The School of Life Amsterdam: For the lessons they don’t teach you at school

We learn all sorts of things at school - the dates of battles, the names of countries, the sum of the angles in a triangle - but there’s a lot we’re never taught.

Though school is meant to prepare us for life, it fails to answer some of its most fundamental questions, particularly those that relate to our emotions: whom we should love, what career we should choose, and how we can find both purpose and meaning. The School of Life was set up to provide us with the emotional education we have sorely missed.

In addition to their well-known YouTube channel, The School of Life (TSOL) has physical locations all around the world, from London to Seoul. The School of Life in Amsterdam is located at the Frederiksplein, in the centre of the city.

Here you'll find a friendly café, a gift store and classrooms. TSOL hosts events with high-profile speakers (such as Malcolm Gladwell, on November 23) and classes and workshops in Dutch and English about the subjects that end up determining the quality of your life.

Classes for your personal life

How do you make love last? How do you stay calm? And how do you decide what to do with your life? At a class from The School of Life, you can expect to embark on a journey of self-development, designed to improve your self-knowledge and help you in life. In 2,5 hours, you'll learn about important ideas from philosophy, psychology and the arts, while you reflect on your own situation and share your experiences with like-minded individuals.

The classes were developed by philosopher Alain de Botton, the founder of The School of Life, and are taught by compassionate, experienced tutors.

Have a look at their classes

Workshops for your professional life

When we think about what makes someone successful at work, we often forget the most important thing. Namely, that it is not just our technical knowledge and skills that determine the quality of our work, but also our social and emotional qualities.

The School of Life runs a programme of professional workshops and courses covering key professional and soft skills that are indispensable in the modern workplace. Learn in just a morning how to harness creativity, improve communication & effectiveness, hone leadership skills, and discover the secrets behind entrepreneurial success.

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Subscribe to our bi-monthly English newsletter

We have created a newsletter to keep you updated on our English programme. If you subscribe before November 31, you have a chance to win one of five tickets to a class or workshop of your choice. Click here to subscribe.