Working abroad – how to find a job in the Netherlands?

A travel to the Netherlands, essentially working abroad, is a chance for stable employment and higher wages. However, it involves searching for a suitable job position and completing many formalities. You can organise such travel yourself or with the help of an employment agency – which option is better?

How to find a stable employment in the Netherlands on your own?

Planning a travel on your own seems challenging, but it is possible; however, it requires very good organisation. At the beginning it is advisable to do some thorough research and find out what formalities you need to fulfil as a job applicant. Most information can be found on Dutch websites, so knowledge of Dutch or English is useful.

You cannot forget about accommodation and collecting money “for the start” – and the starting costs are very high. These include not only the travel, but also the cost of accommodation, a deposit and the cost of a notary. You also have to find accommodation yourself, as well as plan the entire journey. This makes it very difficult – often impossible – to travel alone. It is much easier to organise the whole thing if your friends or family are already living there. They are a safety buffer – they can help you not only to find a job, but also a flat to rent. 

 

A person who wants to work abroad and organises their trip on their own can, however, encounter many obstacles.The first and most serious is the lack of knowledge of the Dutch language. Most job offers and documents are written in this language, so if you do not know it, you will have to use the services of a translator. However, it generates additional costs in the form of remuneration for the translation. You should not sign any document without reading its contents. The labour law in the Netherlands is different from that in Poland, so you should check carefully whether the employment contract contains any provisions that are unprofitable for the Employee.

 

If you want to be completely certain of the employer’s honesty, you should check it yourself, e.g. by reading opinions about the company written by people who work there. A blue-collar worker without experience can rarely count on stable employment conditions from the very beginning. Before an employer offers a contract for a longer period of time, an Employee must prove not only willingness to work, but also sufficiently high performance, and if they lose employment, they will be dependent only on themselves. Going to work in the Netherlands on your own is a huge risk – take it only when you are really prepared for it.

 

Blue-collar worker without language skills can find a job through an agency

An alternative to organising the trip yourself is to use the services of an employment agency abroad. Above all, this option gives security and stability of employment – agencies cooperate with reliable employers and all job offers are thoroughly verified. By choosing an agency that has been in business for many years, the Employee can be sure that they will work in conditions that are described in the offer. It also has the benefit of a large number of job offers, mainly for people who are interested in physical work, such as warehouse workers or people seeking employment in companies related to production. Candidates for these positions are usually not required to have experience, and responsibilities include order picking, quality control, or product packaging.

 

Employment agencies are not only responsible for providing an intermediary service between Dutch employers and job Candidates, but also for organising the Employees’ living conditions. The agency provides free transport to work, accommodation or help in finding an apartment, as well as support of a coordinator who can, for example, arrange medical appointments. The agency also takes care of gathering the documents required for employment and presenting them to the employer. Cooperation with an agency usually means greater security and a sense of stability, as well as a more efficient recruitment process, compared to looking for a job abroad on your own.

 

 

However, when using the agency’s help, you need to be prepared to go through the recruitment process, during which the agency’s employees check the candidate’s skills and experience. Current offers can be found on the agency’s website. If you are interested in an offer, submit a CV that includes information about your experience and skills.Remember that your CV should only contain truthful and precise information, so avoid writing that you speak English or Dutch if you cannot speak it, or do not mention that you have a driver’s license if you are afraid to drive on Dutch roads.

 

The accommodation and Dutch work insurance costs will be deducted from your salary. Accommodation contracts offered by agencies are usually better than those you would find on your own. You should check the integrity of the agency before you start working with them. A move to work in the Netherlands is risky, and there are still agencies on the market that operate on the edge of the law – such agencies are not worth cooperating with. If you are interested in going to the Netherlands and want to use the services of an employment agency, carefully check its credibility, and trust your intuition.

Credible agencies rely on honest and forthright communication with Employees – and that’s the value we believe in at Ready Steady Go.