Welcome to the International Institute of Social Studies

Welcome
to the
International
Institute of
Social Studies
ISS is the International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam
Table of contents
2
Welcome to the International Institute of Social Studies1
The International Institute of Social Studies
2
Organization of the Institute4
Student Office
5
Convenors, Course Leaders, and Administrators
5
ISS-Moodle – Electronic Learning Environment (ELE)
5
Quality Assurance – course evaluation specific
6
Board of Examiners
6
Welfare Office
6
Education and Day-Care
7
Chaplaincy and spirituality at ISS
7
The Facility Department
8
Library and IT Services 9
Staff and Participant’s mailboxes (commonly known as PHs meaning pigeon
holes).12
Internet at ISS
13
Cafetaria Facilities
13
SCHOLAS13
Room Bookings by Participants
15
NUFFIC Information and Services
15
Transportation17
Trams and Buses
17
Train19
Taxies20
Bicycles21
FINANCE, SHOPPING AND PUBLIC TELEPHONE SERVICE
DUTCH CURRENCY (EURO)
MANAGING YOUR FINANCES
22
22
23
POST OFFICE AND TELEPHONES
23
SHOPPING24
OPENING HOURS
25
HEALTH INSURANCE
26
IMPORTANT NOTES
26
MEDICAL CARE
26
DOCTORS28
EMERGENCY28
DENTISTS28
PHARMACIES29
INFORMATION ON SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES (STD)
29
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES EMBASSIES
31
GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES
31
REGISTRATION WITH YOUR EMBASSY
32
IMMIGRATION OFFICE 32
REGISTRATION AT THE MUNICIPALITY
33
SPORTS34
RECREATION34
SPORTS34
SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
35
DUTCH CUSTOMS SOCIAL CUSTOMS
36
LIVING IN The Netherlands
36
FOOD38
SOME USEFUL DUTCH
WORDS38
TOURISM43
TOURIST OFFICE
43
CITIES TO VISIT
44
SOME USEFUL ADDRESSES
46
3
Martin Blok, Student Welfare Officer
Welcome to the
International Institute of
Social Studies
To help you adapt quickly to life
in the Netherlands and at ISS, we
have produced this booklet of essential and practical information.
Our ASK ISS FAQ platform at
http://www.iss.nl/ask_iss/ is an
online interactive resource which
provides answers to many of the
questions you may have before
you arrive, while you are studying
and after you graduate. If your
search is unsuccessful, click on
‘contact us’ and send your question directly to ASK ISS. You will
receive a reply within 2-3 days.
We hope it answers many of the
questions you may have when in
unfamiliar surroundings but we
realise that it can never be complete. Do not hesitate to contact
the Welfare Office which is here
to give you help and support.
You can find internal news, events
of interest inside as well as outside ISS and much more information on our intranet site. Go to
http://www.iss.nl/intranet. Make
sure to log in regularly with your
ERNA account.
Many of you have never been to
the Netherlands before. Others
may have some knowledge of life
in this country. Some of you may
feel a bit lost at the beginning of
your stay here.
The “old batch” (previous academic year) participants are another great information resource.
Ask them – after all, they have
been in your shoes!
We are here to help you make
your stay productive and enjoyable. We want you to get the
most out of your time in The
Hague so please call on us whenever you need!
Your ideas on how to improve this
booklet are very welcome.
We hope you have a good start
and we are looking forward to
meeting you.
Martin Blok (Student Welfare
Officer, room 2.29)
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2
The International Institute of
Social Studies
Shortly after the end of the Second World War, the
Minister of Education, Arts and Sciences of the
Netherlands appointed a committee to explore a joint
university contribution to the emerging international
discipline of development studies. This committee
recommended that a new type of faculty should be
established to deal with the difficulties countries had
to overcome when passing through a period of accelerated development. They advised that these problems
should be addressed from an interdisciplinary point of
view. In 1952, with this basic philosophy in mind, the
Institute of Social Studies was founded by the combined universities of the Netherlands.ri
ISS is a postgraduate centre for the study of
problems of development and change and
an independent institution of university education. The Institute is concerned with policy
oriented research, teaching and capacity
building activities, giving equal priority to all
three. In the past, diploma degree teaching had pride of place at ISS. Such a priority
served the ISS well during the 1950s and
1960s, a period when government services
and universities in most Third World countries were in an early stage of development.
There was then a pressing need to give midcareer professionals a chance to bring themselves up-to-date in particular areas through
the diploma courses. However, it has become clear that the expansion of education
activities in the developing countries makes
it necessary for institutes such as ours,
which are located in industrial countries, to
3
adjust the focus of their programmes. The
particular nature and scope of our study
programmes rests mainly in their diversity of
institutional and individual approaches.
Most programmes are offered in The Hague,
taking advantage of the Institute’s own
resources, as well as those available in its
immediate environment.
Some programmes are offered in other
countries in association and collaboration
with institutions and individuals there. Some
courses of study are short, others are longer.
Some are examined for the award of a
degree or a diploma; others are not. All are
in the field of social, economic and political
For the most
up to date
information
check the
internet
www.iss.nl
studies of the development and change of
societies and economies. All are comparative
in orientation and concerned with different aspects of public policy and planning in
various fields. They are all intended primarily
for participants with an academic training
and comparable practical experience in one
of the social sciences. All seek an interdisciplinary as well as a disciplinary perspective,
and are international in orientation.
The International Institute of Social Studies
is part of Erasmus University Rotterdam. The
ISS campus is located in The Hague.
4
Organization of
the Institute
Rector
Prof. Dr Leo de Haan
Room 1.01 ext 415
Executive Secretary
Drs Linda Johnson
to the ISSRoom 1.27 ext. 496
Acting Deputy Rector Dr Freek Schiphorst
for Educational AffairsRoom 3.11 ext. 569
Deputy Rector Research Prof.Dr. Mohammed Salih
Room 1.06 ext. 573
Academic Registrar
Drs. Nynke Jo Smit
Room 2.34 ext. 527
Institute DirectorMr Michel Wesseling
Professor Leo de Haan, Rector
Student Office
This office handles all administration for the selection and registration of the Institute’s participants
and procedures during their
studies at the ISS. It holds the official student records. The department further provides information
about housing facilities, government and city authorities and
gives its assistance where necessary to enable the participants to
settle in their new surroundings.
This department deals with all
matters concerning fellowships.
The department is headed by Ank
van der Berg, room 2.30 ext.
516.
She is in charge of all matters
concerning student affairs. She
maintains the official contact
between the Institute and SCHOLAS, the Participants Association,
through the Welfare Office.
The registration (room 2.31) of
student’s academic records and
administrative procedures during
the study at the ISS are handled
by Susan Spaa, ext. 424.
The selection and admission
administration (room 2.33) is han-
dled by Eef van Os, who is also in
charge of the travel arrangements
for the participants with a DPO or
UNFPA fellowship, ext. 522 and
Marian van Dieren, ext. 513.
Convenors, Course
Leaders, and
Administrators
All 5 MA Majors have their own
Convenor and Administrator, as
do Diplomas, the Double-Degree
Programme and the Joint Degree
Programme.
The Convenor is responsible for
the implementation of the teaching, provides guidance and academic counseling to participants,
and monitors their progress.
The Administrator supports the
Convenor, the staff, and the
participants. They will assist
participants by providing answers to questions they may have
about the curriculum, the reading
materials, the session venues, etc.
Oftentimes, the Administrator is
your first contact person when
you have questions about the
academic Programme, Course,
etc., and can also guide you with
any question, query or problem
that you may have, and refer you
to the appropriate body or office
when required.
Participants are introduced to
their Convenor and Administrator
during the Orientation Programme.
Every teaching course is led by a
Course Leader and supported by
an Administrator.
ISS-Moodle –
Electronic Learning
Environment (ELE)
ISS uses Moodle as their ELE.
Each ISS course has a corresponding Moodle course that holds the
teaching materials; communications; assignment delivery/plagiarism check portals; course evaluation questionnaires and various
other didactical activities. A lot of
other teaching related material
is held in Moodle e.g. past exam
papers, evaluation reports, and
Board of Examiners information.
Browse the homepage of Moodle
by going to http://moodle.iss.nl/
and login (top right-hand corner)
using your ERNA account details.
NOTE: The message forums held
in Moodle are considered to be
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othe ISS’ main teaching related
formal communication line.
Communications sent by staff to
participants via the Moodle course
forums are considered to be formal. It is the responsibility of the
participants to ensure they read
these communications when they
arrive in their email inbox.
•
•
Problems related to the Required Reading links should
be referred to the E-Reader
team member allocated to the
course.
For all other Moodle related
problems or questions please
refer to:
Katherine Voorvelt – Moodle
Functional Manager
E-mail: iliad@iss.nl – ask for the
query to be placed in the Moodle
helpdesk queue.
The Moodle Functional Manager
conducts the Introduction to Moodle session during the Orientation
Programme and various other
Moodle workshops and training
sessions throughout the year,
including one-on-one assistance
when required.
Quality Assurance –
course evaluation specific
The Quality Assurance Co-ordinator, Katherine Voorvelt is responsible for the end-of-course and
programme evaluations. You may
contact her at voorvelt@iss.nl
Board of Examiners
For all information regarding
the Board of Examiners login to
Moodle and go to the Board of
Examiners tab on the Home Page
of Moodle, or through “My Moodle”. The e-mail address of the
BoE is “boe@iss.nl”
Welfare Office
Throughout your stay, you may
encounter problems, big or small.
The welfare officer is there to advise you how to go about solving
these problems. It may be done
through referral or counselling.
(Welfare Office, room 2.29).
