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The Netherlands is a small country but one of the most important for business in Europe. If you’re thinking about moving there for a career change or just something new and wondering what its like to work there then look no further than this page. Here we have all the information you need on working in the Netherlands.
The economy of the Netherlands is doing quite well, growing faster than the European average. A growing economy is always attractive to expats due to the amount of work that is available. Furthermore the Netherlands was recently ranked as the best country to do business by Bloomberg. One of the reasons that the Netherlands was ranked so highly is due to the high level of English. Due to this many work places have been able to internationalize and use English for the majority of communications.
There are a lot of options available for expats who want to work in the Netherlands. Most expats choose work based on the type of work and how long they would like to stay in the Netherlands for.
For more information on specific work in any of these industries the website Holland Trade and Invest has a wide variety of information specific to each of these sectors.
The major business cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam, Rotterdam and the Hague. In these cities you can find work across most industries and in a similar way that you would in major cities in the UK.
If you are going to reside in the Netherlands for more than 4 months you will need to arrange a BSN Number. This means that you are entitled to all of the same services as Dutch citizens and is necessary for things such as getting a salary, access to healthcare and paying taxes.
There are several ways of finding a job in the Netherlands, recently the trend has been to look online. There are many job sites available depending on what kind of work you work. Some that we would recommend are:
If none of these appeal to your taste you could also try looking for work at the Dutch Job Centre. There is a walk in office in most towns and cities.
Additionally, if you’re looking for more casual work in a shop or restaurant, for example, then walking in with a copy of your CV and a smile on your face works just as well. Although for many of these jobs you may need to speak Dutch it isn’t always the case if you have a good level of English.
When it comes to CVs in the Netherlands follow a format that is quite similar to most others in mainland Europe. They typically fit onto one piece of paper and include education, work experience, hobbies and interests. For more specific information about CV writing Graduateland have an ‘ultimate guide to a Dutch CV‘ so make sure to check it out if you want to boost your chances of getting a job!
Those with special or desired skills may benefit from the 30% which was designed to attract expats to move to the Netherlands to work. The ruling states that expats are entitled to 30% of their salary tax free in order to cover cost of moving abroad. There are also tax rebates on a number of things under this rule. For more information about the 30% ruling and to learn about taxes in general take a look at out page taxes in the Netherlands.
The workplace culture in the Netherlands can be summarized in three ways: direct, egalitarian and congruous. It is part of the Dutch culture to be direct and not to beat around the bush, if they don’t like something then will tell you. It is actually very unique in the UK to be indirect and sugarcoat things by saying things such as “interesting” when they mean “it’s clearly nonsense.”
Another interesting point is that you have to earn your status. People don’t assume that respect comes from age, sex or background, people earn respect with experience and hard work. Every person is equal and should be treated accordingly.
Decisions tend to be made in accordance with others meaning that a lot of time can be spent in meetings. Everyone involved needs to be heard. In the end a compromise will be reached in which every one agrees. Once agreed upon the work can progress steadily. Therefore, changes are usually lengthy processes.
An academic study exists known as the Hofstede Cultural Dimensions Theory. It compares how different cultures do business differently. Below you can see a graph comparing the differences between the Netherlands with the UK.
Source: geert-hofstede.com
Despite being quite similar for a lot reasons there are two main differences. The Netherlands has a lower masculinity score than the UK meaning that they are more likely to look after employs and look out for the quality of life. The Netherlands has a higher aversion to uncertainty which means that people tend to plan more than we do in the UK.
The average Dutch working week lasts around 36-40 hours, with some variations depending on the organization and industry. Employees tend to get 4-5 weeks of holidays per year. In the Netherlands there is a big focus on having a life outside of work and employees tend to avoid working overtime if they can avoid; a recent study found that the Dutch would rather work less hours than earn more money.
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