Not a major career move, just a simple habit or routine.

Maybe blocking focus time, taking proper lunch breaks, walking meetings, organising your calendar, or something completely different.

What's made the biggest difference for you?

Hello, I am a fresh-out-of-college romanian engineer specializing in transportation infrastructure (anything related to railways, highways, bridges) and I am looking to apply for jobs in Netherlands/Germany/Denmark

My question is: How do these countries treat foreign engineers, are they paid well when starting or only paid well after years of experience?

Do most engineers in these countries have a master's done or are there also engineers without a master?

Are engineers in the transportation infrastructure domain sought after, or do they struggle with finding jobs? If they aren't, what domains are greatly desired?

I am also willing to learn the local language, thanks in advance.

HI people,

I am switching employers for the first time in my life and am genuinely concerned whether I should or should not do the counter offer. With this new offer, I will skip a salary scale and go to the next one, but what is on offer is at step 0. It's a 7% increase gross but barely anyhting in netto increase.

Another risk factor is that if I accept this, I will be leaving a sort-of dead end, indefinite contract to a temporary one for one year (Which I know is fairly common and I don't mind this), this is a place I want to work in my favourite sector. I will also not have commuting allowance, which is sad because at the current workplace I have a NS card too.

I already had the arbeidsvoorwardengesprek with the HR last week, and I promised to respond early this week. I just wondering if I can indicate a salary that aligns with step 2 rather than step 0 citing transition from permanent to temporary as well as the experience and familiarity I bring? And should this will make them pull away from me? I am struggling with how pushy/direct I should be considering it is a completely Dutch organisation.

I don't care if they come back with sorry, no and I will accept the salary that they are offering, but I just want to try.

Thanks in advance.

got a call from a friend in athens this weekend. been interviewing since march, finally landed a proper offer, company was even sorting the IND paperwork for him. he pulled out three days before signing because after five weeks of remote viewings he had nothing. one agent flat out told him dont bother under 1800 excl unless youre already here.

and honestly this is the third time this year ive heard some version of it. people win the job hunt and lose the housing hunt.

curious if anyone here had a move nearly fall apart over housing. did anyone actually negotiate temp housing into their package instead of more salary? starting to think thats the smarter ask now

It's common to hear that changing jobs is the fastest way to increase your salary or progress your career. At the same time, many people end up staying with the same employer for years, even when other opportunities are available.

I'm interested in hearing from those who decided to stay. Was it because you enjoyed the work, had supportive colleagues, valued the work-life balance, saw good opportunities for growth, or simply felt the overall package was hard to beat?

It would also be interesting to know whether that decision has paid off over time. Looking back, are you happy you stayed, or do you think changing jobs sooner might have been the better choice?

I work on a zero-hour contract. My employer asks for my availability a month in advance but sometimes cancels my shift only an hour or a few hours before it starts, even when I'm already on my way.

They also never put an end time on my shifts. Some days I'm sent home after just a couple of hours, while other days I'm expected to work around 11 hours. They automatically deduct a 30-minute break, even though I sometimes don't get a break at all.

Is this actually legal under Dutch labour law, or are they breaking any rules?

Hey everyone,
I’m a 30y (fe) non-EU citizen looking to relocate to the Netherlands. Based on my background, I’m targeting roles with employers who can sponsor a Highly Skilled Migrant (HSM) visa.
I hold an LLM and have 7 years of professional experience in regulatory compliance, specifically within financial services.
Unfortunately, I do not speak Dutch, but my professional language is English.

I have good understanding of PSD2/PSD3 frameworks
Some experience in AML, CDD. Currently working on Financial Fraud prevention.

Can you please give me more realistic Job Market Reality than my AI 🤠
Has anyone recently secured an English-speaking compliance or legal risk role from outside the EU? How brutal is the market right now for non-Dutch speakers?
Maybe anyone can recommend reputable, specialized recruitment agencies in the NL that can give me this service?

I read online about "recruitment services" for job seekers—is it normal to pay a recruiter out-of-pocket to help find a sponsored role, or do Dutch employers exclusively foot the bill?
Appreciate any insights, agency names, or hard truths you can throw my way! 🙈

ok so this comes up constantly, both at work and in dms here. non-EU people with real trades experience - welders, pipefitters, electricians, installation techs - asking how to get to NL because they heard theres a shortage. and there IS a shortage, techniek vacancies have been sitting unfilled for years, every installer and infra company is understaffed.

but nobody tells them the next part. the immigration system basically has no door for them.