This office is also in charge of
organising a variety of activities,
namely cultural events, workshops, seminars, social gatherings
and sports tournaments and the
orientation week, mostly in close
cooperation with SCHOLAS, the
participants’ association.
The Welfare Office can, in some
cases, act as an intermediary between participants and ISS staff.
All above matters are the concern
of the Welfare Officer, Martin
Blok, room 2.29 ext. 511.
Counselling
Sometimes, you may have problems of a more personal and/
or confidential nature, such as
disturbing physical or/and psychological health symptoms,
e.g. sleeping-problems, states
of depression, disorientation, or
anguish, panic, migraine, concentration-problems or worries
related to your study, or private
social situation (relations, family)
or physical health.
In cases such as these, you are
advised to approach the Welfare
Officer, Martin Blok, who in the
strictest confidence, will assist
you and ensure you receive appropriate counselling either by
one of the in-house councillors
or referring you to a specialist
in these matters. The EUR (Rotterdam) also provides counselling
services, for more information go
to: http://www.eur.nl/english/essc/
advice_counselling/
The welfare officer also advises
and/or intermediates whenever
participants consult him concerning experienced medical care by
doctors/medical specialists.
Policy against improper behaviour
ISS follows the Erasmus University
Rotterdam policy against improper
behaviour. The policy document
on this issue can be obtained
from the Welfare Office or can be
found here :http://www.eur.nl/
english/essc/advice_counselling/
professional/confidential/
ISS provides confidential counsellors who can give you advice
and support in case you feel you
have been subjected to improper
behaviour. All discussions with a
counsellor are confidential.
Please contact the Welfare Officer
(Martin Blok,room 2.29, ext 511)
who will refer you to an in-house
counsellor. Depending on the
circumstance you may be referred
to an outside counsellor through
the internal counsellor.
Education and DayCare
Education for children
Children from 4 years old onwards, have to go to primary
school.
Finding a school for your children
could be a problem. There are a
number of international schools in
The Hague, but the fees for these
schools are extremely high. Dutch
schools usually charge no or very
low fees. Experience has shown
that foreign children adapt very
well to the Dutch school environment, and often the schools pay
special attention to them.
Addresses of Dutch and international schools can be provided by
the Welfare Office.
Day-Care
Fees for day-care in the Netherlands are high.
According to the Dutch Childcare
Act, parents, employers and the
government must jointly bear the
costs of formal child care. The
government does so by imposing
a childcare levy on all employers.
If you are a tax payer in The Neth-
erlands, you are eligible for the
Dutch childcare allowance.
Unfortunately, the law does not
provide for international students,
who can therefore only make use
of a day-care centre if they pay
the full fee.
Chaplaincy and
spirituality at ISS
The ISS building has a meditation room and a chaplaincy
office shared by two chaplains
who are assigned by the Protestant and Catholic Church in The
Netherlands to provide hospitality to international students. The
chaplaincy is there for all ISS
participants regardless of religious
or non-religious background.
Meditation room 5.01
There is a meditation room on the
fifth floor, room 5.01. It is a space
for individual prayer and meditation for all. Whoever you are, you
are most welcome to experience
stillness, relaxation and peaceful
moments in silence and prayer. It
can also be used by groups for fellowship and faith related discussions. Group activities can be arranged by students in consultation
with the chaplains and/or with the
welfare office (Martin Blok).
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Washing facilities for Muslims are
available just outside the room.
8
A Christian group holds a fellowship every Wednesday from 6 to
7 p.m.
Chaplaincy office 5.20
You can find the office of the
chaplains also on the fifth floor
at the backside of the building in
room 5.20.
The Chaplains
Father Dr. Avin Kunnekkadan SVD
(catholic)
Stortenbekerstraat 224
2525 SP Den Haag
Tel: 06 12 55 57 68
E-mail: ispavin@gmail.com
Present usually on Monday, room
5.20
Reverend Ms.Waltraut Stroh (protestant)
Meppelrade 185
2544 XP Den Haag
Tel: 329 76 24
E-mail: wfstroh@xs4all.nl, stroh@
iss.nl
Present usually on Tuesday, room
5.20
The chaplains are available to you
for counseling and to share confidential matters, issues on beliefs,
meaning of life or wider issues of
life. Any questions regarding these
matters are welcome for discussion. Both chaplains are ordained
pastors. What you share will be
absolutely confidential. It is possible to make an appointment with
the chaplains by email or phone or
just come to the chaplaincy office,
room 5.20 on Monday or Tuesday.
retreats, national conferences,
excursions and visits in The Hague
and other parts of the country.
You are welcome to seek from the
chaplains information on religious
and social activities in and around
The Hague to make your life
meaningful, and your stay happy
in The Hague.
There is an opportunity for those
who are interested, to learn Dutch
in the evenings. The lessons are
free of charge. For more details
please contact the chaplain‘s office.
The chaplains can provide information on religious and social
activities in The Hague.
The activities will be announced through flyers, e-mail
and Moodle.
Chaplaincy Activities
The chaplaincy is a forum which
uses the unique chance of the
ISS community to bring students
together from various cultural,
religious and non-religious backgrounds. Throughout the year, in
cooperation with interested participants and the welfare office,
the chaplaincy organizes a wide
range of activities. They comprise
of inter-religious and inter-cultural
discussions, celebrating religious
festivals, local and national
More information on the website:
www.iscnetherlands.nl
Those of you who are interested
in volunteer work for NGO‘s in
The Hague are most welcome to
contact one of the chaplains to
have voluntary work experience
and placement service.
The Facility
Department
In many ways the ISS is supported
by the Facility Department. This
Service Desk is responsible for,
amongst other things cleaning,
catering, security, internal services, technical services and management of student housing.
In day-to-day practice you will often visit the Facilities Service Desk.
Complaints about housing facilities and repairs are to be reported
to the Facilities Service Desk (room
0.06) or by sending an email to:
facilities@iss.nl.
The Facilities Service Desk may be
reached via extension 789.
In case of emergency after office
hours you may call in Westvliet
Security: (070) 3900254.
Library and IT Services
A separate brochure on the
Erasmus University Library will
be distributed during the Library
tour at ISS during the Orientation
Programme. Below is a summary
of the Library and IT services. You
can find recent announcements
and support materials on the
Library homepage at http:www.
iss.nl/library. The University Library
is also active in Information Literacy and IT skills development.
Throughout the study programme,
Information Literacy and IT Skills
workshops are planned to help
you assess, develop or improve
your study and research skills.
IT Services (Shared Service
Centre ICT)
While studying at ISS, you will
be provided with study-related IT
services: use of a computer in the
computer classrooms, access to
licensed software, e-mail facilities and internet access. The IT
Services and the Library Services
teams have a joint service desk for
assistance in computer, software,
printing, documentation and
information problems: the ISS
Library and IT Services Assistance
Desk - ILIAD. ILIAD is located in
the Library.
Computer account and e-mail
At the “Introduction to IT
services”-session, conducted during the introductory week, you
will receive the details about your
account (your user IDs, passwords
and email address for the ISS
network). The instructor will point
out which services are available,
where they are located and how
you can make use of the services.
Computer use
The computer classrooms are
located on the second floor: 2.26
(24 PC’s) and 2.27 (20 PC’s). There
are also 20 student computers in
the library. A number of tables allow you to connect your notebook
to internet and operate from an
electricity socket. The library and
central parts of the building also
have Wireless internet.
Printing/copying/scanning
Each student has an initial print
and photocopy quota for the
study period, so that you can print
assignments, etc. Your print and
photocopy balance is managed by
an automated system. Should you
run out of print balance during
your study, additional quota can
be bought. A token for €10 can
be purchased from the vending
machine on the ground floor.
When handed in at the ILIAD
desk, the duty officer then ensures
that the additional print quota is
added to your account immediately.
ISS encourages saving paper. The
printer/copier allows you to scan
free of charge and sends the electronic copy (a pdf) to your email
address. Printing to double-sided
and/or multiple-pages-to-a page
is cost effective. The printers’
default settings are set on doublesided printing and copying, however it is easy to set the properties
to suit each of your print requests.
Assistance: ILIAD
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The ISS Library and IT Assistance
Desk (ILIAD) is located in the
Library (basement). ILIAD provides
integrated assistance with IT problems and delivers Library services:
During opening hours a Library
officer and an IT officer are on
duty. The ILIAD officers are there
to help you with your computer
problems and software issues, but
will help you as well with typical
library services such as book reservations, extensions, databases,
inter-library loans, online journals,
referencing, etc.
How to contact ILIAD?
You are most welcome at the desk
during the Library opening hours.
In addition, ILIAD can be contacted by email: iliad@iss.nl or by
phone: extension 456.
Library services
The library in the ISS building specializes in English-language literature in the social sciences, with an
emphasis on development studies.
The library collection reflects 60
years of development experience and the Erasmus University
library’s strength. The entrance
to the ISS library is situated close
to the main entrance, down the
yellow stairs.
Borrowing and document delivery
The Library Membership card is
integrated into your ISS student
card. You can borrow books from
the ISS library using this card – so
you need to keep it with you.
The borrowing conditions can be
checked on the library pages of
the ISS website at http://www.iss.
nl/library/library_services/borrowing/
Books not available in the ISS
Library, but present in the collections at other libraries in the
Netherlands such as the Royal
Library (= national library), the
Peace Palace, other universities
and scientific institutions, various
ministries, government services
and foreign embassies, can be
borrowed through the InterLibrary Loan Service (ILL). Journal
articles, not available at the library
or in the databases, can also
be obtained through document
delivery.
There are costs involved when a
publication is requested through
ILL, see the price list at http://
www.iss.nl/library/library_services/
borrowing/price_list/
Resources for literature research
The library has a collection of
100,000 books and some 50 print
journals. In addition, it provides
access to over 350 databases,
more than 26,000 e-journals, and
a large collection of e-books, online reference works, videos, and
international newspapers. Over
the past 60 years the Library has
also acquired a substantial collection of report material, much of it
being ‘grey’ literature.
