Testimonials - Young Expat Services

Ilonka van Bezooijen - HR Manager Fokker-Elmo

YES! has been of great value to Fokker Elmo in getting a large group of Turkish employees acquainted with the Dutch school system and assisting our new colleagues in finding a suitable school for their children. They provided a tailor-made information session for the entire group and continued with individual sessions to find the best schooling solution for each child. This has been of great importance for our new colleagues, getting their kids settled in their new country.

Caglar Ata - Adyen

We moved to the Netherlands at the first week of the covid-19 pandemic. Without Eline's help, it would be impossible for us to settle and find the right school for our 6 year old boy. Eline saved our life not only giving school advice but also helping us with all means of empathy. My son is fully integrated to Dutch system and happy with going to school everyday. She helped us not only choose pre-school but also helped us again later with primary school decision. I would recommend all the services they provide and don't think twice to reach out to them if I need help on anything about educational direction

Lida Lensch - Global mobility specialist Booking.com

Booking.com has worked with YES! since 2014 growing our collaboration through hundreds of new colleagues and their families who have made The Netherlands their new home. YES! has helped each of our new colleagues with committed, individual interest, listening to their (children's) needs and empathetically guiding them to find their best possible schooling solution.

The value of Booking.com's employee relocation services are enhanced by YES!' unique and thorough set of education services.

Harrison & Gabriela - Zoetermeer

Like many people new to The Netherlands, we were overwhelmed by the complexity of the school system and really didn’t know what the best option would be for our 2 year old. We took a chance on Young Expat Services, hoping they’d be able to help us understand our choices. We spoke with Annelous, who was very patient and knowledgable. She took the time to go over everything with us and helped us to feel more confident in our decisions (and confirmed some assumptions we had already made along the way). In our situation, we were not in need of an additional package from YES but if we did need it (or decide we do in the future), we would consider it an excellent investment in our child’s future. I also appreciated that there was no artificial pressure on the part of Annelous to try and sell us something we didn’t need - that is integrity! We would highly recommend putting your child’s education in the hands of YES.

Jenna, Dave, Nico and Ani -

My family had a great experience with Young Expat Services (YES). We moved to the Netherlands from the United States and found the school choices here very overwhelming. After listening to what we were looking for Anita helped us to easily find a preschool for my 3 year old and primary school for my 5 year old. She also assisted in filling out a transportation request so that my son could take a shuttle to his Dutch language school which was far away. I contacted her several times with questions throughout the process and she was always happy to help.
When my son transitioned from the Dutch language school to his local primary school he received 1-on-1 tutoring from YES tutor Elisabeth. He enjoyed these lessons greatly and we really appreciated Elisabeth's insights as to how he was getting along at school and how we could best support him with the language and culture change as his parents.
We found YES to be a highly valuable service and an extremely personable company. At each step they went above and beyond what we could have hoped for. We cannot recommend it more highly. Thank you, YES!

Truly - we are very grateful. Dankjewel!

Rhiannon & Oliver -

We have just concluded our lessons for our 4 year old daughter Cecily with teacher Elisabeth. My husband was granted lessons from his employment with Booking. From the moment we met Elisabeth we felt instantly supported. Elisabeth took the time to understand from us our daughter’s personality and learning style which we found very comforting. She then conducted the lessons and after each one we saw great jumps in our daughter’s confidence and we were thrilled to hear all the clever, interactive and fun ways Elisabeth taught her each week.

The most beneficial part for us was then the WhatsApp messages Elisabeth sent us every week which gave us invaluable insight into Cecily’s happiness and progression with the language. We have benefitted from a bit of coaching from Elisabeth about how best to support Cecily’s Dutch speaking too. We are absolutely delighted with the incredible support from Elisabeth which was much more than we expected!

Thank you

Peggy Tholen - Principal Noorderbreedte Diemen

On behalf of all our non-Dutch speaking children in group ½ of Noorderbreedte school we would like to thank Eline and her team for their excellent way of teaching the Dutch language during the extended schoolday the past months.

Due to the Corona epidemic, many of our students did not speak Dutch at home for a long time. The language development of our students was of course delayed. Education and language development revolves around relationship and interaction. And even during the second school closure Eline and her team were able to continue their Dutch lessons online successfully.

The Young Expat team has solid knowledge and skills. They listened carefully during the preparation and to what the children, the parents and the school needed. We are thrilled with the results and will of course approach them again if necessary.

