Dutch language proves an obstacle
Openings aplenty, but no job offers
Door Begüm Emregül
By Begüm Emregül
Begüm Emregül
After six hours of waiting tables at a restaurant in Groningen, Dimitra will rush home in the dark of the night to get some sleep. Because in the morning, her other job will be waiting for her: teaching Greek online.
Dimitra, who hails from Greece, has a master’s degree in ethics of education from the UG. She would like to stay in the Netherlands for the foreseeable future, but hasn’t been able to land a job here since graduating twenty months ago. And so she’s trying to make ends meet any way she can. ‘These jobs help me survive financially, but they break my motivation’, she says. ‘I knew it would be difficult to find a job, but a year after graduating, all my classmates are unemployed.’
It’s not like she hasn’t tried. She checks the right websites, actively uses LinkedIn and subscribes to platforms like Randstad. But all without success.
Lots of vacancies
The Dutch job market is desperately in need of skilled personnel. According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), there were 396,400 unfilled vacancies nationwide in 2024, including 11,100 in Groningen. Yet many international graduates who are hoping to stay in this country, like Dimitra, remain either unemployed or underemployed.
Tamara, from Israel, applied for over three hundred events and marketing jobs in the Netherlands after graduating from communication and information studies at the UG. ‘I was waking up with hope and going to bed hopeless’, she says. ‘I was meant to be hired by the company where I did my internship, but they went on a hiring freeze one month before that ended.’
I was waking up with hope and going to bed hopeless
After three internships in several fields, she had thought that finding a job would be easier. ‘The first twenty rejections were really hard.’
Wilma, a fellow communications graduate from Sweden who went on to do a master at the University of Amsterdam, also found herself disheartened by a string of ‘no thank yous’. ‘It’s crushing to get invited to interviews and then be rejected’, she says. ‘Your hopes go up, only for them to come crashing down.’
When she finally landed a job, it was in her hometown of Malmö.
Non-negotiable
All three students tried their hardest to find a job in the Netherlands. With employers struggling to fill positions, you would think an offer shouldn’t be this hard to come by. So where’s the disconnect?
I didn’t have time to learn Dutch during my studies
The biggest barrier is the Dutch language, according to Vincent de Boer with the UG’s Career Services department. ‘Especially in the northern parts of the Netherlands, where companies primarily seek Dutch speakers’, he says. ‘While international students bring unique skills and global perspectives, the expectation to speak Dutch is often non-negotiable in many job listings.’
This is something Tamara has found as well. She recalls reading job descriptions that matched her qualifications perfectly, only to encounter the line ‘Dutch proficiency required’. ‘It feels like there’s no way around it.’
Dimitra agrees it’s a bigger problem than she had previously realised: ‘The process is overwhelming, especially with the Dutch language requirements’, she says. ‘I didn’t have time to learn Dutch during my studies. Now I’m trying, but it’s hard to meet job expectations while learning the language.’
Resources
Both Tamara and Dimitra tried their luck with Career Services, which offers numerous resources for students entering the job market, from CV checks to mock job/PhD interviews and career advice. ‘Students can contact us for unlimited career support during their first year after graduation’, says De Boer. ‘We also collaborate with the Student Service Centre for psychological support and workshops.’
Dimitra attended Career Services events on LinkedIn and networking, but felt they weren’t useful. ‘Too superficial.’ Tamara echoes this sentiment. ‘Networking events are nice, but they didn’t provide practical advice on soft skills, like how to talk to employers. No tip left me thinking: this will help me get a job.’
No tip left me thinking: this will help me get a job
There are several initiatives that aim to specifically address internationals’ problems with finding employment, says De Boer. Make it in the North, for example, is a non-profit project connecting English-speaking job seekers to internationally friendly companies.
It organises workshops and networking events to help students understand the nuances of the Dutch job market. The aim is not just to foster connections, but also to help international students to approach potential employers with confidence.
‘They also train companies to create an atmosphere where internationals feel welcome, even if they don’t speak Dutch’, De Boer says. This includes encouraging Dutch employees to speak English, or assigning Dutch buddies to help internationals integrate. Companies can also post their vacancies on the Make it in the North platform, making them more easily accessible to international job seekers.
New platform
Study and faculty associations like EBF are also trying to bring about change. ‘We push companies to organise events in English and to consider hiring international students’, says EBF career officer Pien Kokelenberg. ‘We are one of the big five associations for business and economics, working together to make impactful change. For larger companies, this is becoming easier, but smaller ones still face challenges.’
This spring, another initiative will be added to the mix. RUG Connect is designed to streamline resources and make it easier for students to transition from university to the workforce. It will offer job postings, internships, workshops, and access to alumni networks across all faculties. ‘It’s a way to connect the UG community under one umbrella’, De Boer explains.
The platform also aims to strengthen connections between alumni and current students, offering graduates access to mentorship opportunities and insider advice from those who’ve navigated similar challenges.
Keep going
In the meantime, Dimitra is working hard on making herself a more attractive candidate. ‘I’m learning Dutch’, she says. ‘And I’m still hoping to get my dream job at an immigration education NGO in the Netherlands.’
Tamara, who eventually secured a job in event management at a startup, advises persistence. ‘You just have to keep going, even when it feels hopeless.’