How to Get a Job in the Netherlands as an American

Looking to emigrate to Europe but don’t know where to start? Here’s how to get a job in the Netherlands as an American.

How to Get a Job in the Netherlands as an American

If you’re thinking about moving from the US to Europe, many people opt for a move to the Netherlands. With international cities such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague, there are expats from all over the globe.

Despite the national language being Dutch, there are still many people who speak English as a first language, and English is widely spoken across the country. Its connections around Europe and across the world, thanks to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, make it a convenient base if you need to travel for work.

As with most moves abroad, you’ll likely need a sponsored work visa to live and stay in the Netherlands as an American. So, with that in mind, here’s our guide to how to get a job in the Netherlands as an American.

About The DAFT Scheme

If you’re a business person or looking to start a business in the Netherlands, then you need to know about the DAFT Scheme. DAFT stands for the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty, and it’s a scheme that allows American citizens to get a two-year permit to live and start a business in the Netherlands.

Unlike other entrepreneur visas, the minimum investment for DAFT is very low. The minimum investment is just €4,500, which needs to be deposited into a Dutch bank account. You can form your business either as a sole proprietorship or a limited company, and it just needs to be viable and active. 

The DAFT scheme is renewable after the initial two-year period and is a popular path towards a permanent residency permit, which you can apply for after five years.

There are four main stages to achieving this:

  1. Register your business with the Dutch trade register. 
  2. Open a Dutch bank account and deposit at least €4,500. 
  3. File a residence permit application with the Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND). 
  4. Register with your local municipality to receive your social security number.

In order to start your business, you’ll need to be in the Netherlands already. That’s because you’ll need a Dutch address to open a Dutch bank account and register your residence permit. Many people have their documents prepared and go on a Schengen visa, and apply once they’re in the Netherlands for ease.

Do You Need to Speak Dutch to Work in the Netherlands?

While being able to speak Dutch is helpful, it’s not mandatory to get a job or a visa in the Netherlands. Some other European countries have minimum language requirements for sponsored work visas; however, the Netherlands doesn’t require this immediately. 

Charming view of an Amsterdam canal lined with bicycles, boats, and historic buildings.

If you’re applying for permanent residency in the Netherlands, you have to demonstrate at least an A2 level of Dutch. However, you need to live in the Netherlands for at least five years before being eligible for permanent residency.

There are certain job roles and companies that will demand Dutch language skills. This includes native Dutch companies and certain professionals like lawyers and civil servants. However, as the Netherlands is a very international country, a lot of businesses operate in English, so it’s relatively straightforward to find English-speaking roles in the Netherlands.

US Companies with Offices in the Netherlands

One of the best ways to get a job in the Netherlands as an American is to work for a US company. There are plenty of international brands that have offices and headquarters in the Netherlands, as their European outpost.

Some of the most popular US companies in the Netherlands include:

These are huge corporations, so there are usually a few roles going at these companies at any given time. Even if it’s a tech brand like Microsoft, there are also support roles, including HR, recruitment, IT, accounts, communications, marketing, and more. 

Where to Find a Job in the Netherlands

Of course, if you’re on the hunt for a job in the Netherlands, you need to start looking in the right places. As you might expect, LinkedIn and Indeed have Dutch versions for local roles. You can also look into Dutch-specific sites like Nationale Vacaturebank and Werk.nl. 

When you’re job hunting, it can be difficult to stay on top of your applications. However, with Ausland’s unique application tracker, you can stay on top of new applications, see if job postings have closed, and see your applications from all around the world.

You can also manage responses to your job roles, check out visa information, tailor your CV and cover letters for specific roles in a couple of taps with our AI interface, and see the status of all your interviews. It’s a one-stop shop for everything to do with overseas job searching.

What You Need to Know About Dutch Salaries

One of the major culture shocks that Americans experience in the Netherlands is the difference in salary. You won’t see the huge salaries that you see in Manhattan or Silicon Valley here.

However, that’s because the cost of living in the Netherlands is much lower, even in the capital, Amsterdam. Simply put, you don’t need as much money to survive, and the average wage in the Netherlands reflects that.

Another thing to consider is the taxation in the Netherlands. Tax rates are a lot higher in the Netherlands, but it subsidizes a lot of social services that you’ll be able to access, like education, healthcare, and more.

The tax percentages depend on your salary bracket:

This may seem like a lot (and it is), but in the Netherlands, the system is designed for everyone to pay their share. Also, Dutch companies tend to give out other perks compared to US companies, such as private health insurance, holiday pay, signing-on bonuses, stock options, and even childcare options in some cases. 

What You Need to Know About Dutch Working Culture

While the wages are substantially lower in the Netherlands, compared to the US, it’s important to look at the Dutch working culture. When you get a job in the Netherlands as an American, you’ll likely be working fewer hours than in the US.

The Dutch tend to work from 9 am to 5.30 pm, and then they close their laptops and don’t look at anything work-related until the next day. This positive work-life balance culture is key to the happiness and well-being of the Dutch.

You’ll also be legally entitled to 20 days of holiday per year. This doesn’t include any public national holidays, which you’ll get off as well in most corporate jobs. It’s worth remembering that this is the legal minimum, and many companies offer more vacation days than this. 

There are a lot of protections in place for employees in the Netherlands. For example, you can get a minimum of 16 weeks’ maternity leave split into 6 weeks pre-birth and 10 weeks post-birth, with you being paid a proportion of your salary by the state.

This is the government policy on maternity, and many businesses offer additional maternity and paternity support.

You can also access unemployment benefits if you’re laid off from your job, which is paid for out of those higher taxes. However, it’s rare for redundancies to occur in the Netherlands as there are a lot of employee protections in place.