Access to internet services is
possible both from the Library
computers, from the computer
classrooms and your own device when connected to the ISS
network. If you want to use ISS
electronic resources (online journals, databases, e-journals and
e-books) off-campus, you have to
use VPN.
See http://www.iss.nl/library/
library_services/access_from_
home_via_vpn/ on how to set up
VPN on your device, so you can
access the Library’s resources from
outside the ISS and EUR campus.
Newspapers
The Library subscribes to PressDisplay, which is a newspaper
‘kiosk’ that offers online access
to current and archived issues of
thousands of international and
regional newspapers from nearly
100 countries in all languages. In
the Library lounge area you will
find some printed newspapers:
The Times, The Financial Times, El
Pais and The Guardian Weekly.
International newsmagazines are
also available in the lounge area.
Those who wish to read papers
from their home countries can
always do so at the embassies (or
through the internet).
Project and workshop rooms
Students who wish to work on a
collaborative project can book one
of the project/workshop rooms.
The Library has a large room (for
up to 20 people) and a small
room in the mezzanine (for max. 4
people). Reservations can be made
at ILIAD.
Suggestions or complaints
All suggestions and/or complaints
on matters concerning library’s
services and policies can be made
online at http://www.iss.nl/library/
iliad/suggestion_box/. Or you
can submit a hardcopy version
in the red coloured suggestion
box found at the entrance to the
library.
Regular Library opening times
2013/2014
Monday – Thursday 9.00 - 21.00
Friday 9.00 - 17.30
Saturday
10.00 - 14.00
Sundays:Closed
Lending and information services
are available from the opening
times indicated through to fifteen
minutes before the closing times
indicated.
Library opening times during public and compulsory holiday periods
may differ from the above. Extra
opening hours are scheduled
before exams. These changes
are announced on the Library
homepage and the TV screen at
the Library entrance.
Information Literacy and IT
Skills Development
Technological developments in
the online availability of books,
journals, documents and also of
bibliographical descriptions have
picked up speed and require a set
of new working practices to manage information more effectively
and efficiently.
Open Access initiatives make
journals available on the internet
freely. Brokers offer libraries pack-
ages of social science journals,
rather than individual subscriptions. In general, researchers have
to manage a much larger volume
of information and consider economic and ethical aspects more
closely.
Throughout the study programme,
Information Literacy and IT Skills
workshops are planned to help
you assess, develop or improve
your study and research skills.
A number of these workshops are
provided by Library staff as part of
your introduction and as part of
your research paper preparations.
Other workshops are conducted
by Masters’ students from the
previous year who have a background in library or IT skills, or
who have shown excellence in one
of the topics. The overall coordination of the programme is with
the Information Literacy and IT
Skills Teacher. For more details on
the workshops please consult the
Academic Calendar and Masters’
Time table.
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Staff and Participant’s
mailboxes (commonly
The postal codes of the ISS-hostels are:
Address
Roomnr
Postal Code
Bazarlaan
21 – 73
2518 AL
Bazarlaan
79 – 131
2518 AZ
Dorus Rijkersplein
27 – 40
2518 DA
Dorus Rijkersplein
41 – 65
2518 DB
Dorus Rijkersplein
66 – 90
2518 DC
Dorus Rijkersplein
91 – 120
2518 DD
Dorus Rijkersplein
121 – 145
2518 DE
Dorus Rijkersplein
146 – 171
2518 DG
Sunneke (Prins Hendrikstraat)
21
2518 HE
Oude Molstraat
25
2513 BA
Gondelstraat
31
2586 ER
known as PHs meaning pigeon
holes).
Staff PHs are located on the
ground floor in the little room
close to the vending machines.
Participants’ PHs are located on
the second floor just outside the
Welfare Office. They are arranged
according your study e.g. PhD,
MA Major, Diploma etc.
Since information concerning
courses, personal messages, general information etc. is distributed
via the pigeonholes, it is important to check them regularly.
These pigeonholes are meant for
you to receive internal mail only!
Please inform your friends and
family of your home address
and postal code; in order to
facilitate the reception of your
private mail!
The way to put the address in
Holland is as follows:
Your Name
Street and house-number /
room-number
Postal code and city (The
Hague, or “Den Haag” in
Dutch)
The Netherlands
Internet at ISS
Access to internet services is
possible both from the Library
computers, from the computer classrooms and your own
device when connected to
the ISS network or via VPN. If
you want to use ISS electronic
resources (online journals, databases, e-journals and e-books)
off-campus, you have to use
VPN.
See http://www.iss.nl/library/
library_services/access_from_
home_via_vpn/ on how to set
up VPN on your device, so you
can access the library’s resourc-
es from outside the ISS and EUR
campus.
Wireless access is available
throughout the building. The
student hostels also have wireless
internet access. Because it was
felt that cabled access to internet
is more reliable, than wireless access, ISS has invested in a cabling
project that provides the central
hostels in Dorus Rijkerplein and
Bazarlaan with internet through a
network connection in the rooms.
Cafetaria Facilities
The ISS cafeteria situated on
the First Floor in the Atrium, is
open from 12.15 - 13.45 hours,
Monday through Friday. Our
catering service prepares a warm
meal every day, plus hot and cold
snacks, salads etc.
You have to use your student
identity card in the cafetaria and
for drinks from the coffee/tea and
soft drink machines (in corridors
and coffee bar). To add money to
the card, there are machines on
the first and second floor of the
ISS building. You can also use your
Dutch bank debit card or cash in
the Cafetaria.
In the Butterfly Bar, next to the
cafeteria, beverages are paid in
cash. The Butterfly Bar is open
during weekdays from 17.30 –
19.00 hours.
SCHOLAS
Students of the Institute of Social
Studies are customarily referred
to as participants, reflecting the
environment of sharing experiences and joint development of
ideas by the ISS community on
questions of human development.
SCHOLAS is the organisation for
all participants. The SCHOLAS
serves several purposes:
1. It serves as a forum for cross
cultural inter-changes, friendship and understanding.
There is more to gain from an
international institution such
as the ISS beside the academic knowledge we seek.
Each participant has a specific
background, which may not
only be fascinating but may
as well add to our know­
ledge.
This background could range
from different varieties of
food and how to prepare
them, clothing, dancing or
even the different responses/
13
14
adaptations to varying cultural and political environments.
Those rich experiences may
be shared through open and
friendly interaction provided
by the various SCHOLAS
forums, working committees
and social and cultural evenings, excursions, seminars
and debates, sports and disco
(swinging) nights etc. You will
come to appreciate these fun
times at ISS, when the sight
of books and handouts simply
becomes a bit too much.
2. SCHOLAS provides a formal
link between participants,
administrative and teaching
staff. SCHOLAS representatives have the opportunity
to have an active role in the
deliberations of the Institute
to continually improve what
the ISS offers; making it an
Institution one can be proud
to have been part of even
years after graduating.
SCHOLAS representatives are
nominated each academic
year to serve on the Teaching and Learning Committee
whose role it is to advice the
Deputy Rector Educational
Affairs on matters relating to
teaching and learning in the
ISS.
SCHOLAS is also represented
in the Institute Council, the
representative body of the
Institute’s staff and students.
It has the right of approval,
advice and other rights on
matters specifically related to
the Institute and to competences delegated to the Rector, including matters provided for under the Dutch Law
on Higher Education and the
Erasmus University Rotterdam
Rules & Regulations.
3. SCHOLAS activities also help
to constantly remind you of
the various struggles for food,
democracy, social justice and
dignity taking place in our
countries, while you temporarily relapse into some “Ivory
Towers” (at least some of us).
4. Excursion trips to parts of the
Netherlands and surrounding
European countries may help
us to broaden our perspective, and for some of us, to
make the best of an opportunity which might not return.
There is much more that SCHOLAS
could do if you provide the ideas,
the commitment and the energy
to run its activities. Election of
officers and representatives to
various working committees takes
place in November.
Look out for information on the
bulletin board outside the Student
Office, or drop by the SCHOLAS
office in Room 2.25, ext. 650.
SCHOLAS and the Welfare Office
actively work together to make
your stay a memorable one !
SCHOLAS Working Committees
These are based on voluntary, not
elected membership. Each of them
organises their own meetings and
activities. Some of the committees
are:
• Arts Committee: Artistically
inclined participants pursue
and display their inclinations
and talents, in all possible
artistic fields, through the
organizing of exhibitions,
participatory activities, workshops, etc.
• Social Committee - organises social activities like:
International Evening; Disco
and Farewell parties; Farewell
•
•
•
•
•
Dinners and trips, (both in the
Netherlands and abroad).
Sports Committee – organises sports activities in liaison
with the Welfare Office, like:
International Sports Day;
weekly sport evenings in
Sporthal “De Blinkerd.”
Housing & Welfare Committee – monitors and has
input from students point
of view on housing policy of
ISS. Discusses policy, student
complaints about housing and
welfare, visits hostels.
International Relations
Committee – organises activities and excursions related to
International Relations, like: El
Salvador Solidarity Day; China
Day Seminar; Excursion to
Peace Palace; Hosting visit to
ISS of International Students.
Editorial Committee – publishes the students magazine
ISSUES.
Gender Committee - organises activities such as
workshops and seminars on
gender related issues.
Room Bookings by
Participants
The number of activities at our institute is rather large, and space is
limited. Various staff departments
have to work in co-operation in
order that things run smoothly.
