English-speaking jobs in the Netherlands: where they are and how to get one

Often, yes. The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency says 90% of the Dutch population is fluent in English, and EF’s English Proficiency Index ranks the Netherlands first in the world. In an international team, English as the working language is ordinary.

That is not the whole market, though. EURES advises writing applications in Dutch unless the posting says otherwise, and Nuffic’s Study in NL, which advises international graduates, tells them to start learning Dutch as soon as possible because English alone limits their options. Plan for both: English to get in, Dutch to widen your choice and to progress.

Look at who the employer already hires, not only at the job title. The most reliable signals:

• IND-recognised sponsors. The IND publishes a register of companies it has approved to sponsor highly skilled migrants from outside the EU. A company on the Work register has already built its hiring around international candidates, and usually its working language too.
• Universities and research institutes. Much research is done in English; Study in NL points international graduates to Academic Transfer for academic positions.
• International and technical employers. UWV’s 2026 figures show the largest shortages in technical occupations such as electrotechnical engineering. A technical role in an international team is where a strong candidate without Dutch has the best case.
• Employers in regions with public centres for international newcomers: IN Amsterdam, The Hague International Centre and Holland Expat Center South in Eindhoven. These regions are set up to receive international hires, which makes them a sensible place to start.

And the jobs that usually need Dutch: care, teaching, legal work, public-sector roles and anything customer-facing. UWV reports shortages there too, but the work involves patients, pupils and clients in Dutch, and some of those professions are regulated.

A posting written in English is usually the clearest sign that English is enough. Search in English and filter by language where the site allows it:

• LinkedIn and company career pages, searched with English job titles and a Dutch city.
• The EURES portal and its CV database, used by employers recruiting across Europe.
• Academic Transfer for university and research jobs.
• Expat job boards such as IamExpat’s, which list English-language roles.
• werk.nl, the public job platform of UWV and the municipalities: search it with English job titles, and register once you have a BSN and DigiD.
• Recruitment agencies specialising in international hiring, which EURES notes are a common channel in the Netherlands.

Then network in English. EURES says more than 60% of Dutch vacancies are filled informally, so a referral from someone inside an international team is worth more than another application. The Hague International Centre hosts UWV EURES workshops on the Dutch job market, CVs, LinkedIn and networking.

Always list it, even at A1, with a level on the CEFR scale (A1 to C2). Europass has a free self-assessment grid. An employer reads “Dutch A2, B1 exam booked for March 2027” very differently from “Dutch: basic”: the first shows direction and a date.

The official proof is the State Exam NT2. Programme I is at B1, programme II at B2, the level for working in Dutch-speaking companies or studying at Dutch universities. Once you pass a part, name it on your CV. Our Dutch CV guide shows how the languages section fits in.

In the interview, say something in Dutch if you can, even two sentences. It costs nothing and answers the question the interviewer has not asked yet: will this person integrate?

• University language centres: Study in NL lists NT2 courses at universities including Amsterdam, Delft, Eindhoven, Erasmus Rotterdam, Groningen, Leiden, Maastricht, Radboud, Tilburg, Twente, VU Amsterdam and Wageningen. Check whether a course is open to non-students; prices vary by course.
• The State Exam NT2 itself costs €50 per exam or €200 for all four skills. You register through DUO from 8 weeks before the exam date.
• If you have to integrate (inburgeren) as a status holder under the 2021 Act, your municipality pays for the course and the first 2 attempts of each exam. Other people who must integrate can borrow from DUO for approved schools, with the amount based on income.
• Taalhuizen: local points, often in a library, run by municipalities, libraries and language providers, that refer you to suitable language help.
• Apps and conversation cafés for practice between lessons. They do not replace a course, but they keep you speaking.

Choose by goal. If you want a job in a Dutch-speaking team, aim for B1 within your first year and B2 after that. If English is your working language, B1 is still worth it for colleagues, customers and your life outside work.

Your English is not the selling point in the Netherlands: most candidates speak it. Compete on what else you bring.

• Lead with scarce skills: the tool, market, language or regulation you know that the Dutch candidate pool is thin on.
• Show international context as an asset: markets you have sold into, teams across time zones, customers in other languages.
• Remove the permit question early. If you are free to work, say so in your CV details; if you need sponsorship, target recognised sponsors and name the route that fits in your letter.
• Keep your documents Dutch in format even when written in English: two pages at most, a short profile and results, not duties.

If your profession is regulated in the Netherlands, such as nurse, teacher or (para)medic, contact the competent authority before anything else, and ask which Dutch level registration requires. For other roles, a credential evaluation from IDW states the comparable Dutch level of your diploma. It costs €148.83 and is usually optional, but it answers a recruiter’s first question about a foreign degree.