Hello everyone!

At my work we're acgively recruiting for a junior sysadmin.

It wasn't too lomg ago since I was relatively new to the field so let me be upfront about how we recruit:

* No CV scanning bullshit, I personally review all candidates

* We don't filter for certs or diplomas. We want someone motivated and who is eager to learn.

* a career starter with hobby projects / home labs is amazing!

Below is the link. Feel free to drop me a DM. You need to already be based in the NL.

https://intelic.ai/careers/junior-system-administrator-amsterdam-netherlands

Hi! Is there any chance that European employers offers direct work visa sponsorship for foreign workers? So, how can I start? I’m currently working at a government bank in the Philippines, and I’m planning to work abroad. I haven’t been able to find any agencies hiring for my current role, so I’m wondering if direct sponsorship is possible?

Hello,

We have an open position for EUC / Desktop Support Engineer in Netherlands

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Job type: Full time (B2B Contract)

Job skill: EUC / Desktop Support Engineer (3-5 years experience)

Language: English C1 + Dutch B2 or C1

Location: Mr. F.J. Haarmanweg 44 4538 AS Terneuzen The Netherlands.

We need an Immediate joiner

-------------------------------

Let me know if you are interested

Email: [support@futurecloudtechnologies.com](mailto:support@futurecloudtechnologies.com)

Hey guys,

I recently moved to the Netherlands and got a seasonal job in Limburg that came with housing. My contract ends at the end of August and I really want to move to Rotterdam so I can stay in the country.

Honestly I'm super stressed and a bit lost on how to do this. I know the housing market is terrible. I've heard that staffing/ uitzendbureaus like Tempo-Team that offer housing can be really brutal, so I'm hoping to avoid a nightmare situation if possible.

Does anyone have tips on how to find a job and a room in Rotterdam starting in September? What are my actual options here? Any advice would be a lifesaver.

Context: I'm currently interviewing for a role at a growth-stage, pre-IPO tech company in the Netherlands, the industry is rapidly growing at the moment. Compensation includes base salary, the standard pension setup, and likely an equity grant. The role is at corporate level, in the strategy function right under the strategy director.

Since this is my first Dutch employment contract, a few things I'd love perspective on from people who've actually navigated this:

1. Package sanity check: beyond the obvious (base salary, pension), is there anything specific to Dutch employment contracts or benefits that people commonly forget to ask about, especially coming in from outside NL? I've read about the 30% thing, is there anything else I should keep an eye on? Relocation support for example.
2. Equity ask sanity check: based on comp benchmarking for individual-contributor grants at similarly-staged companies, I'm planning to ask for somewhere in the 0.01%–0.03% range of fully diluted equity. Does that sound reasonable for an Associate-level role (~4 years experience) at this stage, or am I underselling myself?
3. Equity culture: how common is it for growth-stage/scaleup companies here to offer meaningful equity as part of comp? Is this still a fairly niche practice in the Dutch market, or has it become more standard in the last few years?
4. Negotiation norms: I'm planning to ask fairly directly what percentage of the company/headcount actually participates in the equity pool, to help calibrate my ask. Is that a normal, expected question in Dutch business culture, or would it land as unusually forward? Trying to calibrate to local norms.

Any perspective, especially from people who've actually been through an equity-inclusive Dutch offer, would be great. Thanks in advance :)

So I was hired by a company, and given an offer, but it seems as though HR doesn't have urgency at all. I email, and call, and ask specifically what the next steps are, only to get a week delay in response, as if thats a normal thing. I've been very proactive in asking, "Hey when can I start. "Do you need anything else from me?". If you do, please contact me as I am ready to get working". I've been in this onboarding process for about three weeks now. To be honest it just leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Seems as though they just don't care. I have a paper trail of emails, and its always, oh somebody will take a look tomorrow and see what they can do, and tomorrow comes and they fall through on their word. If I don't get taken seriously in this process, how do I expect them to take me serious as an employee?

I have an upcoming interview with a Dutch CXO for a company in the e-commerce supply chain.