Therefore, it is necessary to book
rooms and arrange facilities fairly
well in advance. For students’
activities, such as SCHOLAS
meetings, discussions, and social
meetings, this should be arranged
through the Welfare Office, room
2.29, or the Facilities Desk in
room 0.06. It is necessary to start
arrangements for the use of the
room at least one week prior to
the activities and for the use of
the aula and the atrium at least
two weeks in advance.
NUFFIC Information
and Services
•
•
Nuffic is the Netherlands’
organisation for international
cooperation in higher education.
As an independent, nonprofit organisation based
in The Hague, Nuffic supports internationalisation in
higher education, research
and professional education in
the Netherlands and abroad,
and helps improve access to
higher education worldwide.
•
Nuffic most important contract partners are the Dutch
Ministry of Education, Culture
& Science and the Dutch
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It plays an important role in
fostering international cooperation in higher education
between the Netherlands and
other countries.
•
Nuffic has a workforce of
about 250. Around 200 people work at the head office
in The Hague, the rest work
at our Netherlands Education
Support Offices around the
world.
•
Importantly for ISS, Nuffic administers the NFP Fellowships.
•
For more information on
Nuffic go to: http://www.
nuffic.nl/en
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16
Transportation
A useful general journey planner can be
found at http://openbaar-vervoer.linklib.nl/
link.php?id=70
Here you can plan your trip from door to
door
Trams and Buses
There is an adequate network of tram and
bus services covering The Hague Centre and
suburbs. The principle operators of bus,
tram and light rail link services in The Hague
region are HTM, Connexxion and Veolia
Transport. The Hague’s public transportation
company also operates a night bus. Most
forms of public transportation have regular
schedules ending around midnight
For further information go to:
http://www.denhaag.nl/en/residents/to/
Public-transport.htm
http://www.htm.net/
http://www.connexxion.nl/
http://www.veolia-transport.nl/nederland/
index.html
You pay for your ride by means of an OV
chipkaart, the generic electronic chip card
for public transport valid throughout The
Netherlands. This smart card is the size of
a bank card and contains an invisible chip.
This card can be loaded with credit in euros
with which you can travel anywhere within
The Netherlands. It is possible to purchase
a paper ticket on boarding, although this is
more expensive.
17
You may choose from among the
personal, anonymous and disposable cards.
18
•
•
•
Apply for the personal OVchipkaart through: https://
www.ov-chipkaart.nl/?taal=en
at a cost of €7.50 or obtain
a request form from the local
public transport company.
(For The Hague: http://www.
htm.nl ).
Get an anonymous OVchipkaart at a cost of €7.50
at the counters of public
transport companies, vending machines at the stations
•
or supermarkets, for example
Albert Heijn Supermarket at
Elandstraat near ISS.
The disposable card can be
purchased at the stations’
vending machines.
For further information on
the various OV-chipkaart
available go to : https://
www.ov-chipkaart.nl/aanvragen/welkekaartpastbiju/
toeristen/?taal=en
How to use the OV-chipkaart?
• You can load travel credit
or products onto the OVchipkaart; without these, you
•
•
cannot travel using the OVchipkaart.
Travel products are, for example, single but also season
tickets. You can load these
onto your card at the station
vending machine, or at your
public transport company’s
ticket office.
You can load travel credit
onto your card using your
bank card and PIN code at
a vending machine or ticket
office (ticket office purchases
charge an additional handling
fee of €2.50). If you have a
personal OV-chipkaart, you
•
•
can also select the autoreload option, to ensure you
always have enough OVchipkaart credit with which to
travel.
Checking in and checking
out
At the start of your journey,
you check in on entering
the tram (entering through
any tram door) or bus (enter
only through front door) by
holding your OV-chipkaart up
to the screen of the apparatus found near the door/s.
The sound and light signal
indicates your card has been
read. If you do not have a
specific product on your
card and, therefore, pay for
your journey using the OVchipkaart e-purse, a boarding
rate will be deducted when
you check in. The credit on
your OV-chipkaart should be
at least the boarding rate or
you will not be allowed to go
through the gate. In 2013,
the current initial boarding
rate is €4.
At that end of your journey,
you check out by holding
your card up to the apparatus
again. The sound and light
signal indicates that your card
has been read. The actual
•
travel costs, based on the
distance travelled are then
deducted from the initial
boarding rate, and the balance after the expenditure
will be reflected in the card.
The balance can be checked
when checking out on the
apparatus screen. Be sure to
have enough balance in your
chipkaart before boarding.
It is important to check out
on leaving the vehicle, or
the system will continue to
charge as if you are still on
board the vehicle, to a maximum of € 4!
Within the city limits the costs are
a fixed initial fee of € 0, 79 plus
€ 0, 14 per kilometre travelled.
Is there an excessive amount
cashed from your OV-chipkaart?
You couldn’t check in or out? Or
did you forget to check out? Then
you have several ways to report
and claim your overpaid money.
Check http://www.htm.nl or
https://www.ov-chipkaart.nl/ for
information on how to claim the
credit owing to you.
HTM customer service desks can
be found in the centre of town at
Wagenstraat 35, the Central Station, and Holland Spoor Station.
Train
The Netherlands is a small country, approximately 350 km long
and 200 km wide. It is therefore
easy to make day and weekend
sightseeing trips not only in The
Netherlands itself, but also in
neighbouring countries. Trains are
safe, fast and frequent; varying
from four to six times an hour
between the main cities. Travel
times are short: The Hague Amsterdam takes approximately
45 minutes; The Hague - Antwerp
(Belgium) takes approximately 1
hour and 35 minutes. The clean
carriages are either first or second
class. Smoking is prohibited on all
trains.
In The Hague there are two main
railway stations:
1. Central Station (CS); can
be reached by bus 24 and
22 or temporarily tram 17
from Mauritzkade tram/bus
stop close to the ISS.Trains
travel mainly in the direction
Zoetermeer, Gouda, Utrecht,
Amsterdam and Schiphol
(general East direction).
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20
2. Hollandspoor Station (HS);
can be reached by tram 1 or
temporarily, tram 17 from
Maurtizkade tram/bus stop
close to the ISS.
The trains from HS travel in
the directions Amsterdam,
Leiden, Haarlem, Delft, Rotterdam (general North-South
direction).
•
•
•
•
Some useful facts:
• If you are planning to use the
train more often, it might be
useful to purchase (approx.
€ 50 yearly) the NS Discount
Subscription (“Dal voordeel”),
which is electronically loaded
upon the OV Chip card which
gives you a discount, on
trains only, of 40 % on the
ticket price after 9 a.m. week
days; and weekends off-peak,
9am-4pm, and 6:30pm-6:30
am (following day). The card
can also be used as the regular OV chip card, (without
discount) for buses and trams
provided you have enough
credit. One of the discount
subscriptions giving 40%
discount includes that you
may travel with and purchase
tickets for 3 other passengers
at the 40% discount. More
information http://www.ns.nl/
•
•
reizigers/producten/abonnementen/dal-voordeel.html
There are no special discounts
for students
Regular paper tickets are still
available at the train stations’
vending machines.
A return (“retour”) ticket is
cheaper than two single (enkel) tickets.
You must validate the paper
ticket by stamping each one
at a yellow machine on the
platform on the day you use
it.
Children from 4 through 11
years old, if travelling with an
adult, pay only € 2, 50 per
child. Ask for the ‘Railrunner’
ticket.
The Netherlands has night
trains (“nachtnet”). For details go to: http://www.htm.
net/
You can also use your OV chip
card on the trains, using your card
to check-in/out at the machines
found in the stations. The initial
boarding fee is € 10 for holders
of personal/discount cards; and
€ 20 for travellers using a personal (without discount) or anonymous card. See
https://www.ov-chipkaart.nl/
reizen/gebruikovchipkaart/inenuitchecken/
The actual costs of the journey
will be settled after checking out.
For train schedules check the
internet on http://www.ns.nl/.
Also the International trains and
the combining trips can be found
here: http://www.nshispeed.nl/en
National telephone information
concerning public transport: 0900
– 9292 or 0900 - 20 21 163.
International information: 0900 –
9296, and from abroad +31 302
331 676.
Taxies
You will find taxi stands at the
train stations and throughout
the city. Alternatively, taxis can
be ordered by telephone, HTMC:
0703907722, http://www.
htmc.nl/english or HTC Citytax:
0703830830, http://www.city-tax.
nl/?lang=en
For a complete listing of taxi companies on TaxiBelle: http://www.
taxibelle.nl/taxibedrijven/zuidholland/den-haag
Bicycles
Riding a bicycle (“fiets”) is a common means of transport in the
Netherlands, not only for students
but for everyone living in this
country. In fact, with the exception of China, the Netherlands
numbers more bicycles than any
other country in the world. There
are cycle paths almost everywhere
to ensure the cyclists’ safety.
Bikes can be purchased second
hand. Unfortunately bike theft
is a problem and more especially
in the cities, so be sure to buy a
sturdy chain lock and always use
it! There are several secure bicycle
shelters in different locations
throughout the city, we advise you
to use these. The Municipality is
currently running a pilot project
whereby they remove bicycles
parked in non-parking areas. For
more information on this project:
http://www.denhaag.nl/en/residents/to/Bicycles-to-be-removedfrom-city-centre.htm
Bicycles (OVfiets) can be an be
rented from the railway station at
€ 6,50 a day or € 30,00 a week.
Deposits and other conditions
apply, for more information and
reservations phone (070) 3853235
Den Haag CS (Central Station), or
21
(070)3890830 Den Haag HS (Holland Spoor).
•
•
Some bicycle shops are
• Top Bikes, Elandstraat 89, The
Hague, 070-362 10 01
Mammoet, Stationsweg 36,
The Hague (near HS Station)
Kemper, Waldeck Pyrmontkade 454, 070 345 96
96
22
FINANCE, SHOPPING AND PUBLIC
TELEPHONE SERVICE
DUTCH CURRENCY (EURO)
As in many European countries, The Netherlands uses
Euro (€) currency.
