British citizen working in Antwerp?

faringdon

Hi,
I am a British Electronics Engineer. I have been offered by a recruitment consultant to apply for a job in Antwerp. Its contract for 2 months but may have extensions. Supposing i got the job, would i be able to rent a bedsit/flat in Antwerp?
I imagine that hotel bills in Antwerp will be high.
Will my Lloyds bank debit card work in Belgium?
Do you need to get a visa to actually travel to Antwerp from UK?

I cant imagine you can just buy a rail ticket from London to Antwerp?

MSE_James

faringdon said:

 
I cant imagine you can just buy a rail ticket from London to Antwerp?

Yes and no. Belgian Railways - https://www.b-europe.com/ - will let you book the London to Brussels and Brussels to Antwerp legs in a single transaction, but you get two tickets

The Man in Seat 61 has lots more on Anglo-Belgian travel here: https://www.seat61.com/Belgium.htm 

DullGreyGuy

faringdon said:

I am a British Electronics Engineer. I have been offered by a recruitment consultant to apply for a job in Antwerp. Its contract for 2 months but may have extensions. Supposing i got the job, would i be able to rent a bedsit/flat in Antwerp?
I imagine that hotel bills in Antwerp will be high.
Will my Lloyds bank debit card work in Belgium?
Do you need to get a visa to actually travel to Antwerp from UK?

I cant imagine you can just buy a rail ticket from London to Antwerp?

Yes you can rent a place in Antwerp, if you'll get one for as short as 2 months without the premium of a property intended for holidaymakers is another matter

Debit cards work in Belgium, though you may want an account that doesnt have FX charges. 

If you need a visa or not has nothing to do with the country you are coming from but your nationality. Will you be an employee of the company? Or self employed? It's likely you will need some form of permit or visa to be able to work but it will vary depending on the arrangements. You can enter Belgium for now without a visa as long as you dont stay more than 90 days in 180 in any Schengen Zone country, they are in the process of creating a registration system similar to the US' ESTA but it keeps getting delayed. 

TELLIT01

Have you asked these questions of the recruitment agency?  If they can't answer basic employment questions I wouldn't put too much trust in their advice.

Brie

You might want to look for an airbnb.  But I do agree the recruiter should know the answers.  I can't imagine that they would be looking to get someone from the UK unless they were used to recruiting at this level.  

Marcon

You need plenty of resilience to cope with the kind of short-term contract which involves working outside the UK.

Looking at your other posts, are you sure this sort of 'opportunity' is really for you (or you for it? Not everyone is cut out for this kind of work pattern and you could be much happier not pursuing it.

lincroft1710

Marcon said:

You need plenty of resilience to cope with the kind of short-term contract which involves working outside the UK.

Looking at your other posts, are you sure this sort of 'opportunity' is really for you (or you for it? Not everyone is cut out for this kind of work pattern and you could be much happier not pursuing it.

The OP was at one time a sergeant in the British Army, so you would hope they could cope with this

faringdon

Thanks for noting my Mil service...yes i was a Sergeant...but i wasnt in the infantry....i spent most of the time in the Officers Mess arranging decorations for mess do's etc...ordering buffets in, that kind of thing, i wasnt anything like an infantry Sergeant.

Anyway, why does it need "resilience"?.....ie working in Antwerp.

sgthammer

I imagine Marcon is just talking about the mental resilience required to deal with stretches away from home, adjusting to new places, dealing with bureaucracy in a foreign language and so on. If you've ever been posted away on service you'll be familiar with some of it; being on your tod adds another dimension, but it's easy to overstate it. If you can travel light and treat it as an adventure you'll be fine.

practical points:

The 90/180 day Schengen visa waiver is only for tourists and is not a work visa, so you'll need to sort that out with your recruiter.

Having papers to prove your status will also make it easier to rent a flat rather than a hotel/airbnb. Looking at Google, 1 bed apartments in Antwerp can be had in the €1000-1500 a month range furnished or unfurnished, which ain't bad. Be open about your plans - if your contract's extended you may find you have to move, but having been through the process once it should be easier the second time.

If your contract is extended beyond three months you may find yourself having to register with the local municipality and deal with matters to do with tax residency, but you can cross that bridge if it comes up. 

best of luck!

DullGreyGuy

faringdon said:

Anyway, why does it need "resilience"?.....ie working in Antwerp.

It depends on both your home situation and your general outlook. 

Some people find it hard being away from friends, family, wife/husband/kids for a few months unless your home situation allows your immediate family to move to Antwerp too. 

Living in a foreign city is very different to going as a tourist, you have to learn how basic things work like paying for utilities, any taxes etc. Most things won't be done in English; people may make an exception for a short time but soon the novelty wears off any you're going to need to speak their language. Sometimes you can get in with the local British immigrant group (refuse to call them "ex-pats") but they can be clique and may not be your kind of people. 

If you like your own company, are good at languages etc then it can be great, if this isnt you then it can be hard and isolating. 

Obviously add to that the fact its a short contract so not long after starting you are going to be looking for your next piece of work and won't be able to come to in person interviews.