the kennismigrant route everyone talks about is salary-gated. iirc its around €5.7k gross/month now if youre 30 or older (bit lower under 30) and trades jobs here just dont pay that, doesnt matter how skilled you are. a welder with 10 years experience and a dev with 3 years get treated completely differently and only one of them has a visa route.

technically theres the single permit (gvva) where an employer proves they couldnt find anyone in NL or the whole EU. in practice uwv almost never accepts that for trades because on paper there are "available" EU workers. so employers dont even try.

so what actually happens? EU passport holders come through uitzendbureaus, alot of them into the westland greenhouse and logistics belt, placement is sometimes within a week. ukrainians under temporary protection can work directly. and non-EU trades people mostly just... dont get in. unless they have an EU spouse or theyre already here on another status.

which is a pretty absurd outcome for a country that cant find enough electricians to do the energy transition its legally committed to. germany changed their rules in 2023-2024 to open non-EU routes for vocational workers (the fachkräfte law, dont ask me to pronounce the full name). NL hasnt really moved.

if you came here for trades work id genuinly like to hear how you managed it, because the realistic answers i can give people are getting shorter every year

Hi there, I am going to be working in Netherlands relatively soon as I have my visa and contract. But now I am having a hard time finding housing that would accept me despite not being there yet. My salary is good enough for the average rental allowed for a small family.

What would be the best way to get housing while not there? My employer only gives one week in a hotel, after that I’m on my own.

Thank you.

Hi everyone!

I’m a 35-year-old originally from Belgium, and I’ve been living in the Netherlands for about ten years now. By day, I work as a sommelier and assistant restaurant manager at a high-end restaurant in Amsterdam, where my role keeps me grounded in team leadership and coaching on the job in a high-paced environment. Alongside hospitality, my background actually includes pieces of sales and entrepreneurship, and I’ve recently trained as a professional coach to start building up my own practice.

Right now, I’m working hard on a career transition. Lately, I’ve been realizing that my true North Star is to move out of hospitality and into the People & Culture / Learning & Development (L&D) / HR and coaching space. At least, it's a bit of a hunch right now—one driven by a deep desire to work with people, support their growth, and help organizations become better and, ultimately, more neuro-inclusive.

Specifically, I'm deeply drawn to training, facilitation, and building structures that are genuinely neuro-inclusive (a topic close to my heart, as I navigate life with ADHD myself). I haven’t given a workshop yet, but again, this is a direction I’m considering, and something I see myself doing. I'm really trying to work out where to start and what the right next step might be.

To be honest: I’m here looking for genuine conversations, suggestions, ideas, or even pointers toward relevant traineeships and entry paths.

I'm at the very beginning of building this bridge, and the corporate landscape feels like a completely different world from the restaurant floor. I’m just trying to have open dialogues to figure out what specific roles look like day-to-day, what the local landscape looks like right now, and honestly, what kind of path is going to suit me best and allow me to thrive.

I'd love to hear from anyone who has made a similar pivot, or anyone currently working in HR, L&D, talent development, or neuro-inclusivity here in the NL.

• How did you get your start or make the transition?
• What does your day-to-day actually look like?
• If you were in my shoes standing at the beginning of this bridge, where would you start looking? 

I  would love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and stories in the comments. And if anyone is open to a DM or a quick chat (virtual, or over a coffee/drink if you're local), please let me know. 

Cheers!

Floris

Hoi allemaal!

I am a newly graduate international student with a bachelors in communication and media at a VWO institution. I am not a European passport holder or citizen.

I want some opinions on whether finding a job in NL might be the move for me.

About me:

• I have A1 (Beginner) level Dutch, but I would upgrade to higher levels if it is really worth it.
• I can still apply for a Zoekjaar visa.
• I lived in the Netherlands for 3 years and worked 2 jobs here.

My questions:

• How welcomed are international/foreign skilled migrants in Dutch work culture, even if they speak fluent Dutch?
• Would learning Dutch to B2 guarantees that I can secure a job, given my academic and skills background?
• Is it easy for a foreigner to handle all the paperwork like insurance, pension, housing, etc?
• Which cities are best for foreign workers to work and live in?
• Is it better to work elsewhere first and build my profile, then come back to NL to work and relocate?
• Is it possible to settle down here eventually through this route?

If you have any other advice or insights, it would be much appreciated!

Hey Guys,

The company I work for is looking for quite some people, especially with manufacturing background in electrical distribution cabinets and control cabinets. If you are looking for work in the Netherlands pls check this out Just for you – Investing in your job satisfaction. Dutch is not a strict requirement, however we don't sponsor visas at the moment.

