Amsterdam secondment story
"The highlight so far has been the Koninginnedag or Queen’s Day where Amsterdam, decked in orange, turns into one big street party"
Having been in the banking and finance department at De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, Amsterdam (De Brauw) for two months, I can honestly say I feel completely at home. Any apprehension about working in a new office in a foreign city was soon lost after the friendly welcome I received from my new Dutch colleagues - a welcome certainly aided by the (free) Friday evening office bar!
The work at De Brauw is first-class. Venturing into areas of law that are completely new to me has been both enjoyable and, at times, testing. My morning cycle to work (despite my initial scepticism of Dutch bikes which you have to back-pedal to brake) is an added bonus and is certainly preferable to the tube in London.
Outside work, Amsterdam is a great city - small and compact yet full of history and atmosphere. The Jordaan district, where I am living, is especially leuke (meaning 'nice' in Dutch - a word you hear very often) for an evening drink or a leisurely meander along the canals.
The highlight so far has been the Koninginnedag or Queen’s Day where Amsterdam, decked in orange, turns into one big street party - an awesome spectacle that I shall be returning to next year.
- Michael Raymond
- Trainee secondment
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