General information

Undeniably, the Netherlands is one of the best
European countries for expatriates to work in.
The numerous international companies based
here compete in a global business context and
seek open-minded and diverse people.
Moreover, due to the surplus of jobs, the local
workforce is not sufficient to cover the demand
and, more importantly, the business language in
most companies is English. However, it should
be stressed that lately many companies
consider the knowledge of Dutch a plus.

Believe it or not, a master’s degree is not a
standard requirement for some employers. In
fact, you will eventually notice that prior work
experience may be higher on the requirement list
than a postgraduate degree. Nevertheless,
having completed a master’s degree or a PhD is
considered a significant accomplishment and
asset for (certain types of) jobs. In a nutshell,
higher educational background combined with
prior work experience will definitely increase
one's possibility of finding a job in the
Netherlands.

The Dutch usually start working from an early
age either as interns or in part time jobs.
Internships and graduate programs are offered
by a plethora of companies that typically do not
require prior professional experience. As a rule,
candidates who perform well are hired by (the
same) companies as full-time employees right
after, or even during these programs.

Companies in the Netherlands

Multinational firms such as Shell, Phillips,
Heineken, Unilever, KLM, ING, Tom Tom and
BAAN are not only founded by Dutch but also
headquartered in the Netherlands. Visit Top100
or FEM for the top 500 Dutch-based
corporations.

Why do international companies choose the
Netherlands to set up their offices or their
European headquarters? Well, the answer is very
straightforward: the country offers a very open,
multicultural, business-oriented environment and
can proudly boast having one of the most stable
economies in Europe.

Besides, the abundance of multi-skilled
expatriates, a corporate taxation system that
offers great economic incentives and the
country's neuralgic geographic location have
established the Netherlands as an ideal
destination for practically any company.

Finally, one might think that most firms are
concentrated in the main industrial cities like
Amsterdam and Rotterdam. This is not always
true; working in the Netherlands often entails
commuting to/from work each day, since loads
of businesses are situated in city suburbs or in
specific districts. Nevertheless, this may not
necessarily be disincentive since travel
distances are not that long and transportation is
extremely reliable, accessible and easy to use.