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Dutch is difficult. Complete mastery is almost impossible for foreigners and even after years of daily use, most Dutch people will still be able to pick you for a foreigner. If you are in The Netherlands for work, your employer may require you to learn the language, even if the company language is English. Most employers will send you off to a language course, most notoriously with "the nuns" at Regina Coeli (http://www.reginacoeli.nl). Other institutes offer good Dutch courses as well. Try the Universities in your neighbourhood.

At the moment of writing a political discussion is ongoing about making basic Dutch language skills compulsory for every foreigner staying in the country for over three months. This means that no matter where you work or live you would have to follow a government approved language course or face consequences for your permission to remain in The Netherlands. Regardless of the outcome of the discussion, you may want to prepare yourself for some learning.

In practice the country is very accessible for non Dutch speakers. As a consequence of a long tradition in foreign trade and a multicultural heritage almost every Dutch person speaks at least one foreign language. Trying to speak Dutch in daily life can be difficult due to the fact that many Dutch people want to show off their linguistic skills or find it easier to understand you in your native tongue.