What qualifications do I need to work?
As a general rule, your chances of finding work in the Netherlands vastly increase if you hold at least a bachelor’s degree.
If you come with a foreign diploma, your employer may ask for it to be evaluated – you can do this at the International Credential Information Centre (IDW). You may also be interested in comparing your foreign diploma with Dutch diplomas.
If you don’t have a bachelor’s, no problem! There are still plenty of opportunities for those without a diploma; we give an overview of the various resources to find work below.
Is work experience necessary?
Having past work experience is often a requirement to find a job. However, this is by no means a hard-and-fast rule: there will always be offerings where no work experience is required.
Still, you may be interested in gaining some experience before fully entering the job market; internships and volunteering positions are a great way of doing this.
You can also check out UM’s Student Challenge Board, which aims to bring regional businesses and organisations into contact with students to find solutions for issues that these businesses are facing.
Applying for a job
You’ve probably heard the whole shtick when it comes to applying for work: write your CV (short and sweet!), make a cover letter, practice your interview skills, dress appropriately, etc.
We won’t go through everything again, as pretty much the same goes for applying for jobs in the Netherlands; however, a great overview of everything can be found at werk.nl’s section on applying for work in the Netherlands.
Working for your university
Many students in Maastricht end up being employed by their university. Both Maastricht University and Zuyd University of Applied Sciences have their own vacancy boards with job offerings:
UM’s vacancy board displays many types of job offerings, some completely unrelated to the university. However, if you really wish to work for UM, you can check out their page on student jobs.
Finding work through a job agency
Another way to look for work is through a temping/employment agency (uitzendbureau). The agency will act as your employer and match you to companies that need temporary workers. Some examples of employment agencies in the Netherlands are:
- uitzendbureau.nl
- randstad.nl
- youngcapital.nl
- asatalent.nl
- Adams Multilingual Recruitment (connects multilingual talents with international organisations in the Netherlands)
These are just some examples to get you started – there are plenty of others!
Links and resources
Within Maastricht, one of your best bets to find work is probably the UM vacancy board. Still, diversity is key, so we’ll list a few other options for you to check out:
- InterUM’s (Maastricht University’s employment agency) vacancy board
- For EEA+Swiss nationals: search for jobs in the Netherlands on the EURES (European Employment Services) website
- werk.nl also has a vacancy board
- Academic Positions has a list of academic and research jobs at various universities and institutions in the Netherlands
- undutchables.nl
- General job search website banenrijklimburg.nl
- Job search website for researchers www.academictransfer.com/en/
- International jobs in the Maastricht area and elsewhere in the Netherlands
Working in the hospitality industry
Lastly, you’ve probably noticed Maastricht’s bustling restaurant/bar/cafe life (caveat: Covid times!). This naturally means that, particularly during the summer season, there is plenty of work in the hospitality industry. Many students in Maastricht opt for working as a waiter, bar-tender, or even food courier – for the latter, the biggest options in Maastricht are Thuisbezorgd.nl, and Uber Eats.