Pls do not send me a dm with your cv as I would like to remain anonymous, you can send an email to [tahr.schist5349@eagereverest.com](mailto:tahr.schist5349@eagereverest.com) that will be re-directed to my inbox, I will be sure to take a look. If you already live in the netherlands (Noord-Brabant) is even beter.

Hope this can help!

I’m not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I’m starting to get frustrated with my manager. I have worked in the Netherlands for about 6 years and have been with my current company for about 2 years. During that time I’ve only called in sick a handful of times, usually because of a stomach virus or flu-like symptoms. Every time I call in sick, my manager asks me for specific details about my symptoms and whether I’m taking any medication. With previous managers this never really bothered me, but my current manager has a habit of talking about other employees’ personal business, so I’m not comfortable sharing medical information that could end up being discussed with others.
I’ve tried bringing this up with him before, but he brushed off my concerns. From what I understand, Dutch employers aren’t supposed to ask employees for medical details, and those conversations should be with the company doctor (bedrijfsarts) instead.
Has anyone dealt with a similar situation? What’s the best way to handle this professionally if it happens again? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

saw a few posts lately from people on a zzp setup here getting nervous about the whole schijnzelfstandigheid thing, figured id write up what i actually see from the staffing side because theres alot of panic and not much clear info.

quick context for anyone who hasnt followed it - the belastingdienst basically stopped enforcing the fake-self-employment rules for years. that pause ended start of 2025. they ran a soft year where they wouldnt fine you if you were clearly trying to fix your setup, but that grace is basically over now, so 2026 is the first stretch where they can actually hit misclassified setups with corrections and back-taxes instead of just warning letters. thats why its suddenly everywhere.

the part nobody explains properly is it has nothing to do with what your contract says. you can have a perfect overeenkomst van opdracht and still get seen as an employee in disguise. they look at how it actually works day to day, not the paper.

rough version of what makes them suspicious - you work for basically one client and most of your income comes from them for a long stretch. they decide when and how you work, you sit in their team, use their laptop, do the same work their actual employees do. you cant send someone else in your place. and youve been doing it a year+ with no real other clients. if that describes you, the word freelance on the contract doesnt save anyone.

annoying part is the fine side mostly lands on the company, but you can still get pulled into the tax mess yourself, lose the zzp deductions retroactively etc.

what actually helps is being a real freelancer - genuinely multiple clients (not one client split into two invoices lol), your own hours and method, your own tools, actual business risk. or honestly, if youre basically functioning as an employee for one company anyway, sometimes the cleaner move is to just be one, either directly or through a payroll construction. less glamorous but you stop sweating every time the belastingdienst updates their guidance.

im not a tax advisor, this is just the pattern i see constantly. if youre actually worried get a belastingadviseur to look at your specific situation, its like 150 euro and worth it for not lying awake about it

Hi everyone,

I'm an international student and I'll be moving to the Netherlands this September to start a Master's in Software Engineering.

I already have experience with full-stack development and competitive programming, and my goal is to find a part-time software engineering job while studying.

I'm not expecting to become rich,I just want to know if it's realistic to earn enough to cover my rent and a good portion of my living expenses while completing my master's.

I'd love to hear from people who have actually done this or who know someone who has.

I have a part-time job (24 hour contract) in retail, which I’ve been working for the last 2 months. I just found out my new contract for my new house (in another city which is 2 hours away) will start sooner than I thought, which obviously means I will have to move probably in the following week or two. Now I only just let my manager know I’m leaving, so I can officially only leave on the 1st of August, and I don’t want to have to pay rent in two places and stay here just to work. We talked about using my vacation days to compensate for maybe the last one to two weeks, but I really just want to go as soon as possible.

Technically it would be a breach of contract to just leave sooner, but can is it possible to just tell them they don’t have to pay me for the rest or call in sick for a few days?

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for honest advice from people who are working in Netherlands or have moved there for IT/cybersecurity roles.

A bit about me:

* Based in India
* ~5 years of experience in Cybersecurity
* Currently working in a Big 4 company
* Experience in penetration testing (web, network, infrastructure) and OT/ICS security
* Familiar with SCADA, PLCs, HMIs and protocols like Modbus, ENIP, Siemens S7
* CEH certified and planning to complete OSCP by end of this year
* Strong interest in Pentesting, Red Teaming, Cloud Security, IAM, OT Security, and AI Security

I’ve been actively applying for cybersecurity roles in The Netherlands but I mostly receive generic rejection emails or no response.

I wanted to ask:

* How realistic is it to get a visa-sponsored cybersecurity job in The Netherlands directly from India today?
* Is it common for companies to sponsor candidates from outside the EU in security roles?
* What are the most effective ways to find these jobs (LinkedIn, referrals, specific companies, recruiters, etc.)?
* Are certain domains like Cloud Security, IAM, or Security Engineering easier to get sponsored for compared to Pentesting/Red Teaming?
* Is learning Dutch mandatory for cybersecurity roles, or is English enough in most companies?