Jay -

'We are planning our move to the Hague region in the Netherlands and one of our main concerns were finding the right school and childcare facilities for our kids. Eliane from Young Expat Services was our consultant and with her help, we found the whole process hassle free. Eliane closely listened to all our needs and came back with a list of schools that befit our needs and situation. It was very easy to communicate with Eliane and she was very quick to respond with the right feedback and that greatly helped us to move in the right direction. More importantly, we felt that Eliane keeps herself in close co-operation with most of the schools in Hague/Rotterdam area and this made the process very quick. Even though we had to change our plans in between, Eliane patiently stood along with us and finally we were able to find the right school. It was a pleasure to have Eliane as our consultant and we would highly recommend her services."

Andrea - Relocating from Berlin

In the midst of the Corona Pandemic we received the news that we will be relocating to Amsterdam for a permanent job. So we started searching the internet for housing and especially schools and daycares for our kids. Since it is impossible to travel at the moment it was really hard to find helpful information. We then came across a recommendation for Young Expat Services, a company specialised in consultation and support in finding the right schools in the Netherlands for foreigners. At first we hesitated, because of the cost, but at last we decided to try it. It was very much worth it. Eline replied to our inquiry immediately and we were scheduled for a call the next day. She provided us with all the information we were looking for, e.g. how do you find a school, how do you enrol, when are the schools open, what to look for if Dutch is the second language for your child, how to assess the public vs. international school options as well as all the information on daycares. Most importantly, she helped us to find the best strategy to work with the current pandemic and all the consequences it might bring. Eline is very knowledgable, very friendly and her judgment is trustworthy. I would strongly recommend her company's services to anyone relocating to the Netherlands with children.

Mobility team - Booking.com

YES has relocated over 600 children for Booking.com since 2015. They accompany and support our relocated families in finding (local) schools, help navigate through the Dutch School System and support their children in their first weeks in the Netherlands by providing Dutch lessons. Young Expat Services always put the well-being of the children in first place and help make sure the family have a “soft landing”.

Linda van Velthoven - Relocation manager Settle Service

Young Expat Services is a fabulous resource for our expat clients. Starting with the first introductory Skype call the consultant immediately gives the family the feeling of being well taken care of and listened to by their own local expert. It's such a relief for the families. Not only getting information about the most appropriate schools and how the process works but also taking care of the details, making viewing appointments, assisting with translating emails and the registration process. They have the best interests of the families in mind and also think proactively about the next step for children, alerting the families what they'll need to consider when the child turns a certain age, waiting lists at certain schools etc. We feel very fortunate to have YES as a partner and can highly recommend their services.

Olga and Bilal - Booking.com (relocated from Seattle, USA)

"We recently moved to Amsterdam from USA with three children, ages 10, 8 and 3. YES has been instrumental in helping our family find the right schools for all three children which led to settling in the right neighborhoods and having a wonderful transition abroad! We cannot thank YES enough for their professional guidance and support through this journey.
When choosing the right school for each child, we had discussed, considered and visited many different options - international schools, regular Dutch schools and Dutch Montessori schools which helped us get a deeper understanding of each system and make the right choice for our children. Eline and her colleagues were extremely helpful in finding these schools, setting up tours and attending some of tours with us. We could never have gotten the same information and made these choices by simply reading their brochures on the internet - Eline's deep knowledge of the school system and connections with heads of schools is a huge asset!
Additionally, YES connected us with an amazing tutor, Elisabeth to help our oldest with learning Dutch. Lessons with Elisabeth were a major highlight for our family - my 10 year old has never experienced such fun, 1:1 hands on learning! They visited the Rijksmuseum, supermarket and baked lots of delicious desserts all while learning the language. He came home glowing after each of those sessions and his enthusiasm for learning Dutch only increased!
Overall, we are extremely grateful that Booking offered us the YES service to make our move abroad with three children an amazing experience."

Tim Gudilin - TomTom

"I’d like to say abig “Thank you” to Eline from YES. With her help we had such a smooth integration to the Dutch school system! Finding a place for my kids was not an easy task as my daughter was about to enter a secondary school age and my son has started a primary school not long ago.

And on top of that we were constantly changing our minds about where we were going to live.

