to bits but he is really shit at his job and Helen (manager) is really making his life hell. Of course she wants him to improve but she's already said she wants me as her deputy! So if worst comes to the worst for John (deputy) then hopefully our regional will give me an interview for the position as I've done our internal qualifications for it and maybe even give me the job! I'd double my wages for the year, it'd be great!

Thanks guys (and girl)!

So yeah, the common feeling seems to get Ikea furniture and see what comes on my path. Makes sense and probably the best idea...still, would have been cool to splurge on stuff. Not that I care about furniture per se, but it's a nice and modern apartment so some similar furniture would be welcome. I could scour some second hand stores - J might know "den Troc" - but most of that stuff is gonna look awful in my new place. We'll see.

And no, I'm not going to live in Brussels. Brussels is an awful place to live. Everybody speaks French and is always running everywhere...I don't mind speaking French with anyone (not some crazy language nationlist maniac) but if I can choose not to live in such a place then I choose that. So I'll be living in Antwerp in the neighbourhood called 'Het Eilandje', or 'Little Island' in English. Basically it's an old stevedore's neighbourhood in between docks and locks that's being 'upgraded'. There's tons of design flats and lofts being built now, including a museum a few 100m away from me. So the neighbourhood is this weird mix of yuppies, stevedores and artists. And me.

For J: Home office is gewoon Binnenlandse Zaken. Dus ik ga daar voor de internationale cel werken als vertaler/revisor, eindelijk als niveau A. Totnogtoe was ik niveau B, hogeschool dus, en dat scheelt toch 400€ netto per maand. Eindelijke de universitaire toer op.

Oh and I'll be working smack dab in the middle of Brussels, 5 minutes walk from the Central train station and less than a km away from parliament and 2 kms from the royal palace. Shouldn't really lack transport connections.

Arathorn, what are you studying exactly? International Politics? EU is so hard to get in...I applied a few times and got through the first few rounds (psychological and intelligence test stuff), but then always got rebuffed because of lack of 'experience'.

@ Pev: sounds awesome!! So basically all the frustrations you had about your job might be solved in the rather near future? And DOUBLE your wages? Wow!! I'm kinda hoping John bails now.

I'm studying European Studies, which is pretty broad but also has courses that focus on the history and organisation of the EU itself. But I'm also doing a course right now that's called History of European Literature and I'm really confused as to how that will help me in the future (but it's a fun and interesting course nonetheless).
About the furniture: go for IKEA but you can also check public auctions. Most stuff there is old garbage but sometimes there are some gems, and the prices can be very nice.

Oh cool.

I've worked in a lower payscale as well when i started to teach. When you suddenly see your pay go up a couple of hundreds of euros (net/netto) it really puts a smile on your face.

Sounds awesome Ox, what will travelling from Antwerp to Brussells be like? Can't be too bad I guess, only takes 10 mins to get across Belgium anyway hehe.

Haha, something like that yeah. No I'm about 10 minutes away from the Antwerp central station (bike ride) and the train ride to Brussels takes 35 minutes. So I should be fine. It's basically a ride between the 2 biggest stations in Belgium so plenty of trains and a direct connection.

I'm thinking about paying extra for a 1st class train card, just so I don't have to deal with morons in the morning and can read a little. We'll see!

(and J, I know you live near-ish Brussels, but to me, it's the pits. )

EDIT: been running around all day fixing internet, water, electricity and insurance at new place. Still not finished...and now furniture.

Happy for you Ox. I am glad you are finally getting out of that pit of doom job you had. Hopefully you work with some good peeps too and not some social retards.

IKEA furniture - ick! but for starting off I guess it is good. Especially since you move around a good amount. Just seems odd to me, but then again I started out with some decent stuff. So much stuff I moved two friends into completely furnished places!

As for train ride, can't say that is too bad as I tend to drive about that usually wherever I work around here. But since I am driving I can't read

Well i'm not exactly living near Brussels Ox, it's even the province of Antwerp here (borderline to Vlaams-Brabant). My wife takes about the same time as you, but her bus drive takes a little bit longer. I guess i'll have to buy her a bike. (it's about half an hour with the bike i think).

And yes, Brussels is nowhere near where i would want to live. So i was surprised at first when i (mis)read you were moving there. So you got some sanity after all.

What's the price difference btw? My wife goes second class, finds a place most of the time. Depends on what hour you need to start i guess.

So you live somewhere near Mechelen? Or around St-Amands or Willebroek?

I live on t'Eilandje in Antwerp, if you know where that is (just search for Willemdok on google maps, 5 mins walk from me).


The difference between 2nd class and 1st class is considerable, but the government pays in full for train costs anyway (2nd class), so I'd just have to pay the difference. This is the chart:

Trajecttreinkaarten binnen dezelfde zone
Maken je station van vertrek en van bestemming deel uit van één en dezelfde tarifaire zone? Dan krijg je een Treinkaart die geldig is binnen die volledige zone.

1 week 1 maand 3 maanden 12 maanden
2e klas 9,40 EUR 31,00 EUR 87,00 EUR 312,00 EUR
1e klas 14,40 EUR 48,00 EUR 134,00 EUR 480,00 EUR

1 maand 2e klas 31,00 EUR? Godverdomme!

Dat is toch best schappelijk.

Stop or ill start speaking finnish