You've scrolled through job boards for an hour and every single listing says "Nederlands vereist." You close the laptop, make another coffee, and consider whether this whole moving-to-the-Netherlands thing was a mistake. I've been there. Most expats have. Here's the thing: there are thousands of English-speaking jobs in this country. You're just not looking in the right places — or in the right way.

This guide is everything I wish someone had told me when I started looking. The industries that actually hire in English, the job boards that are worth your time, the cities you're probably overlooking, and the strategies that work better than firing off 200 applications into the void.

When "Nederlands vereist" is real — and when it's copy-paste

Let's get this out of the way first, because it's the single biggest source of frustration for English-speaking expats in the Netherlands.

Some jobs genuinely need Dutch. That's real and there's no way around it. Customer-facing roles at Dutch SMEs — the ones where your clients are local businesses or consumers who speak Dutch all day — yeah, you need the language. Healthcare is another one: doctors, nurses, therapists all need to communicate with patients in Dutch. Government positions, most legal work, primary and secondary education, and social work all require fluent Dutch for obvious reasons. If the role involves directly serving Dutch-speaking people, the language requirement is legitimate.

But here's what most expats don't realize: a huge number of companies copy-paste language requirements from an old template. HR wrote the job description once in 2019, added "Nederlands vereist" as a default line, and nobody has questioned it since. The actual team works in English. The meetings are in English. The Slack channels are in English. But the job post still says Dutch required because nobody bothered to update it.

How to tell the difference? Do a quick check before you dismiss a listing:

If the answer to any of these is yes — apply anyway. The worst they can say is no. And in my experience, many won't. Plenty of hiring managers will tell you they put that line in because "it's always been there" and they don't actually care, as long as you can do the job.

Industries that actually work in English

Not all industries are created equal when it comes to English-friendly workplaces. Some sectors in the Netherlands are so international that Dutch is barely spoken on the work floor. Here's where to focus your search.

Tech and IT. This is the big one. English is the default language in Dutch tech. Amsterdam, Eindhoven, and Rotterdam all have thriving tech scenes that are heavily international. Companies like Booking.com, Adyen, TomTom, Elastic, Miro, and Messagebird run entirely in English. Startups in the Amsterdam tech ecosystem are almost always English-first — they have to be, because half their team is from somewhere else. If you're a developer, designer, product manager, data scientist, or anyone in the tech orbit, this is your most natural entry point.

Finance and banking. The big Dutch banks — ING, ABN AMRO, Rabobank — all have international divisions that work in English. Their risk, compliance, data, and technology departments are especially international. Then there's the fintech scene: Adyen, Mollie, Bunq, Flow Traders, and dozens of smaller startups. Quantitative trading firms like Optiver, IMC, and All Options in Amsterdam are almost entirely English-speaking and actively recruit internationally.

Life sciences and pharma. The Leiden Bio Science Park is one of the largest in Europe, and the research labs and biotech companies there are English-first by necessity — science doesn't happen in one language. Janssen (Johnson & Johnson), Galapagos, Pharming, and dozens of smaller biotech firms all work in English. Eindhoven's high-tech campus also has a strong life sciences cluster.

Logistics and supply chain. Rotterdam has the largest port in Europe. Schiphol is one of the busiest airports in the world. International logistics is, by definition, international. Companies like Maersk, DHL, Kuehne+Nagel, and DSV all have major operations here with English as the working language. Supply chain management, freight forwarding, customs — lots of English-speaking roles.

Creative and marketing. Amsterdam has a disproportionate number of international creative agencies, ad agencies, and marketing firms. 72andSunny, Dept, MediaMonks (now S4 Capital), and Ace & Tate's in-house teams are examples. If you work in content, design, branding, social media, or digital marketing, there's a real market for English speakers — especially if you can bring expertise in markets outside the Netherlands.

Academia and research. Dutch universities are English-speaking at the graduate level. If you have a PhD or research background, universities like TU Delft, University of Amsterdam, Utrecht University, Leiden University, and Eindhoven University of Technology all hire international researchers and lecturers. PostDoc and PhD positions are almost always in English.

E-commerce. The Netherlands punches way above its weight in e-commerce. Booking.com is the obvious giant, but there's also Coolblue (increasingly international), bol.com (which has English-speaking teams in tech and product), Takeaway.com (Just Eat Takeaway), and a growing ecosystem of direct-to-consumer brands that operate across European markets in English.

Job boards, ranked honestly

There are a lot of job boards out there. Some are great. Some are a waste of time. Here's an honest ranking based on what actually works for English-speaking expats.

LinkedIn Jobs — best overall. This is your primary tool. The Netherlands has one of the highest LinkedIn usage rates in the world. Most English-language jobs get posted here, recruiters actively search for candidates here, and you can filter by language, location, and remote options. Set your location to the Netherlands, turn on job alerts, and check it daily. Also — turn on "Open to Work" for recruiters. It works.