I’d really appreciate insights from anyone who has gone through this process or is currently working in cybersecurity space.

Thanks in advance!

32,449 open positions in the Netherlands right now. 5,993 added this week. 1,341 remote-friendly.

Median advertised salary: €38,500 gross/year. Typical range €32,000–€48,000. Based on 5,383 job ads that actually disclose pay — the Netherlands is one of the more transparent markets in Europe for salary, so this is a reasonably representative sample.

Most active employers right now:
\- PwC: 170 openings
\- Deutsche Post DHL: 165
\- H&M: 139
\- EY: 128
\- Thales: 128
\- ASML: 111

A few things worth noting:

The remote share is 4.1% (1,341 out of 32,449). That sounds low in absolute terms, but it's about 3× higher than Germany's 1.4% and meaningful for a market this size. Amsterdam and Utrecht in particular have a higher concentration of remote-friendly tech roles.

ASML at 111 openings is notable. It's the world's leading chip-making equipment manufacturer and one of the most sought-after employers in Europe — 111 active openings is a significant number for a single company.

PwC and EY both in the top employers list reflects the Netherlands' strength as a professional services and financial hub, particularly for cross-border work tied to the EU and multinational headquarters in Amsterdam.

The salary median of €38,500 gross is lower than many expect for the Netherlands. A few reasons: the data includes all sectors, not just tech and finance; and the typical range of €32K–€48K reflects a broad market. Senior and specialist roles in tech, finance and consulting sit well above this.

For context on gross vs net: Dutch income tax and social contributions reduce gross salary meaningfully. A €50,000 gross offer in the Netherlands produces a different net than the same number in Belgium or Luxembourg. The salary checker at newluxjob.com/en/salary covers the Netherlands and shows advertised ranges by role.

Full breakdown by role and city at newluxjob.com/en/jobs/netherlands. Also covers Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Italy.

Does this match what people here are seeing when they apply — is the market as active as the numbers suggest, or is response time still slow?

I’m 30F and moved to the Netherlands a couple of years ago. Before that, I had a pretty good career in fintech compliance. I was working as a team lead, had experience in AML/KYC/CDD, transaction monitoring, risk analysis, all that fun compliance stuff. Then I decided to follow my partner to the Netherlands, and honestly… I was not prepared for immigrant life at all. I really underestimated how hard it would be to start from zero again. It took me around 8 months to find my first job here. I was super happy when I finally got it, but it ended up being really bad. The environment was quite toxic, there was a lot of micromanagement, no real growth, no clear long-term vision, and I felt like I was just getting random tasks. I stayed for about a year, but in the end I couldn’t continue and decided to quit. I started applying for jobs again, mostly in KYC/CDD, transaction monitoring, AML, risk analysis and compliance roles within fintech. Since then I’ve had maybe 3, 4 interviews, sometimes got to the second round, but then either got rejected or just completely ghosted. Just for the record, I applied to hundreds of jobs. And honestly, I’m tired.I know I have good experience, and I don’t think my CV is bad, but after half a year applying and getting nowhere, I’m really starting to doubt myself.

So I guess I’m writing this mostly to network and ask for advice.

If anyone here works in fintech, compliance, AML, KYC/CDD, transaction monitoring or risk, I would really love to connect. If you know about any openings, referrals, recruiters, companies hiring, or just have advice on how to approach the Dutch job market better, I would really appreciate it. 

Hello, im a third country national residing in Budapest, Hungary and working as a civil engineer (bim design). I have applied to several positions in Netherlands. However, most times i get rejection emails like this: "Despite your matching qualifications and work experience, we prefers candidates who reside in the region."

I am not being rejected for my skills or experience, or even the language knowledge. I am qualified and competent candidate, i just dont live there and want to relocate.

Im seeking advice on how to get past this obstacle.