Eline was helping us from the beginning to the end and she managed to find such a perfect school for both of my children that they are happy to go there every day. She was always ready to help with our questions and concerns and gave us a very detailed and clear picture of what we need to do and how to do it in the best possible way. Looking back at the whole relocation process I feel so happy that we had support from Eline. It was so warming and reassuring to see that someone is really caring about your family and helping you in such times."

Anita de Wreede - HR Vopak, Rotterdam

"Young Expat Services helps our re-pats with returning to the Netherlands after living abroad for some time. She guides them through the Dutch system and tells them all the new developments in the Dutch education that could be of importance for their children. With all the experience of Young Expat Services our families get to take the right decisions for their children, find good schools and give them a ‘soft landing’ in Holland again. A worthy service that makes our employees happy."

The Robinson Smith Family - Booking

"I would hereby like to highly commend the services provided by both Mieky van Schijndel and Claudia Wage-Brans of the Young Expat Services team. From the onset, as we liased with Mieky about our three sons education options in the Netherlands, we felt completely understood and were always given accurate information. She handled the applications and enquiries with great efficiency keeping us updated on the progress and status of each child. Upon arrival, Mieky truly became a very solid anchor in the expat service provided by Booking.com. She has helped us navigate through the schooling system, weathering all the ups and downs with empathy. I could not recommend her more highly, what a pleasure and saving grace! Claudia was yet another huge blessing to our youngest son whilst giving him lessons in Dutch. We were thrilled with the weekly email reports on how he was doing in the lesson. She made the lessons so interesting and fun that his enthusiasm to meet with her each week was tangible. We loved the photos and literary recommendations made, it was a sad last lesson not only for him but for us as a family. Thank you both so very much for doing an incredible job at helping us integrate.
Warm regards,"

Adri Engelbrecht - Booking.com

"From the day we arrived we were treated like the most important people and I want to say “thank you” to Anita, Elisabeth and the Young Expat services. Anita helped us so much with finding a great school for my daughter. Took the time to explain the school systems and also taking into consideration the shyness of my daughter and discussed that with the school, which helped tremendously.
Elisabeth, she is just amazing! From the first day when my daughter met her, she was instantly comfortable with her, which if you know my daughter that doesn’t happen very often. That was so good! She loved and was so excited to see Elisabeth on their weekly meetings. Thanks so much for all the work you all do! You make a big move a lot more easier and we truly appreciate it all."

Paola and Carlos -

"Me and my husband came from Spain one year ago with three kids, aged 3, 7 and 9. With the suppport of the Partner Program of Booking.com, Anita and Eline at YES have helped us even before we came, to set our kids in the dutch education system. They were there for us at all times, with video conferences and personal interviews, starting from knowing our kids individually, their interests and personalities and understanding us together as family, in order to meet our needs in terms of education. They helped us to find the best school for them, supported in all the administration, with the school search and were there to explain how the dutch education system works, and what we could expect. Our experience has been a fantastic one. They suggested that our older kids start in a termporary school for one year to learn the dutch language, and for the little one, they found place for her at a great Kindergarden. If we had any problem we could also contact them at any time and they would speak to the schools translating our worries and helping us understand the dutch culture.

The kids were happy since the beginning and now they are prepared to enter the dutch national school. We are confident that the school choice that we made with their help is the best. Once they start, they will also help our kids with their integration in the dutch system with dutch lessons for some weeks, individual coaching, paperwork, and cultural integration strategies. One thing we spoke about is the 'buddy' system, so that our foreign kids don't feel appart and have the sense of belonging so they can find their way accompanied by a fellow student during their integration process. We are very happy to have had the support of Anita and Eline and feel thankful, since one of the most complicated challenges of moving to a new country is that our children feel good and comfortable with the change and feel this is their new home."

Iuliia Izhetska -

"I want to say "thank you" to Eline and Elisabeth so many times! When you come to different country especially with kids, it's so hard not to get confused in different processes, like finding a good school and putting you baby in it. But thanking to you, that process was not so hard. Eline consulted me which school would be better for us, taking into consideration that my older boy doesn't know Dutch. I was very pleased that she not just found me the nearest school to my home, but the best school, where teachers were so interested in a new boy, who's not speaking Dutch. By the way, Eline helped me to speak with headmaster of the school and fill all the papers there. I want to write separately about Elisabeth, because she is just amazing! For the first days when my boy didn't want to go to new school where he didn't know anyone, she came there to meet him 6 times. And she taught him Dutch during the games. That was so good! He loved that so much! I told him that Elisabeth will wait for you at school and he was changing his mind and was going to school with a smile. Elisabeth knows how to open children's heart. So, thank you again. It was a please to know you."