Indeed.nl — good volume. Indeed has a massive database and a lot of English-language listings. The interface isn't pretty, but the volume is there. Use the language filter to narrow results to English postings. It's especially good for mid-level corporate roles and anything outside of tech.

IamExpat Jobs — specifically for English speakers. This one is built for expats. Every listing is in English, and the companies posting here already know they're hiring internationals. The volume isn't as high as LinkedIn, but the signal-to-noise ratio is much better. Worth checking weekly.

Together Abroad — expat-focused, mixed quality. Been around for a long time. Has a decent number of English-language listings, but the quality varies. Some postings feel outdated or generic. Still worth a look, especially for corporate and finance roles, but don't make it your only source.

UndutchaBles — good for corporate. UndutchaBles is both a recruitment agency and a job board, and they focus specifically on placing multilingual and international professionals. Their listings tend to be corporate, finance, and customer service roles. If that's your area, register with them.

Glassdoor — good for research, mediocre for applying. Great for researching companies, reading reviews, and understanding salary ranges. Less great as an actual job application platform. Use it to find companies you want to work for, then apply through their career pages or LinkedIn directly.

Company career pages directly — genuinely underrated. Here's something most people don't do: pick 20 companies you actually want to work for and bookmark their career pages. Check them every week. Many companies post jobs on their own site days or weeks before they hit the big job boards. You'll also find roles that never make it to external boards at all. This is more work than scrolling LinkedIn, but it's targeted work, and targeted work pays off.

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Cities beyond Amsterdam

Everyone moves to Amsterdam. It makes sense — it's the most international city, it has the most English-speaking jobs, and it's where everyone you know already lives. But it's also the most expensive, the most competitive, and the most saturated with other English-speaking expats looking for the same jobs you are.

The rest of the Netherlands is smaller than you think. You can get from Amsterdam to Eindhoven in 80 minutes by train. Rotterdam is 40 minutes. The Hague is 50. These aren't different worlds — they're different neighborhoods, practically. And the job markets are genuinely different.

Rotterdam. Growing fast and increasingly international. The port economy means logistics and supply chain are huge, but the tech and startup scenes are growing rapidly too. Rotterdam Partners actively recruits international talent. The city is cheaper than Amsterdam — noticeably so — and has a grittier, more entrepreneurial energy. If you're in logistics, engineering, architecture, or startups, Rotterdam deserves serious consideration.

The Hague. This is where the international organizations live. The International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice, Europol, Eurojust, and dozens of UN-affiliated organizations are based here. If you have a background in law, policy, international relations, human rights, or NGO work, The Hague has jobs that simply don't exist anywhere else in the Netherlands. The expat community is large and well-established.

Eindhoven. The tech and engineering capital of the Netherlands. ASML — the company that makes the machines that make all the world's advanced chips — is here, and it has created an entire ecosystem around it. Philips, NXP Semiconductors, DAF Trucks, and the High Tech Campus (sometimes called "the smartest square kilometer in Europe") make Eindhoven a magnet for engineers, physicists, and technical roles. Demand for talent here is enormous, and English is the working language at most of these companies. Housing is cheaper than Amsterdam or Rotterdam.

Utrecht. The fourth-largest city, right in the center of the country. Growing startup scene, a major university, and a lot of companies choosing Utrecht over Amsterdam because the office space is cheaper and the train connections are excellent. It's an increasingly popular choice for scale-ups that have outgrown Amsterdam prices but want to stay central.

Leiden. A university city with a strong life sciences cluster. If you're in biotech, pharma, or academic research, Leiden's Bio Science Park is a major employer. The city itself is charming and well-connected to both The Hague and Amsterdam.

Groningen. Smaller and further north, but don't write it off. It's a university town with a young population and an emerging tech and energy sector. The cost of living is significantly lower than the Randstad, and there's a growing community of international workers — especially in the energy transition space.

One thing worth knowing: salary differences between Dutch cities are much smaller than rent differences. A software engineer in Eindhoven and a software engineer in Amsterdam earn roughly similar salaries, but the Eindhoven engineer pays significantly less for housing. That's worth doing the math on. (Our salary negotiation guide breaks down what Dutch compensation actually looks like — vakantiegeld, 30% ruling, and all.)

Recruitment agencies for internationals

Here's something that surprises expats from countries where recruitment agencies aren't a big deal: in the Netherlands, a huge percentage of jobs go through agencies. Especially corporate roles, finance positions, and anything contract-based. Ignoring agencies means ignoring a significant chunk of the market.

The big generalist agencies all operate in the Netherlands and all have English-speaking roles:

For internationals specifically, these agencies specialize in placing English-speaking professionals:

For startup and tech roles, the game is different. Most startup hiring happens through networking (yes, really), LinkedIn, and platforms like AngelList (now Wellfound). Going to meetups, joining Slack communities like StartupAmsterdam, and simply talking to people in the ecosystem matters more than registering with an agency.

