Tilburg University: Finding a job in the Netherlands

Last week's Make a Move career week featured 47 companies looking to recruit future employees and trainees from Tilburg University. Thirteen of these companies presented themselves in English, aiming to reach not only Dutch students, but also international students looking for a job in the Netherlands. You have been handed your diploma, celebrated like there was no tomorrow, and bragged to family and friends. What is the next step? An international student has a myriad of opportunities and issues to consider. One thing is for certain though; you are going to have to find a way to bring home the bacon. After all, that is what these last few years have been all about. But where will you choose to work? Is it time to return home, to expand your horizons and try a new location, or perhaps to stick to your current home, the Netherlands? Language barrier Numerous international students display an interest in the last option. They have become familiar with the Netherlands and feel that a few more years here will be beneficial to their careers. They have become accustomed not only to Dutch culture, but also to the international atmosphere, and are unsure whether another country will offer a similar environment. Unfortunately, finding employment here can be quite difficult, especially if they have not managed to learn to speak 'Nederlands' at a high level, or have failed to establish a network during their stay here. David López González (24), from Spain, graduated as a Master of Mathematical Economics and Econometric Methods in September of this year, and is currently searching for a job. He would like a job here in the Netherlands, but would also move to another country if a company offered him a position. He is registered with a few regional employment agencies, but thus far has not had any success in finding a job. "The agencies say it's very hard to find employment here in the Netherlands unless you speak Dutch and have a substantial amount of work experience." Apart from the occasional internship, most international graduates do not have the type of work experience employers request. Work permit Lingxiao Qu (24), from China, who graduated with a Master's in Investment Analysis this August, also notes that the language barrier forms a great disadvantage. "Even the major international financial institutions offer jobs in Dutch only." Students from outside the European Union also face another obstacle. They have to get a work permit; or rather, they have to find a company willing to hire them and apply for a work permit, a process that can take up to six months. Qu: "I was really lucky. My work permit took less then two months." Qu has the following advice for international students looking for a job in the Netherlands: "You really have to sell yourself and focus on what you have to offer instead of focusing on the disadvantages you face compared with Dutch students." She herself was recruited on campus by De Lage Landen as an International Management Trainee. "De Lage Landen is part of the Rabobank Group. It is a global financing company and the trainee selection was very tough. I was selected out of 150 candidates." Qu adds that she and the four other trainees all have different nationalities. "You not only have to sell yourself", she notes, "but you also have to sell yourself to the right company, a company that is looking for international candidates." Read more: Eurogates.Forum