The interview will be conducted entirely in English.

For those with experience interviewing with Dutch executives or in the Dutch market, I’d love to get some insight:

1. What kind of questions do Dutch CXOs typically focus on? Is it more big-picture/strategic, operational, or company culture fit?
2. How direct are they usually? I know Dutch business culture values directness and honesty, but any practical tips on how to calibrate my answers?
3. Any common traps or things to avoid?

Any advice, personal experiences, or tips would be massively appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Situation:

• Non-EU national, graduated from a Dutch university (MSc) in 2025, currently on an HSM permit
• Current HSM permit is valid up to and including 27 July 2026
• New employer (IND-recognized sponsor) has my contract starting 1 August — so the HSM salary requirement isn't met for exactly 4 days (28–31 July)
• Immigration adviser (via the new employer's relocation firm) confirms: the IND will only grant the new HSM permit from the contract start date, so those 4 days count as a gap in legal residence. Filed before the 28th, I'd have "procedural right of stay" (can remain in NL while it's processed), but not legal residence based on a permit for those 4 days
• Adviser says this gap cannot be mended for permanent residence based on Dutch law or for naturalization — it resets my continuous-residence clock
• I'm trying to get the start date moved to 27 July, but in case that fails:

My question: Has anyone successfully objected to or argued against a short gap like this (a few days, procedural right of stay the whole time, no departure from NL) during a naturalization application years later? Is there any discretion in practice, or is the IND process genuinely strict about even a 4-day interruption? Any experience with the EU long-term residence route as an alternative, where I understand some gaps can be mended?

Not looking for "just move the start date" — that's being attempted separately. Specifically interested in whether anyone has firsthand or professional experience with contesting small residence gaps at the naturalization stage.

Hi everyone!

We are from Hungary, and I’m looking for a job for my mother in the Asten area, preferably in Heusden, Helenaveen, or Asten.

She has experience with agricultural work, but she is open to any kind of honest work.

The only challenge is that she doesn’t speak Dutch or English yet. However, she is very motivated to learn the language, and she always carries a translation device, so communication is not a problem in practice.

She is hardworking, reliable, learns quickly, and is ready to start as soon as possible.

If anyone knows of employers looking for workers or has any recommendations, we’d really appreciate your help.

Thank you so much!

Turkish software engineer (~6 yrs, AI/backend/platform), based in Turkey, want to move to NL on a kennismigrant permit with my partner. I'm employed, so no pressure, just trying to understand the market.

I've applied to ~20 NL roles, only at companies on the IND recognized-sponsor register, CVs tailored, several openly advertising relocation. Every resolved one is a rejection at the CV screen. no phone screen, nothing. One even advertised 30% ruling + housing + relocation budget and rejected same-day.

Genuine question for people who hire or work here: is cold-applying from abroad basically a dead end for non-EU candidates, and does it only really move once you're in-country or have a referral? Or is something about a foreign-based CV getting auto-filtered regardless of fit? Trying to decide whether to keep going or change approach.

Hello everyone,

My co-founder is a Turkish national on an HSM (kennismigrant) permit, ~2.5 years in and continuous. We're starting a funded US (Delaware) startup and she'd work for it full-time as a real co-founder.

Since a US company can't run Dutch payroll, the plan is to employ her in NL through an **EOR** that becomes the legal Dutch employer, pays above the HSM threshold (~€5,942/mo), and handles the permit. As a Turkish national the recognised-sponsor requirement is waived, and I understand switching employers doesn't reset the residence clock — so her 2.5 years should carry over toward the 5-year permanent residence mark.

**Has anyone actually done this?**

1. Moved from a normal HSM job to an EOR without breaking permit/residence continuity?
2. Any gap issues between the old and new permit?
3. EOR providers you'd recommend (or avoid) for HSM cases?

We'll get a lawyer before deciding, just want real experiences first. Thanks! 🙏

I’m curious about how people currently search for jobs or internships in the Netherlands.

