<p>Dd has an amazing opportunity -- she can work in an art conservation lab next summer in Amsterdam.</p>
<p>Now the questions -- she would be responsible for finding a place to live. The girl from her college who did a similar internship last summer spent $4500 to live there for ten weeks. I looked at the place she stayed, and it is pretty posh. Given that the dollar keeps on sinking, the cost of this keeps going up.</p>
<p>Is it REALLY that expensive to live in Amsterdam for ten weeks? (Yes, she would receive a stipend, but the stipend would only be 500 Euros a month. She might be able to pick up another thousand of grant money, but no, she can't pay multiple thousands to do the internship, no matter how wonderful the experience!)</p>
<p>How does she find decent safe housing without breaking the bank? </p>
<p>Are youth hostels a safe reliable option, or are they for shorter term stays only?</p>
<p>Yikes -- I feel so inadequate for this task!</p>
<p>First of all congratz on the internship :)!
I don't live in Amsterdam myself, but I live in the Netherlands so I might be able to give you some advice. First of all, I'm sure it's possible to find something under $4500, Amsterdam is one of the most expensive cities to live in around here but with a bit of luck you should find something around 500euros per month.
One of the ways to look for a place is via the local version of Craigslist, marktplaats.nl. Or onderhuur.net, where you can find temporary rooms. Or kamernet.nl, which probably has the largest database of rooms. Unfortunately all of these are in Dutch, but I don't know of any such sites in English.
Staying in a youth hostel... well I'd use it only as a last resort, especially when your daughter will be living there for a longer period of time. In hostels you never know who you'll be 'living' with and for how long, and especially in Amsterdam (eg drug tourists, Amsterdam is known for this especially among backpackers) this might not be the best possible living situation.</p>
<p>And I think this site might be very helpful as well: ISMA</a> Amsterdam</p>