Coins:
5, 10, 20, 50 Euro-cent, 1 and 2 Euro
Banknotes: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 Euro
Although the back of the Euro coins are all the same,
the front of the coins have been individually designed by each of the Euro countries producing the
coins. All Euro coins can be used in any of the Euro
Countries.
MANAGING YOUR
FINANCES
Remember: NEVER KEEP YOUR
PINCODE WITH YOUR PASS!!
•
The Dutch system for managing
personal finances may differ from
what you are used to. ISS will arrange for your bank account into
which you can have your income
deposited, and for spending it you
will either be making cash withdrawals or filling in transfer forms
by which money is transferred
directly from your account to the
account of somebody else. Online
Banking is also an option.
Although several types of cheques
exist, this is a lengthy process via
your bank. People mostly use cash
or their debit account bank card
connected to their bank account
using the PIN-code once activated
to purchase from shops; pay for
services; restaurants; etc. Use
your debit card also to withdraw
money from your account, using
an ATM. Good news! Within the
EU withdrawals from an ATM are
free of charge.
Credit cards are gaining importance, but are not yet widely
used.
For international money transfers
you may want to use Western
Union transfer services. They can
be found in the entrance hall of
Hollands Spoor (HS) train station.
•
packaging and stationary
supplies;
Costs of sending and sending
of parcels (in sending parcels abroad a customs form
should be completed);
Posting letters and cards.
A dedicated post office close to
the ISS can be found at Kerkplein
6. This post office is open:
Monday-Friday 7:30 to 18:30hrs
Saturday 9:00 to 17:00hrs
Sunday Closed
Postage
• For parcel and other postal
rates go to: http://www.
postnl.nl/zakelijk/Images/
PostNL-Rates-2013_tcm210663394.pdf
• Letters (0-20 grams) sent
from and to within The Netherlands cost € 0,60
• Letters form 20-50 grams
from and to within The Netherlands cost (€ 1, 20)
• Letters to be sent to other
countries have different costs.
The post office will weigh
your letter and notify you of
the cost. Refer to postal rate
above for more information
on rates.
Post offices offer various services
such as:
• Provide information regarding
types and prices of posting;
• Sell postage stamps, aerogrammes; boxes for packing
parcels to post and other
Telephone
Due to the fact that people mostly
use mobile phones, public phone
booths are no longer available.
Apparently there are only two
to be found in the whole of Den
Haag!
POST OFFICE AND
TELEPHONES
Post Office
Albert Hein (AH) in Elandstraat
has a Post Office counter to
the left after entering the AH
building.
Efficiency at 118 Piet Heinstraat has a Post Office Counter
23
24
Long distance calls are expensive
and can be made from “Belhuizen” (Phone shops) who offer international calls at cheaper rates.
There is one near Holland Spoor
station.
Shop around online for bargains
if planning to purchase a mobile
phone.
Available phone companies are
KPN, Lebara,T-mobile,Vodaphone,
Lyca mobile etc. A shop called
Phone house deals with different
companies’ credit, address: Spuistraat 69 or Venestraat 52
Phone listing in The Netherlands:
http://www.detelefoongids.nl/en/
SHOPPING
Depending on where you live, you
will be doing your regular shopping either in a modern shopping
centre, in small shops in an old
city neighbourhood or at an open
market.
Most of the smaller shops in
the city are specialised and tend
to be more exclusive. They are
often conveniently located, but
tend to be more expensive. The
large department stores are V&D,
HEMA and De Bijenkorf. V&D and
HEMA have the more moderately
priced merchandise. The quality
of clothes in the larger stores is
good. Blokker is a popular store
for kitchenware, electrical goods,
candles, etc.
Articles such as soap, toothpaste,
etc. can be purchased from a
drugstore e.g. Kruidvat or Etos.
Mediamarkt is a large store holding computers, cameras, TVs and
all other electrical and home appliances.
Tram 1 or 17 and bus 22 or 24
take you to the downtown area
(to walk will only take you approximately 10 minutes from ISS).
Some large stores have a large
variety of groceries, sometimes
including those that you used to
buying at home.
The most convenient store for
food is the Albert Heijn supermarket, Elandstraat 160, a 5 minutes’
walk from the ISS.
The Hague has a large open
market, De Haagsemarkt, popular
with many of the ISS students,
see: http://www.dehaagsemarkt.
nl/
Situated in Herman Costerstraat
near Hobbemaplein and easily
reached by taking tram 1 to H.S.
station, then change to tram 11
or 12. Market days are Monday,
Wednesday, Friday and Saturday
from 8.45 hours From 8:45 till
17:00.
For information on other markets
in The Hague go to: http://www.
denhaag.nl/en/residents/to/Outdoor-markets-1.htm
Bargaining is not customary.
There are many small shops in
and around De Haagsemarkt that
provide food and ingredients to
cater for the many nationalities
represented at ISS.
Most bookshops in The Hague
hold an almost equal number of
Dutch, English, German, French
and Spanish books and newspapers, for example:
• Ruward, Westerdijkplein 111,
behind Holland Spoor, see
https://secure.vanstockum.nl/
studieboekenkorting/index.
php
•
American Discount Book
Centre BV, Spuistraat 72 in
The Hague
25
There are a many second-hand
bookshops, such as Polare and the
American Discount Book Centre
has second-hand books upstairs
Sales (“opruiming” or “koopjes”)
in many stores in The Netherlands
are held in the months December/January and June/July, when
articles can be bought at reduced
fixed prices.
OPENING HOURS
Refer to the following site for current opening hours for shops and
banks:
http://www.denhaag.nl/en/visitors/
vvv-tourist-office/to/Openinghours-for-shops-and-banks.htm
26
MEDICAL CARE
Hopefully you do not need any
medical care, but if you do, here is
some important information.
HEALTH INSURANCE
According to Dutch law participants of international study
courses/programmes must be
adequately covered by health
insurance. Recipients of a Netherlands government fellowship are
automatically insured upon arrival
in the Netherlands. This insurance
does not cover any dependants
whatsoever. Premiums for the
insurance of dependants have to
be paid by the related participant
registered to the ISS.
Participants not in receipt of
Netherlands government fellowships are responsible for their
own Health Insurance cover that
must be paid for in advance for
the full period of their stay. Other
course participants, as well as any
dependants, should be sure to buy
insurance for the full length of
their study immediately upon their
arrival. This can be arranged at
the Facility Desk by Mr J. Sinjorgo,
(ext. 766, room 0.06) who can
also provide any further information if necessary. It is important
to check the policies for the exact
coverage. Read your insurance
booklet. Claim forms are available
from the Facility Desk, room 0.06.
•
Glasses and regular dental costs
are not covered by the insurance.
•
IMPORTANT NOTES
•
Please notify the ISS info@
iss.nl if you have any special
needs due to any kind of
physical or mental disadvantage you may be challenged
with, e.g. sight, learning
disability, diminished physical
capacity.
If you have a medical condition prior to arriving in The
Netherlands, and you have
not thought to bring a referral letter or medical report
from the doctor treating you
back home (or wherever you
have just arrived from), it
would be advisable to contact
said doctor to provide one
and should include any medication you should continue
with while in The Netherlands.
The way doctors approach
treatment in The Netherlands
may be very different from
what you are accustomed to.
For example, do not expect to
be prescribed with antibiotics
easily.
27
•
•
•
It is advisable to choose a
doctor as your family doctor (general practitioner or
‘huisarts’) soon after your arrival. Have his phone number
and address (and how to get
there) easily accessible in case
of emergency.
If you want to see a doctor,
call early in the morning, usually before 10.00 a.m. for an
appointment. Sometimes you
get an answering machine,
speaking in Dutch (some also
in English), which tells you
that the doctor is out. It gives
a number of the ‘dokterstelefoon’ (070 3469669)
for emergencies only! If this
happens try again a little later
to reach the doctor’s receptionist, or in an emergency,
contact the number above.
When meeting an appointment make sure you arrive on
time, or you may be expected
to pay for a doctor or a dentist appointment for which
you have come too late or
failed to attend.
• Some doctors have open visiting hours (no appointment
necessary).
• Some doctors expect you to
pay cash following the consultation; the average amount
is around €35.
Be sure to get a receipt, as reimbursement forms should be filled
out later and sent to the insurance company together with your
doctor’s and chemist’s bills (make
and keep photocopies of all bills/
receipts).
•
If it is necessary to see a specialist, the Dutch procedure is
as follows: consult your family
doctor (“huisarts”) first, who
will refer you to the relevant
•
•
•
specialist. Normally, you will
be expected to contact the
Specialist’s rooms to actually make the appointment.
Be aware that making an
appointment with a specialist
without the referral of your
“huisarts” will not be covered
by the insurance company. In
instances of emergency your
doctor may refer you to First
Help (similar to a casualty
department at the hospital
(“ziekenhuis”).
Costs for general medical
check-up are not reimbursed.
Once you have found a doctor, a personal medical record
will be maintained, so it is not
advisable to change from one
doctor to another too hastily.
Insurance claim forms can
be obtained from the Facility
Desk , room 0.06
•
28
If you feel concerned about
the medical treatment you
are receiving, you can always
talk it over with Martin Blok,
Student Welfare Officer, room
2.29, ext. 511.
