Finding a job
Job Market in The Netherlands
Employment Rate in Netherlands has reached an all-time high of 80.70 percent in the second quarter of 2021. In certain sectors and industries there is a current and stable demand for qualified professionals, particularly engineers, ICT specialists, innovative minds in creative industries and health care specialists. Like its neighbour Germany, the Netherlands has a long tradition in high-tech engineering, innovation and science. A survey by a global talent bureau found that the Netherlands has the second highest demand for engineers globally, with about 13% of all job advertisements in the engineering sector. It has committed itself to have a reliable, sustainable and affordable energy system in place by 2050 which generate 40% of their electricity from sustainable sources. So, the Netherlands is investing heavily in innovation, design and public-private partnerships.
The Netherlands has a relatively stable economy backed by plenty of foreign investment encouraged by advantageous tax conditions. The country also has a diverse, well-educated population, almost 24% of whom are foreign or ethnic minorities. Highly-skilled workers in the Netherlands are in great demand, so much so that there’s a fast-track immigration process to get them in.
The Dutch usually work a 36-40-hour week, sometimes spread over just four days. In general, work in the Netherlands is very well-structured within organizations. Most work happens during normal working hours (i.e., between 9am and 5pm), although out of hours and shift work is also common. Unless at managerial level, employees are not typically expected to work overtime.
Dutch society is relatively egalitarian, and this translates into the workplace.
There are different ways to find a job in The Netherlands:
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There are plenty of job opportunities inside the university and, as you can imagine, it is quite convenient to work in university while pursuing your studies. FlexDelft takes care of all documentation, processes and even gets you your permit generally earlier (around 3 weeks).
Teaching assistant positions
Some courses require assistants for answering questions during lab hours, organizing the contents in Brightspace (online platform for the courses), grading papers, preparing lecture materials etc. Lecturers may attach announcements about vacancies on information boards in the building, send e-mails or publish them on Brightspace. Depending on the course, these jobs may require, on average, 5-10 hours of weekly work.
If you have taken similar courses in your previous studies, you can contact the module manager of the course about TA jobs. When you are in the 2nd year of the program you have better chances to be a student assistant for the previous year’s courses. Having had a good grade, being interested in the course could be helpful to get the job. If you don’t see these announcements anywhere, you can always send an e-mail to the module manager about your intentions to be the TA for the course.
Research project assistant positions
There are many ongoing projects in different fields led by professors, research groups, research institutions etc. and require help from students. You may be asked to support the project, for example, with programming, conducting surveys, making statistical analysis, creating websites etc. They are good opportunities to work with academicians, contribute to the science community and improve yourself in many aspects.
Board members of student clubs
Even though there are not too many, there are some student clubs in the university which look for new board members every year and also offer a certain amount of salary (could range between 2 – 10 hours weekly). You can organize events, create connections with companies, meet people, have fun and work part time.
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Working student positions
If you want to start in a working student position in companies, you can have a look at the positions listed in LinkedIn. Curius, study association at TPM faculty, and TU Delft Energy Club list internship, working student, graduation projects positions from the companies they are in connection with in their websites. LinkedIn is also always a good source for those vacancies. However, be aware of the 16-hour limit since the majority of the vacancies require more than 16 hours of work.
Internships/Graduation projects (thesis)
If you do an internship which may require some approvals about the subject by university and deliverables at the end, or graduation thesis project in your second year that could provide you a good experience for your future career. In these positions, 16-hour limit does not affect you and the compensation you get becomes around 500 EUR monthly (changes depending on company).
Other jobs
You can also get in contact with local businesses and ask about job availability. Courier jobs are quite common and offer flexible weekly schedules between 6 – 16 hours.
Stud.nl, the organization lists several vacancies for catering to engineering projects or students on its website. Their building is also located on the campus. However, the available vacancies generally need the employee as soon as possible and since you need a work permit to be processed for you could create disadvantages for you.Randstad, HR company, which also work with university for temporary jobs such as event organization, audio/lighting support, hospitality etc.
Orientation Year Visa
FINDING A JOB IN THE NETHERLANDS AFTER GRADUATION
Are you planning to work in the Netherlands after completing your master’s degree at TU Delft? And are you wondering whether this is possible or not? Fortunately, the Dutch government provides an orientation year visa for highly educated persons who are looking for a job in this country.
The Netherlands facilitates highly educated migrants such as Dutch university graduates to have the time to find a job or to start their own company in the Netherlands after completing their studies. This is why the orientation year visa (zoekjaar hoogopgeleiden) was called into life. With this visa, internationals have free access to the labour market in the Netherlands for up to twelve months after this visa has been granted. You can apply for this visa within three years after completing your study in the Netherlands. The application costs 192 euros (in December 2021).
Why does the orientation year visa exist? The Dutch government wants to strengthen its economy by attracting a highly skilled international workforce. It is believed that international environments will foster growth, productivity, and progress. The orientation year visa is an initiative to give talented international students and graduates the time they need to get started in the Netherlands. So, it is basically an open invitation to come and live your life in the Netherlands!
Facts Job market
Employment Rate in Netherlands has reached an all-time high of 80.70 percent in the second quarter of 2021. In certain sectors and industries there is a current and stable demand for qualified professionals, particularly engineers, ICT specialists, innovative minds in creative industries and health care specialists. Like its neighbour Germany, the Netherlands has a long tradition in high-tech engineering, innovation and science. A survey by a global talent bureau found that the Netherlands has the second highest demand for engineers globally, with about 13% of all job advertisements in the engineering sector. It has committed itself to have a reliable, sustainable and affordable energy system in place by 2050 which generate 40% of their electricity from sustainable sources. So, the Netherlands is investing heavily in innovation, design and public-private partnerships.
The Netherlands has a relatively stable economy backed by plenty of foreign investment encouraged by advantageous tax conditions. The country also has a diverse, well-educated population, almost 24% of whom are foreign or ethnic minorities. Highly-skilled workers in the Netherlands are in great demand, so much so that there’s a fast-track immigration process to get them in.
The Dutch usually work a 36-40-hour week, sometimes spread over just four days. In general, work in the Netherlands is very well-structured within organizations. Most work happens during normal working hours (i.e., between 9am and 5pm), although out of hours and shift work is also common. Unless at managerial level, employees are not typically expected to work overtime.
Dutch society is relatively egalitarian, and this translates into the workplace.