How to build a future-proof career in the Netherlands
Navigating your career as an international professional in the Netherlands can feel exciting, but when times are uncertain, it can also be complex and overwhelming. Whether you are proactively exploring your next step or facing uncertainty due to a reorganisation, you do not have to navigate those challenges alone.
As a certified career coach with over 20 years of international experience and an established partner of IamExpat, LaMatu supports expats across the Netherlands in building meaningful, future-proof careers.
Expect the unexpected and make a plan
For many professionals, January is the moment of clarity: the start of a new year often brings renewed motivation to re-evaluate work-life balance and long-term career goals. The close of the year is also a period when many companies announce restructuring. If the new year brings another wave of redundancies, as current economic signals suggest, preparation becomes essential.
The good news? Most redundancy packages in the Netherlands include a dedicated outplacement budget, which can be used for career coaching, to help you rebuild your confidence, design an effective job-search strategy and prepare for interviews. Too few people realise this, and even fewer make full use of the support available to them.
Don’t let your learning & development budget go to waste
Another overlooked opportunity is the annual personal Learning & Development (L&D) budget that many employees in the Netherlands receive from their employer. This budget is meant for personal growth, improving communication skills, raising intercultural awareness and leadership development, and it can usually be used for career coaching as well.
The sad reality? Many employees do not tap into those free resources, letting their budgets go to waste. When companies face financial pressure, L&D budgets are often among the first to be cut.
This is why January is the ideal time to invest in yourself: your company's funds are freely available, the whole year is still ahead, and you get to set a positive tone for your personal development from day one.
LaMatu works with both Outplacement Budgets and Learning Budgets, helping clients make optimal use of the resources already available to them, without unnecessary additional financial stress.
Why expats benefit from a coach who knows the Dutch market
Building a career in a new country requires more than a good CV. You also need insight into:
- How local hiring processes work
- The unwritten rules of Dutch work culture
- How to position your international experience effectively
- How to communicate your strengths with clarity and confidence
- How to build a professional network when you are new in the Netherlands
Over the years, Monika Matuszewska, Certified Professional Coach at LaMatu, has supported hundreds of international professionals, from first-time job seekers to senior leaders, helping them navigate transitions, gain clarity, reconnect with their strengths, and design careers aligned with their values.
As a long-standing partner of IamExpat and a regular exhibitor at the IamExpat Fair, LaMatu is well-versed in the challenges expat professionals face and the opportunities available in the Dutch market.
Start the year with a clear plan
No matter where you are in your career, professional coaching provides structured guidance, accountability, and a safe space for reflection so you can make decisions with confidence and clarity. If you are:
- Interested in growing as a professional
- Affected by organisational restructuring
- Motivated to design a future-proof career
- Exploring how to make the best use of your learning budget
…this is an ideal moment to start working on those goals with the support of an accredited professional at LaMatu.