How to approach agencies: register on their website, be very clear about what you want (role type, industry, salary range, location), and then follow up. Don't just submit your profile and wait. Call them. Email them a week later. Agencies work for the companies paying them, not for you — but a good recruiter who knows your profile will think of you when the right role comes in. The key is being memorable and easy to place, not passive.

The "apply anyway" strategy

I'm going to be blunt about this one.

If a job is a 70% match, apply. You don't need to tick every box. Job descriptions are wish lists. The hiring manager who wrote it would be thrilled with someone who hits 70% of the requirements and brings something unexpected to the table. If you wait for the 100% match, you'll be waiting forever — and someone less qualified but more willing to try will get the job instead.

If it says Dutch required but the company clearly works in English, apply. We covered this already, but it bears repeating because it's the single biggest mental barrier for English-speaking expats. Write a short note in your application that addresses the language thing head-on. Something like:

"I noticed the listing mentions Dutch language skills. I'm currently at A2 level and taking weekly classes at the Taalhuis. I'm committed to continuing, and I'd be happy to discuss how my language development fits with the team's needs."

This does two things. It shows you actually read the job description (you'd be surprised how many people don't). And it signals awareness and effort — you're not ignoring the requirement, you're acknowledging it and showing what you're doing about it. Many Dutch hiring managers will appreciate that more than you'd expect. The Dutch value directness and they value effort. Addressing the elephant in the room directly plays to both of those values.

Tailor every application. I know this takes longer. I know it's tempting to blast out 30 generic applications and hope for the best. But the numbers don't lie: five tailored applications consistently outperform thirty generic ones. Read the job description. Mirror their language. Reference something specific about the company. It takes an extra 20 minutes per application, and it makes a measurable difference.

Investing in Dutch — even A2 helps

I want to be clear: this article is about finding English-speaking jobs. You do not need to be fluent in Dutch to work in the Netherlands. Thousands of people do it every day.

But learning even a little Dutch removes an excuse that some employers are hiding behind. A2 level takes about 3-6 months of casual classes. That's not fluency. That's being able to introduce yourself, follow basic conversations, read simple emails, and — critically — show any potential employer that you're integrating into Dutch society, not just passing through.

The Dutch have a funny relationship with their language. They're famously good at English and will switch to English the moment they detect an accent. But they also genuinely appreciate it when someone makes an effort to learn Dutch. It's not about perfection — it's about the gesture. Walking into an interview and saying "Ik leer Nederlands, het gaat langzaam maar ik vind het leuk" (I'm learning Dutch, it's going slowly but I enjoy it) will earn you more goodwill than you'd expect.

Resources that work:

Even if you never use Dutch at work, having it on your CV at A2 or B1 level signals something important: you plan to stay. And companies want to hire people who plan to stay.

The expat job search in the Netherlands is a numbers game — but it's also a strategy game. The people who find jobs fastest aren't the ones who send 200 applications to random postings. They're the ones who target 20 companies, tailor every application, and work with 2-3 recruitment agencies simultaneously. They apply to jobs that are a 70% match. They apply even when the listing says Dutch required but the company clearly works in English. They check company career pages directly instead of waiting for jobs to appear on aggregators. And they invest in even a basic level of Dutch — not because they need it for work, but because it removes the last excuse anyone might have for not hiring them.

Keep going

The expat job search in the Netherlands is hard. It's probably harder than you expected, and it takes longer than you planned. There are days when every listing seems to require Dutch, every application disappears into the void, and every networking event feels like shouting into a crowd of people who already know each other.

But people find jobs here every single day. English-speaking people, without fluent Dutch, in every industry listed above. The market is real. The opportunities are real. You just need the right approach, a bit of persistence, and a willingness to be strategic about it instead of just hoping for the best.

If you haven't already, make sure your CV is formatted for the Dutch market — our guide on how to format your CV for the Netherlands covers everything. If you're applying to jobs that ask for a motivatiebrief, read our complete guide to writing one before you send a generic cover letter. And if you've got interviews lined up, our Dutch job interview guide walks you through what to expect and how to prepare.

Need a CV template that's already formatted the Dutch way? Grab our free template — it takes two minutes and it's built for exactly this market. And if traditional employment isn't your only option, the Netherlands has a thriving freelance market — our guide to freelancing as a ZZP'er covers how to get started.

You moved to another country. That already took more courage than most people ever use. The job search is the hard part, but it's temporary. Keep going.

Keep reading

How to Format Your Dutch CV Before you apply — make sure your CV looks the way Dutch recruiters expect. How to Write a Motivatiebrief The motivation letter most expats skip (and shouldn't). With a full example. LinkedIn for the Dutch Market 85% of Dutch workers are on LinkedIn. Here's how to make it work for you.

About YourDutchJob

Practical guides for expats navigating the Dutch job market. Written by internationals who've been through it — the CV rejections, the salary surprises, the motivatiebrief confusion, and the first broodje kaas at the office.