DOCTORS
The following organisation may
assist you in finding a “huisarts”
(GP) for your time in The Netherlands:
Huisartsen Kring Haaglanden
(HKH)
President Kennedylaan 15
2517 JK The Hague
Telephone: (070) 302 98 22
Email: info@kringhaaglanden.nl
Website: www.kringhaaglanden.nl
Out-of-Hours care (after practice hours)
Telephone: (070) 346 96 69
http://www.ramdin.nl/en/out_of_
hours.html
You are free to choose any doctor;
however, the following doctor is
suggested as ISS has generally had
good experiences with him:
Dr. H.S. Ramdin (mr.) M.D.
Regentesselaan 277
2562 EB Den Haag
Tel: 070 3521717
Prescription line: 070 3228565
Contact the receptionist by phone
between 8.00-11.00 and 13.0014.30 hrs.
In the morning: consultation
without appointment, from 8.00
till 9.00 hours.
Afternoon: consultation by appointment only, from 13.30 till
17.00 hours.
Website: http://www.ramdin.nl/
en/index.html
Email: recept@ramdin.nl
Dr Ramdin also has an open visiting hour at ISS, every Friday from
17.00 till 18.30 in room 3.08.
EMERGENCY
For emergencies always try to
call your own doctor first. If he
is not answering or at night and
weekends, call: Doctors Telephone
Service: tel. 3469669 (24 hours
service). There they can tell you
if and where your doctor can be
contacted or which other doctor
can be consulted. The Doctor’s
Telephone Service has the telephone/semaphone numbers of
most doctors in The Hague.
For injuries which need immediate treatment, due to accidents
for instance, go to the nearest
hospital (ziekenhuis). Go to the
First Aid Section (Eerste Hulp bij
Ongelukken - EHBO).
Hospitals
MCH Hospital, Lijnbaan 32, tel.
070 3302000
Bronovo Hospital, Bronovolaan
5, tel. 070 3124141
HAGA Ziekenhuis, Sportlaan
600, Leyweg 275, (070) 210 0000
Red Cross Hospital, Sportlaan
600, tel. 070 3126200
Leijenburg Hospital, Leyweg
275, tel. 070 3592000
A general alarm number (throughout The Netherlands) for assistance of police, fire department
and ambulance is:
112
THIS NUMBER IS ONLY FOR SERIOUS EMERGENCIES, UNNECESSARY USE OF THIS NUMBER
MAY ENDANGER THE LIFE OF
OTHERS
DENTISTS
Dental treatment during your
study period is not covered. Refer
to your insurance policy for conditions. If you require care, please
be aware that not all dentists
can accept new patients to their
practice.
Below is a short list of dentists
in The Hague followed by a link
holding an extended list and other
information:
Tanden en Dentists
Noordeinde 94 A
Phone: 070 4277044
Dental Care 4 You
Piet Heinplein 50
Phone: 070 3468656
Dentist Akmal
Anna Pauwlownastraat 2
Tel. 070 4274406
Emergency Dental services and
other information on Dentists in
The Hague:
http://www.denhaag.nl/en/residents/to/Dentist.htm
PHARMACIES
The Dutch word for pharmacy
is ‘apotheek’. Medication prescribed by a doctor or specialist
can be obtained on producing the
prescription from the apotheek
during opening hours, Monday
through Friday from 8.00 - 17.30
hrs. The amount paid can be
claimed from your insurance company. Receipts must be enclosed
with the claim.
A short list of Pharmacies in The
Hague:
SAL Pharmacy Segbroek (tram 3)
Laan van Meerdervoort 558 A
Tel. 070 - 363 49 44
Note: 24 - hours open, 365 days,
day and night
Pharmacy Havinga
Prins Hendrikplein 3 (walking
distance from ISS)
Tel. 070 3456100
Pharmacy Nauta (trams 7 & 8, bus
22)
Bankastraat 60
2585 EP Den Haag
070-35 40 070
It is also useful to know that
certain patent medicines can be
obtained without a prescription,
such as medication for colds and
headaches from the drugstore
referred to as ‘Drogist’, found in
most shopping areas. They are
open during shopping hours.
INFORMATION ON
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED
DISEASES (STD)
For information and confidential
advice, contact:
GGD, Afdeling Infectieziektenbestrijding (Municipal Health
service, department of infection
diseases)
GGD Den Haag
Westeinde 128
2512 HE
Den Haag
http://en.denhaag.nl/en/residents/
health/to/Public-Health-Department.htm
Free blood -, hiv- test, STD tests,
and more.
For more information and tests,
contact :
AIDS STI Helpline
Call: 0900-204 2040
E-mail: infolijn@soaaids.nl http://
www.denhaag.nl/sticentre.htm
For appointment call (070) 353 66
88. Every working day at 8.30 and
13.00. (Except for Friday afternoon)
Lijnbaan 32
P.O Box 432
2501 CK, The Hague
To make an appointment with a
dermatologist, gynaecologist or
other specialists you are reminded
that you need to be referred by
your doctor (huisarts).
Information booklets are available
at the Welfare Office.
29
30
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
EMBASSIES
GOVERNMENT
INFORMATION SERVICES
During your visit in Holland it is
possible that you need government information. Therefore, here
are a few addresses:
• Government Information
Services (general) Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst, Binnenhof 19,
The Hague,
The Public Information Service
provides public information
on legislation and rules issued
by the Government of the
Netherlands.
By telephone
From the Netherlands: 1400
(local rates)
•
Outside the Netherlands
please call +31 77 4656767
(regular call charges apply.)
The Public Information
Service line is open on weekdays from 08.00 to 20.00 hrs.
http://www.government.nl/
•
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(Development Co-operation
is a Department within the
Ministry), Bezuidenhoutseweg
67, The Hague, tel. 3486486
http://www.government.
nl/ministries/bz/about-theministry
Ministry of Education, Culture
and Science
http://www.government.nl/
ministries/ocw
•
31
•
CBS (Central Bureau for Statistics),
Henri Faasdreef 312
2492 JP The Hague,
Tel: 070 3694341.
Tel: reception desk: +31 (0)70
337 38 00
(Not for statistical information
www.cbs.nl
•
The Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND), Visa
Department ( Min. of Security
and Justice)
Information on visas and
residence permits for foreign
nationals in The Hague
Tel: 0900 1234561 ( press 2
for English)
http://www.ind.nl/Pages/default.aspx
Telephone numbers and addresses
of embassies and consulates are
available at the Welfare Office,
room 2.29, or check the website
of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign
Affairs at http://www.government.
nl/issues/embassies-consulatesand-other-representations.
32
For visa and travel documents
you usually have to go to the
consulate. Consulates are mostly
located in Amsterdam or Rotterdam. (If you have an official or
diplomatic service passport, you
should enquire whether to go to
consulate or embassy.)
IMMIGRATION OFFICE
Municipality Building (Stadhuis)
REGISTRATION WITH
YOUR EMBASSY
It is not compulsory but you may
want to contact the embassy of
your country in order to inform
them of your temporary stay in
the Netherlands. Most embassies
are located in The Hague or Wassenaar (a suburb of The Hague).
Each participant must obtain
residence permits from the Immigration Office in the municipality where they are living. Participants should be in possession of
an Authorisation for Temporary
Residence ‘Machtiging Voorlopig
Verblijf’ (MVV), issued by the
Netherlands Embassy, which will
be altered in a Residence Permit
at the Immigration Office. The
Residence Permit has a maximum
duration of Study period plus 3
months.
Registration at the Immigration
Office in The Hague is handled
by the Registration Office in the
ISS. This office will make group
appointments for newly arrived
participants and mediates in case
of difficulties.
In order to obtain a Residence
Permit, your passport should be
valid for 3 months after the programme, i.e. if your programme
ends in the month of December,
your passport should at least be
valid until March. You have to
take with you to the Immigration
Office:
• Passport, valid for 3 months
after the date the programme
ends
• Health Insurance documents
• ISS - documents (from the
Registration Office)
If you wish to visit the Immigration Office on other dates than
the group appointments scheduled for you, you are responsible
for making your own appointment.
Take into account that it may
well take approximately 3 months
between the dates of making the
appointment and the appointment
itself.
Immigration Office
Stadhoudersplantsoen 24
The Hague 2517 JL
Mon-Fri: 8.00-16.00
Phone number is 0900-1234561
Note that when calling 09001234561, at first a tape in Dutch
will answer. The message is either
informing you of how many people are waiting ahead of you, and
counting down, or informing you
that nobody is present at that moment to attend to the call and you
are requested to try again later.
The staff members at the Immigration Office speak English.
For return visa you need to make
an appointment with IND. Address, telephone number and
directions are available at the
Welfare Office.
REGISTRATION AT THE
MUNICIPALITY
For participants who will stay for
more than 4 months, it is also
important that your current address should be on record at the
municipality. Registration will be
arranged by the Student Registration Office of ISS by means of
group appointments. Bring passport (holding residence permit)
and if possible birth- and/or marriage certificate with you, as well
as a form you will receive from
the ISS Registration Officer. If you
change your residential address,
you should also notify them.
You can ask for the form ‘Person
to be registered’ and the change
of residential address form at the
Welfare Office.
Stads deelkantoor Centrum,
Dienst Burgerzaken
Spui 70
The Hague
Tel. from The Netherlands: 14 070
Tel. from abroad: +31 70 353 30
00
Open:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Friday from 8.00 to 14.00 hrs.
(Appointments possible until
15.30 hrs.)
Thursday from 12.00 to 20.00 hrs.
http://www.denhaag.nl/en/
residents/to/Registration-procedures-1.htm
It is important that you deregister
when leaving The Netherlands
33
34
RECREATION
To spend your spare time you
might take part in a wide range
of activities in The Hague. In the
following paragraphs you’ll find
some useful ideas.
staff are welcome every Sunday
at the ‘Sporthal De Blinkerd’,
Seinpoststraat 150, The Hague,
(Scheveningen area), Sport information line (070) 353 72 72.
