Moving to Ghent

3POSTS

13 years ago

Hello everyone. I will be moving to Gent soon to do an internship and I have some doubts if you guys could help me.
The internship is unpaid, but atm I have a job I can do in any location and that will keep me "surviving" in Gent at the beginning. Eventually I will have to find a part time job (a bar, cafe or something like that) to have a more comfortable life. Can you please tell me if it is possible to do it speaking only english (a little bit of french also). I would also like to know about living expenses, I read somewhere that supermarket bill is around 100聙 a month, transportation pass is 22聙 and that I can rent a small room (everything included) for 250聙. Can someone confirm this?

Thank you a lot and hope to meet you when I arrive

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hannahhadman Serial expat

951POSTS

13 years ago

Well fristly french isnt used in gent its all dutch. You might get lucky in one of the irish bars but business is slow at the moment

schoolmum Serial expat

726POSTS

13 years ago

I think you'd find it extremely difficult to live on those amounts of money, add a bit more to what you've quoted.

hannahhadman Serial expat

951POSTS

13 years ago

yeah this is also true I have seen student kots (basically one room studios) all inc for about 400 to 500 in gent centre my rent on my apartment is 650 not inc. However my bf said 250 for just a room u can find but you will have to look however it is now sept and most students will of snaped these up by now.

hannahhadman Serial expat

951POSTS

13 years ago

these are a bit more pricy from what u were looking at but I found this by simply typing in google

1 member reacted to this post

MonkeyinEurope Active member

37POSTS

13 years ago

English only...difficult, but possible.聽 Be prepared to keep looking.聽 Going on 1.5 months, still unemployed.
However, I have not opened myself up to ALL job markets, still looking in my required area.

Brussels is more French Speaking, if you want to maybe work there on weekends.

1 member reacted to this post

Fabsgent New member

3POSTS

13 years ago

Thank you so much for your answers. I might be doing some freelance styling job in Antwerp and Brussels if I can find some clients but we will see. Thank you for that link hannahhadman, there are some ads of really cheap rooms in central Ghent. Is the center a nice place to live?! I don't really mind about old buildings, just needs to be safe and from what I read Ghent is extremely safe.
Just out of curiosity, what's yr field MonkeyinEurope?

I'm moving alone to Ghent and it was a sudden opportunity so I still haven't got much info on the city (or the country actually), every comment on things I must know is appreciated =P

hugs

hannahhadman Serial expat

951POSTS

13 years ago

Yeah gent is pretty safe never really seen any problems and my friends say the same not like brussels. Some areas are nicer that others and they are very big Turkish communities in gent but even the more run down bad looking areas are pretty good. Only problem with living in the centre is the noise on a night.