These things can cause a great deal of irritation to both Dutch expats when they move abroad and to foreign expats who move to the Netherlands. In the film Great Expatations, expats living in the Western urban agglomeration known as the Randstad talk about how they see the Netherlands. The film provides an opportunity to see things from the other side for a change: even the Netherlands isn't ideal.

A lot to learn
The initiative for the film Great Expatations was taken by THIS (City of The Hague International Spirit). THIS wants Dutch businesses to realise that it is in their interests to accommodate the international community in the city. The organisation believes businesses have a lot to learn when it comes to how to treat its expat community, because expats are often irritated by the Dutch style of service.

German journalist Annette Birschel (photo right) has lived in the Netherlands for 12 years and presents Great Expatations.

Kees Colenbrander is director of Great Expatations and one of the founders of THIS. He interviewed dozens of expats on their first impressions of the Netherlands. A small selection of them can be seen in the 20-minute film. In making the film, Mr Colenbrander learnt a lot about his own "Dutchness".

"We Dutch are not as open to foreigners as we like to think. The way an expat and a Dutch person experience the same situation is quite different."Expats find service providers in particular annoying. "We like to be able have a look around when we go shopping, without a shop assistant bothering us," says Mr Colenbrander. "We'll ask if we want help. Expats think they are being ignored and that their money is not good enough."

Lots of money
Great Expatations has been made as an introduction for a new training course of 'hospitality master classes'. The course is aimed at people working in the catering industry and other service providers. If there is anyone out there asking themselves why the Dutch should change to cater for foreigners, the film gives a few hard figures: "There are 40,000 expats in and around The Hague who spend a total of 750 million euros." So a Dutchman who thinks "on your bike, if you don't like it here," could miss out on a lot of money.

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