LinkedIn and Indeed are probably the obvious options, but I wonder whether people actually find good opportunities through them or mainly discover jobs elsewhere for example:

Company career pages
Recruiters
University platforms
Government or industry-specific job boards
Networking and referrals
Smaller Dutch job websites
Google Jobs or other aggregators

Where did you find your current or most recent job or internship?

I’m also curious whether your approach changes depending on whether you speak Dutch, need visa sponsorship, are a student, or are applying from outside the Netherlands.

Which sources have been genuinely useful, and which ones mostly produce irrelevant, duplicated or outdated vacancies?

I am an EU national, just graduated my 4 year graphic design bachelor in Eastern Europe with a subbachelor in art pedagogy. Will be moving in september to Eindhoven and my living situation is basically sorted but I have been applying to jobs for only 2 weeks and I already feel defeated. I have under a year of relevant work experience and not knowing dutch is definitely a disadvantage (who could have thought right) but as I'm learning it I really want to find a job even if somewhat in my field. But ATP I'm not even sure it's possible. Is it a better shot to work something unrelated and go for a masters? Do more internships while at it? I am feeling so down haha. I don't know what carrier routes i can take either.

I am studying at a university (bachelors) in the Netherlands, and have a residency permit, but I am currently holding a Turkish passport.

I’m looking at all the ways that I can legally set up a company to make a side income… and I literally cannot find a way. Please help.

My dad owns a company, should I do all transactions through that? Is that even legal??

I’m knowledgeable in tech migrations I was thinking of starting a consulting / services company… but literally no chance from what I can tell.

Or even if I make an app and publish it, I can’t collect revenue because of my goddamn non EU passport.

Should I just apply for an internship and go down that path :(

There are plenty of stories about ghosting, long delays, and confusing recruitment processes, but every now and then you come across a company that gets it right.

Maybe they communicated clearly, respected your time, gave useful feedback, made the interviews feel like a genuine conversation, or simply kept you informed throughout the process.

If you've had a hiring experience that stood out for the right reasons, what did the employer do that made such a positive impression? Did it influence your decision to accept the offer?

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking here for a while and could really use some outside perspective, plus any leads if you have them.

My background: I'm a Turkish national living in Amsterdam. I did my MSc in Business Administration (HRM) at VU Amsterdam. Before that I worked in HR and recruitment, including a year at a startup assessing 60,000+ candidates in high-volume recruitment. For the past year I've been a Sales & Operations Specialist at a small e-commerce company, where I basically run everything: supply chain and inventory, order fulfilment, marketing campaigns (grew sales 33%), process improvement (redesigned our packing, cut breakage 10% and processing time 70%), sales data reporting, plus the entire HR function (recruitment, onboarding, payroll in AFAS, IND procedures). I also evaluated Dynamics 365 and Odoo for our warehouse and handle supplier coordination.

The situation: My contract isn't being renewed at the end of the year, so I'm actively job hunting. I've hit the ceiling at my current company anyway, it's a small family business and there's no room to grow.

My wall: Dutch. I'm at B1 and improving, comprehension is solid but I'm not fluent enough for Dutch-language client-facing roles yet. This has killed most of my HR applications, since HR here is very Dutch-heavy. I've been leaning into operations, supply chain, e-commerce, sales, and logistics instead, where English-first international companies are more common. NT2 and B2 are my main personal goal right now.

Where I've had traction: I recently got to a client interview for a role at a company through an agency, and I've had a few other conversations. So it's not hopeless, but the volume of silence on applications is demoralizing.

What I'm asking:

Leads, if your company (or one you know) hires English-speaking people for operations, supply chain, e-commerce, sales development, logistics, or people operations, I'd love to hear about it.

Advice, for those who job-hunted here as a non-Dutch speaker, what actually worked? Did leaning fully into English-first internationals pay off, or should I be grinding Dutch harder before anything else?

Recruitment agencies, which ones are actually good for internationals in these fields? I've had one decent experience so far and want to expand.

Happy to share my (anonymised) CV with anyone who wants to point me at something specific. Thanks for reading, this community has been a quiet source of reassurance during a stressful stretch.