Gerwin Kets - (deputy head) Florencius International School

"Florencius International School heeft na wat (gebouwgerelateerde) tegenslagen eindelijk een start weten te maken. Eline en Anita van Young Expat Services hebben daarbij een zeer belangrijke rol gespeeld. Door hun inzicht in de behoeften van Expatfamilies, hun netwerk en hun kennis van zowel het Nederlandse, als het Internationale speelveld èn door de inzet van hun enorme enthousiasme in het voorbereidingsproces van onze International School, zijn we in staat geweest om een geweldige basis te leggen voor de International School die we willen zijn. Met een geweldige hands-on mentaliteit hebben ze niet alleen met ons meegedacht, maar ook onderzoek gedaan, scholen bezocht, potentiële internationale leerkrachten gescreend en ga zo maar door. Eline en Anita, dank je wel daarvoor en ik hoop dat we elkaar nog veel tegen zullen komen in het veld!"

Sedef Tanyer - Booking.com

"We relocated from Sydney to Amsterdam in July 2018 with our 3,5 years old daughter. When we first moved there were many things that we should immediately start doing, like completing all the registerations, renting the property, choosing the school etc so at this point YES’s service really made our life easier. We had our first meeting with Annelous when we were in Sydney. We had our second meeting soon after we arrived in Amsterdam and after that she was our life saver. She arranged all the appointments with the schools, we visited the schools together and finally we decided for both the preschool and the school and we are very happy with our decision. Annelous is a very organized person, she has exellent follow up skills. She has full knowledge of her job and doing it very properly. She really supported us a lot during this process. So special thanks to her for her great support.
My daughter started the school and then very soon we met with Elisabeth who was going to teach Dutch to my daughter for 10 hours. It really takes time for my daughter to get used to a foreigner but Elisabeth won her trust the first day that they met and after that she spent great time with her. You can leave your child with her with inner peace, be sure that your child is having great time with her and also learning by playing. By means of this review I want to thank Elisabeth for being so soft, loving and warmhearted to my daughter. Her Dutch really improved after her lessons with Elisabeth and she learned all these in a joyful way."

Mandy and Mike - Chu

"We were very pleased with the help we received from Eline at YES. Because we had unique situation – an older child who will need to go to secondary school in two years and a younger child who could go straight into a Dutch primary school – we really relied on Eline's knowledge. We had several long talks with Eline who was very helpful and gave us all the information we needed about the Dutch education system. She found, in our opinion, the best school for us, they welcomed our son with open arms, and were very experienced with non-Dutch speaking kids. Without Eline, our first few months in the Netherlands would have been much more difficult. We are very grateful for her help."

Sherif Nabil -

I would like to share my feedback on the call with Anita Hensen on Monday 3rd of May 2021.

Let me say on a professional and a personal level, I’m recommending Young Expat Services for expats moving to the Netherlands and looking to learn about their children education options. Anita was very patient listening to us and got answers to all our never ending questions. She managed to give us advice based on her professional and personal experience which made the experience so reassuring for us as the whole call we were touched by the fact she was very understanding to all what we are going through. A very high level of integrity and honesty that exceeded all our expectations and we will remain grateful for the time spent with Anita.

There is a claim on your website that the information call fees will be the best spent money in the relocation, I can definitely know why now.

A big thank you from all our family.

Pauline A. Miralles - Imperial

Overall, I had an excellent experience working with YES! YES made transitioning to the Netherlands with 3 kids (all during COVID times) very easy and stress-free. They listened to what my requirements were, explained to me how the educational system works in the Netherlands, and found suitable options for me to consider. They had the pre-existing relationships and contacts with schools and daycare facilities across the Netherlands which made the entire process that much easier (from registering, to arranging school visits, and even billing arrangements). YES was also very responsive and answered all of my questions in a timely and friendly manner. Thank you, YES, for helping make our move to the Netherlands that much easier!

Hatice Celebi -

Highly Recommended!

I am glad I came across this service as I was trying to make a decision about the school my daughter should attend. As an expat, I could not decide the type of education (bilingual vs. Dutch, local vs. international, etc.) since I did not really know about the affordances of different options. I highly recommend YoungExpat Services if you find yourself in a similar situation. The consultation I have had with YoungExpat answered all my questions and beyond. Was really worth it!