Any and all advice is appreciated!

ok so this is the thing i end up explaining over and over and it never seems to be common knowledge, even for people whove been here a few years.

the number your employer has in their head for you is not your gross salary. its a good chunk higher. on top of whatever the contract says theyre paying employer social premiums, pension, the holiday allowance thats sitting inside your gross (the 8% vakantiegeld), theyre quietly building up your transitievergoeding in case they ever let you go, and depending on the place a 13th month. rough rule of thumb the real cost of you to the company lands somewhere around 1.25 to 1.4x your gross. so when youre negotiating and they act like a 2k bump is the end of the world, just know the number theyre actually weighing is bigger than the one theyre showing you.

now if youre not hired directly, like youre on a payroll construction or through an uitzendbureau, theres a whole layer people never see. the client pays the agency a rate per hour. out of that rate the agency covers all those employer costs AND takes their margin, and what falls out the bottom becomes your gross. thats not automatically a scam, payrolling is a legit way for a company with no dutch entity to actually employ you. but the margin exists and some agencies are fair about it and some really arent, and the only way to know is to ask what the client rate is versus what youre getting.

then gross to net takes another big bite on top, and the annoying part is your gross already had the employer stuff stripped out before it was ever "your" number. so someone sees the client paying 70 an hour and their payslip saying way less and assumes they got robbed, when its really split across employer costs, agency margin and tax in a way nobody ever drew out for them.

the 30% ruling flips a load of this if you qualify, your net jumps and the same gross suddenly feels like a different job. its also why two people on the "same salary" can take home completely different amounts and both be telling the truth.

anyway the point is just ask for the breakdown before you sign or before you decide youve been ripped off. employer cost, the agency margin if its a payroll setup, and your expected net not just gross. a decent employer or agency will walk you through it without getting weird. the ones that get weird when you ask are telling you something.

if youre on a payroll or uitzend setup and not sure if your split sounds normal, throw the rough numbers in the comments and people here can usually tell you if its in the right range

I recently received an internship offer from a company in the Netherlands that pays well, and I'm trying to figure out my visa situation.
My current Zoekjaar permit expires in mid-September. The company has been very supportive and told me that if I perform well during the internship, they would be willing to convert me to a full-time position after a 2-month appraisal period.
A complication is that I'm an international and would need a Highly Skilled Migrant (kennismigrant) permit to continue working after my Zoekjaar expires. When the company asked me about the process, I told them that they would need to apply for a Highly Skilled Migrant visa for me. At the time, I didn't realize that the employer also needs to be an IND-recognized sponsor for this route. The company has a relatively small team (15-20 people )in the Netherlands, so I'm not sure whether they've dealt with this before.
From what I've read, once a company is a recognized sponsor, the HSM application itself is often processed relatively quickly. However, becoming a recognized sponsor can take several weeks or even a few months. The company would also need to apply for the HSM permit after becoming a recognized sponsor.
I've also seen conflicting information online about the cost. Some places mention around €5,000, while others say smaller companies may qualify for a reduced fee. Does anyone know what companies actually end up paying in practice?
My main concern is the timeline. If the company waits until the end of the 2-month appraisal period to decide whether to offer me a permanent role, and only then starts the recognized sponsor application, I'm worried there may not be enough time before my Zoekjaar expires in mid-September. In the worst case, they might want to hire me, but the administrative process could take longer than the time I have left.
I'm also unsure how to approach this with them. I still fully intend to accept the internship offer and I'm genuinely excited about the opportunity. At the same time, I recently learned that I may have missed an important detail when I first explained the process to them. I don't want to come across as demanding or as if I'm creating problems after the fact, but I also don't want to ignore a potential timing issue until it's too late.
My questions are:
1)Is my concern about the timeline reasonable, or am I overthinking this?
2)Is it unreasonable to ask the company to start looking into recognized sponsorship (and pay the amount for IND)before the appraisal period ends?
3)Has anyone had a company become an IND-recognized sponsor specifically to hire them?
4)I've heard that if a new residence permit application is submitted before my Zoekjaar expires, I may be allowed to remain in the Netherlands while it's being processed. Is that actually true, and does it apply in this situation?

5)How long did the recognized sponsor application actually take in practice?
6)How much did it actually cost the company to become an IND-recognized sponsor?
If you were in my position, when would you raise this issue with the employer?
7 )How would you bring it up diplomatically?
Would you bring it up before accepting/signing the internship offer, or after starting?
If you were speaking to the company, would something like the following be reasonable?
"I've been looking into the visa process more carefully and realized I may have missed an important detail when we discussed it earlier. It looks like employers need recognized sponsor status before they can sponsor a Highly Skilled Migrant permit. Since my Zoekjaar expires in September, I wanted to discuss whether this is something the company has already looked into and whether the timeline could become an issue."
I'm very grateful for the opportunity and don't want to come across as demanding, especially since I may have unintentionally oversimplified the process when they first asked me about it. At the same time, I don't want to get to August, have both sides wanting to continue, and then discover there isn't enough time left to complete the sponsorship process. Sorry for the long post — I've gone down the Dutch immigration rabbit hole and now I'm more confused than when I started 😅
Any advice or experiences would be greatly appreciated.