Why not just move to London?

So far, the idea to move 233 roles to London is still a proposal and details are being discussed between Management and the Works Council.

Nevertheless, I have been asked by so many people about why I don't just move back to the UK that I felt it would be fair to give my reasons.

I tell everybody that each individual has a different personal situation, and they have to decide themselves from that point of view. I also advise people that professionally, it is a good decision to go to London if they want to. It is clear that not everybody will move with the roles, so there will be space to develop careers for those who go. Of course it depends on package offered, etc, but I see that also as part of the personal, decision - everybody has a different idea of what an acceptable package is, so I can't comment on that. But in terms of opportunities, I truly believe those who make the move should see possibilities open up.

My own personal situation makes it almost impossible to move to UK ("almost" because "never say never" - but "almost" means highly unlikely). Before I moved to Amsterdam at age 30, I can't say I had a bad life. But in some way I was destined to feel at home in Amsterdam, which is how I have felt after being here for so many years.

When I grew up, we went on canal holidays for 13 years. This gave me an inbuilt love of water, and I love the canals in Amsterdam, as well as the water everywhere in Holland. Then we lived in a house next to a windmill (yes, really) from when I was 11 to 19 years old. My first business trip was to Amsterdam in 1993, during which I had my 26th birthday - I can still feel the hangover after trying to keep up with my bosses in the pubs during my birthday celebration. (Memorable moment of the trip - Glen asking for a beer, and being given the standard 'Vaasje', 30ML and a lot of froth. He looked disdainfully at it, drank it in 3 seconds and asked the barman "can I have 2 more please?")

So life was good as I grew up and made my first steps in my career. But as soon as I moved to Amsterdam, life started to get more interesting. Boundaries loosened, I met people from different places and cultures, I felt freed of a lot of English obligations to be polite and embarrassed most hours of the day, and took to Amsterdam life like it was home. And after a while, it has become my home.

The simplest way I can describe that feeling is the comment of another friend who came from abroad to work in the city. She said that after living in Amsterdam for a while, she felt like she had taken a mask off.

The obligations of being in your own country are subtle and binding, and of course can be very re-assuring. But making the brave move to live in another country, and taking in all it has to offer, whether good or bad, means a release and an openness to change which I can't go back on.

Home is made up of many things - people, physical home and belongings, surroundings, and maybe most of all a general feeling of well-being. The balance of these things for me has come together in Amsterdam.

In short, moving to London would be a personal step backwards, even if potentially it could lead to a professional step forward. It's a serious decision, and not something I take lightly. "Never say never". But Amsterdam is where I feel at home.