Moving to the Netherlands?

Listen to someone who has actually done it.

There’s a huge amount of information about Dutch life somewhere on the internet. But having a personal guide who has been through many of the same things can make all the difference.

SecondSoil is not an automatically generated collection of relocation content. The app has been professionally developed, while its audio content is created and recorded by a real person with first-hand experience of building a life in the Netherlands.

• Human experience. Carefully curated information.
• Practical answers for everyday Dutch life.
• Support that grows with you, from your first weeks to life after settling in.

SecondSoil is designed around three simple ways to get practical help.

1. Listen: Hear short, human-recorded audio guides covering the things people moving to the Netherlands often need to understand.
2. Read: Explore straightforward articles in plain English when you want to go into a topic in more detail.
3. Go straight to the source: Use carefully selected links to reach useful official websites, services, tools, and other trusted resources when you need to take the next step.

Created by someone who has been there.

SecondSoil was created by Elizabeth Joss, a South African expat who has spent more than a decade living in the Netherlands and is the owner of WordWorx B.V., a corporate communications agency specialising in sustainability, ESG reporting, and corporate content. The app was professionally developed by lead developer Grant Barnard.

Having arrived in The Hague all alone and with a single suitcase back in 2013, Elizabeth has had to navigate many of the same things other international residents encounter, from Dutch paperwork, healthcare, insurance, and housing to cycling, weather, shopping, language, and the smaller everyday systems that can be surprisingly difficult to understand.

SecondSoil grew from a simple idea: bring those lessons together in one place and make them easy to listen to, read, and use.