SPORTS
Sports hall use on Sundays is
free. There is a charge for use of
the swimming pool - see fee in
website link to Swimming pools
below.
Some sports facilities are available:
Some sports equipment; tabletennis bats and balls are available
from the Welfare Office, room
2.29, as well as various indoor
games (like chess, scrabble, shogun, cards, etc.)
Hours: 17.00-21.00 every Sunday
evening.
Table tennis table is available in
the Dorus Common room.
Changing rooms and shower
facilities are available, as well as
a canteen. There is enough space
for several sports to take place at
the same time.
Sports hall
Each year ISS tries to rent sports
accommodation for its participants. This year participants and
Currently, 17:00-19:00 for table
tennis, badminton, volleyball, and
basketball. After 19:00, entire
space is used for soccer.
Tram 1 (direction Scheveningen)
will take you there (stop: Badhuisstraat)
Aerobics Classes
Aerobics classes are given for ISS
participants and staff at ‘Sporthal
De Blinkerd’ every Sunday evening
at 19.00, Teacher: Ms Dineke van
der Waal. Classes are free.
Aerobic classes can be arranged
at ISS depending on demand.
Contact Martin Blok, the Welfare
Officer in this regard.
Swimming Pools
•
De Blinkerd, Seinpoststraat
150, Scheveningen.
•
List of swimming pools in The
Hague can be found here:
35
http://www.denhaag.nl/home/bewoners/to/Swimming-pools.htm
SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
Welfare office
On a regular basis ISS Welfare
Office organises cultural entertainment like concerts at lunch time,
evening concerts/theatre, exhibitions, workshops etc., mostly in
co-operation with SCHOLAS.
Watch your e-mail and the posters
for details!
Local cultural events and news:
The following are some sites that
hold information on local cultural
events and news in English:
http://www.studyinthehague.com/
http://en.denhaag.nl/en/residents/
culture-and-arts.htm http://www.
denhaag.nl/en/residents/newsand-events/events.htm http://
en.denhaag.nl/en/residents/to/
Weekend-Events-in-The-Hague.
htm
Cinema/movies:
There are a number of movie cinemas in The Hague:
Pathe (Spui, Binnenhof and
Scheveningen) http://www.pathe.
nl/english/agenda/denhaag
Filmhouse, Spui 191 http://www.
filmhuisdenhaag.nl/content/1/
home.aspx
Omniversum http://www.denhaag.nl/en/residents/to/Omniversum-6.htm
36
DUTCH CUSTOMS
SOCIAL CUSTOMS
LIVING IN The Netherlands
A good book on the Dutch and their culture
is “The Low Sky”, by Han van der Horst. You
will find it in the library.
Other books :
• “The Undutchables “ by Colin White
and Laurie Bouckle (hilarious but accurate observation of the Dutch and their
habits).
• “The Holland Handbook” published by
Nuffic (practical information about the
Dutch and the Netherlands.
For quick information about life in The Netherlands go to http://www.iamexpat.nl/
Culture shock
Most participants, coming from a different
part of the world, will notice many differ-
ences in the first weeks after arrival, commonly referred to as culture shock. However,
be aware that culture shock in its more
subtle form may pop up much later, and
always unexpectedly. Often when you do or
say something, the reaction might be totally
different from what you expect, and even
be unreasonable in your eyes. This might be
rudeness, but bear in mind that it might just
be a difference in expectations caused by
different cultural backgrounds. For instance,
some things are learned in childhood in one
culture and are totally new to someone from
another culture. If a person from the first
culture notices this he/she may well start
treating the person from the second culture
as a child, forgetting that the other just has
problems with this one small aspect only.
When in doubt, come out in the open and
ask !
37
FOOD
38
The traditional Dutch diet is plain,
consisting primarily of bread and
vegetables: bread with cheese,
thinly sliced cold meat, or jam for
breakfast, which starts usually at
8.00 am. Much the same for lunch
(at about 12.30 pm.) with the
possible addition of soup, salad or
fruit. For the evening meal (18.00
pm.) potatoes and vegetables together with a relatively small serving of meat or fish are served. As
you would expect, this traditional
diet is also the most economical in
Holland.
Vegetables especially are plentiful, of high quality and quite
cheap. Most of you will be able to
find food from home at theopen
market and shops in the surrounding area
SOME USEFUL DUTCH
WORDS
You will find that almost everyone
in Holland speaks at least some
English, but if you would like to
give Dutch a friendly try, here are
some pointers.
Pronunciation
a as in father
aa as in annex
o as in module
oo as in mold
e as in pet
ee as in say (long a)
g as in “h” or “ch” as in Bach
oe as in shoe
ou, au as in cow
ie = e (“tie” at the end of a
word is pronounced “sie”)
ei = i
ij = ay
j
= y
It’s quite phonetic, really - good
luck!
USEFUL WORDS
Here you are
alstublieft
I don’t speak Dutch
Ik spreek geen Nederlands
Good day
goedendag
Do you speak English?
Spreekt u Engels?
Good morning
goedemorgen
Closed
Gesloten
Good afternoon
goedemiddag
Post office
Postkantoor
Good evening
goedeavond
Police station
Politiebureau
Thank you
dank u wel
Super market
Supermarkt
No, thank you
nee, dank u
Bakery/baker
Bakkerswinkel/bakker
Yes, please
ja, graag
Butcher
Slager
You’re welcome
graag gedaan
Greengrocer
Groenteboer
Bye bye (till we meet
again)
tot ziens
Milkman
Melkboer
Fish shop
Viswinkel
Till later
tot straks
Yes
Ja
Tobacconist
Tabakszaak
No
Nee
Bookshop
Boekenwinkel
Excuse me
Neemt u mij niet kwalijk
Laundry service
Wasserette/Wasserij
Sir/Mr
Meneer
Pharmacy
Apotheek
Madam/Mrs
Mevrouw
Drugstore
Drogist
Can you help me?
Kunt u mij helpen?
Florist
Bloemist
39
40
Bus/streetcar stop
Bus/tram halte
Lunch
Lunch
Streetcar
Tram
Dinner
Diner
Train
Trein
Coffee
Koffie
Bicycle
Fiets
Tea
Thee
Motorcycle
Motorfiets
Milk (full cream/skim)
Melk (volle melk/halfvolle
melk)
Physician
Arts/dokter
Tandarts
Yoghurt (full cream/low
fat)
Yoghurt (volle/magere)
Dentist
Right
Rechts
Biogarde
Not really yoghurt but
very similar
Left
Links
Custard (sweet)
For sale
te koop
Vla (vanilla, but also
chocolate etc.)
For rent
te huur
Eggs
Eieren
Sale
uitverkoop/opruiming
Flour/wholemeal/cornflour
Bloem/volkoren meel/
maizena
Discount
korting
Bread
Brood
Yesterday
Gisteren
Rolls
Broodjes
Today
Vandaag
Cake
Tomorrow
Morgen
Cake, also: ontbijtkoek,
taart, kruidkoek
Tomorrow morning
Morgenochtend
Biscuits/cookies
Koekjes
Day after tomorrow
Overmorgen
Butter
Boter
Breakfast
Ontbijt
Margarine
Margarine
Rice
Rijst
Shaving cream
Scheerzeep/scheercreme
Potatoes
Aardappels
Soap
Zeep
Chips
Patat (-frites)
Washing powder (for
clothes)
Wasmiddel/waspoeder
Beans
Boontjes (bonen)
Washing up liquid
Afwasmiddel
Carrots small/large
Peentjes(worteltjes)/winterpeen
Sanitary towels/napkins
Maandverband, inlegkruisjes (small)
Tampons
Tampons
capsicums (red green yellow)
Paprika (rood groen geel)
onions
Uien
Tooth paste
Tandpasta
garlic
Knoflook
Toilet paper
WC papier
salt
Zout
One
een
sugar (castor sugar)
Suiker (basterd suiker)
Two
twee
crushed chili pepper
Sambal oelek
Three
drie
Soy sauce
Ketjap
Four
vier
Cooking oil (sunflower oil)
Sla olie (zonnebloem olie)
Five
vijf
Beef
Rundervlees/Kalfsvlees
Six
zes
Pork
Varkensvlees
Seven
zeven
Lamb
Lamsvlees
Eight
acht
Chicken
Kip
Nine
negen
Shampoo
Shampoo
Ten
tien
41
42
TOURISM
The Netherlands is a small country, 350 km
long and 200 km wide. It is therefore easy
to make day and weekend trips not only
in Holland itself but also in neighbouring
countries. Trains are excellent, frequent and
fast. If you would like to travel through the
Netherlands or any other country, check for
information about travelling by tram or train
in chapter 2, or at the train station information desk.
In this chapter some information is given
about the city The Hague (Den Haag) and
the main cities around.
43
city in Holland. You will recognise the VVV
by the following two signs:
What can the VVV do for you?
•
•
•
•
TOURIST OFFICE
•
IInformation on travelling in The Netherlands
and places of interest is available at the VVV
(i), the bureau for tourism, found in every
•
•
Information about Holland in connection with rec¬reation, tourism and day
excursions
Local tourist information
Information about public transport, local
and intercity
Hotel bookings in the whole of the
Netherlands
Information about restaurants: cuisine
from all parts of the world
Addresses of all government departments that are im¬portant to tourists
Car and bicycle routes
Sometimes a small fee is asked for
maps etc.
44
Addresses of VVV in The Hague:
Spui 68
2511 BT The Hague
Telephone: (+31) (0)70 361 88 60
http://en.denhaag.nl/en/visitors/
vvv-tourist-office.htm
For more tourist information,
check the following websites:
http://www.holland.com/global/
tourism.htm
http://en.denhaag.nl/en/visitors.
htm (see Accommodation)
CITIES TO VISIT
The Hague
Maps of The Hague can be
bought in bookshops and at the
VVV.
The Hague is the seat of the
government, the political and
administrative centre of the Netherlands and the third largest city
with about 500,000 inhabitants.
According to the town planners,
The Hague is the nucleus of the
conurbation known as Randstad
Holland, the Ring City or the
nearly continuous built-up area
connecting Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Haarlem, The Hague and
Utrecht. The Randstad Holland is
the third largest urban complex in
Western Europe, exceeded only by
Greater London and Paris.
The official name of The Hague
is:’s-Gravenhage, which means
‘the count’s drive’. It was founded
in 1283 as a summer residence for
William II, the count of Holland
who was later elected Emperor
of Germany. He had a hunting
lodge here which was eventually
rebuilt into a small palace; the
Rolzaal. William’s son, Floris V,
commissioned Gerard van Leyden to build the Ridderzaal, “The
Knight’s Hall”, thus making The
Hague the residence for the Head
of State, which it remained until
the outbreak of the second World
War. The Rolzaal and the Ridderzaal were the beginning of the
complex known as the Binnenhof
or “Inner Court”.
The Binnenhof, which is a
complex of places and courtyards
embodying much of the country’s
history, rates as one of the world’s
architectural masterpieces, especially the Hall of Knights, which
dates from the 13th century.
Today the Binnenhof houses both
chambers of Parliament.
Madurodam, a charming miniature city, also well worth a visit.
It is built in the open air and is
illuminated at night. Madurodam
can be visited from early April to
October.
http://www.madurodam.nl/en/
visit-the-park/practical-information/#/
There are many museums in The
Hague. Of special note is the
Mauritshuis, near the Binnenhof.
It houses exceptional collections
of Rembrandt, Vermeer, Ruysdael, and more famous painters.
However, the museum is undergoing a renovation and is closed to
visitors. The Masterpieces from
the Mauritshuis are on temporary
display in the Gemeentemuseum
The Hague. Also for temporary
exhibitions one should go to the
Gemeentemuseum at Stadhouderslaan 1. This also has a modern
collection of Mondriaan. http://
www.gemeentemuseum.nl/en/
masterpieces/themes/mondriaande-stijl.
The Escher museum is also
worth a visit: http://www.escherinhetpaleis.nl/?lang=en
Panorama Mesdag is a museum
which has a giant panorama
painting of Scheveningen in 1880,
(Zeestraat 65b, just around the
corner of the ISS). http://panorama-mesdag.com/home?id=920
Modern day Scheveningen,
at the seaside, has many hotels
overlooking the sea and beaches
and a lively boulevard. Scheveningen also has a sea aquarium. In
the contrast to this modern section there is an old fishing village
where sometimes seamen and
their wives still wear their traditional costumes.
http://en.denhaag.nl/en/visitors/
the-beach/scheveningen.htm
http://www.thehagueonline.com
Not far from The Hague is the
town of Delft which has remained
the charm and atmosphere of
the seventeenth century. It has
its own beautiful churches, the
town hall, and other interesting
buildings. It is from Delft that the
famous Delft Blue China received
it’s name. Delft can be reached
by train, which is quickest, or by
tram 1, which is prettiest; along
waterways and fields.
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is one of the world’s
biggest ports and had approximately 617,347 inhabitants in
2012. Rotterdam was founded
in 1228. In 1340 the small fishing village on the river the Rotte
was granted municipal rights.
During the centuries Rotterdam
developed from a small port to
the world’s no. 1 harbour. The
town spreads over an area of no
less than 10,.000 ha. When you
take the Spido boat tour you can
see Rotterdam as it is, the port
with the city attached to it. In
July and August not only trips are
organized to the Europort but
evening excursions also take place
(Wil¬lemsplein tel:4135400)
The many shops in the city center
as well as the modern architecture
are providing the ingredients for a
nice day out.
The highest point of the low
countries is the “Euromast”, the
tower’s top is 185 meters high affording a fantastic view of the city
and it’s outlying areas (Parkhaven
20, tel: 31(0)10- 436 48 11
http://www.euromast.nl/en/
Rotterdam can be reached by train
in 20 minutes from Den Haag HS.
Amsterdam
Although The Hague is the seat
of Government, Amsterdam is
the constitutional capital of the
country. Amsterdam is famous for
its atmosphere and its compactness. Nowhere else in the world
there is so much on offer per
square meter. Museums, markets,
shopping streets and other places
of interest are all within walking
distance of one another. It is a city
really to be discovered on foot or
even better by waterways. A trip
on a pleasure boat through the
picturesque canals is an experience not to be missed (boat rides
start opposite Central Station).
You are probably familiar with the
Rijksmuseum, The Vincent van
Gogh museum and the Stedelijk
museum (Municipal museum for
contemporary art), but we should
not forget the many less known
museums and collections. These
often have delightful surprises in
store for the visitor, because of
their origina¬lity and their quality.
For more information check with
the VVV in A’dam , Leidseplein 26,
or Stationsplein 10 CS).
http://www.iamsterdam.com/ or
http://www.holland.com/us/tourism/cities-in-holland/amsterdam.
htm
45
46
Utrecht
The city of Utrecht, with it’s
inextricable combination of rich
past and dynamic present, is truly
a unique place to visit. For here
is the Dom (Domplein), the finest
and tallest church tower in Holland, a landmark over 600 years
old which greets you whichever
corner of the city you are in. The
city of Utrecht has many more
places of interest, such as dozens of museums, magnificent
churches, interesting monuments,
etc. Explore them independently,
or during a canal cruise or city
walk. Utrecht is a safe and friendly
city in the middle of the country,
a centre for trade and transport
with an exciting atmosphere of its
own (VVV. Domplein 9, 3512 JC
Utrecht.
http://www.bezoek-utrecht.nl/en/
event/vvv-utrecht-informationcentre
SOME USEFUL
ADDRESSES
Shipping Agents
Should you use the service of a
shipping agent (for packages over
20kg), please be sure to have copies/proof of transactions and payments; the ISS is not responsible
for personal, individual business.
Often your embassy can give you
the name of the company. Some
follow below:
• Worldwide Baggage Services,
tel: Internet: www.baggage.nl
• Docra Agencies B.V.
Courier Services
• DHL
Laan van Waalhaven 10
Den Haag
Phone: 0800 - 0552
http://www.dhl.nl/en/express/
shipping/find_dhl_locations.
html
Travel bookings online (e.g.):
http://www.cheaptickets.nl
http://www.worldticketcenter.nl/
flighttickets
http://www.eurolines.nl
International Student Identity
Card (ISIC)
Website: http://www.isic.org/
Local Office: http://
en.isicnederland.nl/
The ISIC Association is the nonprofit organisation behind the International Student Identity Card
(ISIC). The ISIC card is the only
internationally accepted proof of
bona fide student status.
First established in 1953, the
ISIC card is now issued in over
125 countries, with more than 5
million valid cards in the hands
of students each year. The ISIC
card is not exclusive. All bona fide
students over the age of 12, regardless of their nationality, race,
gender or religion can purchase
an ISIC card at an affordable price.
Through the wide range of opportunities available to cardholders,
the ISIC Association aims to play
a supporting role in improving
intercultural understanding, increasing educational opportunities
and facilitating student life across
the world. Related to this, the
ISIC card has been endorsed by
the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) since 1968.
The ISIC Association produces
and regulates the International
Student Identity Card (ISIC), and
supports local territory representatives promoting and distributing the Card. This year over 4.5
million students will become ISIC
holders. The Card is now issued in
over 100 countries, and is recognised at many of the great historic
and cultural institutions around
the world.
Over the years, the ISIC has
become a cornerstone of agreements with airlines; railways; bus
and shipping lines; and with local
retailers and service providers.
The ISIC gives bearers access to a
worldwide network of benefits.
The ISIC Emergency Help Line
provides free assistance to travellers 24 hours a day, anywhere in
the world.
The card can be obtained from
JoHo , World Experience Center , Paviljoensgracht 18, The
Hague,Tel: 088-3214567
http://www.johofoundation.org/
center/denhaag/#adres_&_contactgegevens
Other useful organisations
Bureau for Legal Aid, “Het Juridisch Loket”
Through this organisation you can
ask for legal aid and/or a lawyer
without any costs involved.
Address : Herengracht 7,2511EG
,The Hague, phone : 0900-8020
Monday to Friday from 09.00 to
17.00
In the unfortunate event that you
are detained by the police, always
insist on calling the ISS!
ACCESS
An International Non-profit
Service to help English-speaking
people settled in the Netherlands.
They will help you to find the
information you need.
http://www.access-nl.org/
Bureau for Discrimination Affairs/
Bureau Discriminatiezaken
Like in any other European country, racism exists in the Netherlands.
This organisation handles complaints about discrimination.
Riviervismarkt 5, 2513AM, Den
Haag
Phone: 070-302 86 86 or 0800321 86 86
The Hague International Centre
Visitors’ address:
City Hall (Atrium)
Spui 70, The Hague
Open Monday to Friday from 9.00
to 17.00 hours. (The Expatservice
is by appointment only.)
Tel: +31 (0)70 353 50 43, Website: http://www.denhaag.nl/en/
residents/to/The-Hague-International-Centre.htm www.thehague.
com
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International Institute of Social Studies (ISS)
Koertenaerkade 12
2518 AX The Hague
The Netherlands
T
F
+31 70 426 0460
+31 70 426 0799
info@iss.nl
www.iss.nl
https://www.facebook.com/iss.nl
Original editor:Martin Blok
This edition:
update coordination and editing: Katherine Voorvelt
Photography:Dick de Jager, Piet Gispen, Martin Blok
Layout:Karen Shaw
Printing:OBT Printing