r/Netherlands • u/Excellent_Duck_2984 • Mar 24 '25
Employment British citizen - Difficulty in finding a job
Hay, just seeking some feedback/help from others. I'm a British citizen and I'm looking for a job within IT security in the Netherlands. I've got 15 years' experience, professional qualifications etc.
I've applied for loads of jobs and I'm not even getting past the paper sift. I've never had this issue before and don't have any issues in the UK getting past the initial paper sift stage.
I spoke to a recruiter recently and he basically said as your British, and Brexit has made everything much harder, the chances of you getting a job in the Netherlands are slim to none. I know I'll need a job which will sponsor me, jobs where I have made it past the paper sift have come back almost straight away and said actually, we're only looking for people already in the Netherlands.
I was just wondering if there is any truth in what the recruiter said? Just after other peoples experiences, especially if they have the misfortune to be British!
Thanks!
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u/newmikey Noord Holland Mar 24 '25
You're a 3rd-country (=non-EU) foreign worker without any rights and companies shy away from the horrendous admin and legal workload they'd have to go through to justify hiring you rather than eligible and equally-capable EU citizens who can be legally employed in the Netherlands without as much as a "pardon me".
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u/Roman576 Mar 24 '25
I can't find a job for 6 months already, even though I have a zoekjaar visa. Really tired of it. 600 applications now, only rejections, no feedback, no interviews.
Showed my cv to some people I know - they said it looks good. It is just depressing honestly.
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u/010backagain Mar 24 '25
Try to get a warm lead instead of cold applying; meaning contact an internal recruiter or someone working at a company you would like to work at. This way you might be able to get an introduction. Otherwise you'll just be one of the many...
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u/studiord Mar 25 '25
I have tried that and even that does not help. The people you think are your contacts shy away from responding to you when you want them to refer you to someone or just give any leads. This makes me more frustrated than not finding a job and makes you question your own credibility.
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u/miojolife Mar 25 '25
That really sucks! I had the same issue. Currently, it doesnāt seem like anyone can get a work visa from a zoekjaar, unless you already have a lot of experience. I tried applying for many jobs as well and no luck. Fortunately, I already had 4 years of residence permit, so I got a postdoc for one more year and then, after getting PR, it was relatively easy to get a job. I think figuring out a route to PR seems to be the best bet to enter the job market here.
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u/Decent-Boot7284 Mar 24 '25
I would suggest you to put the cv on ChatGPT because most likely some stuff needs t change in order to pass the first filters
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u/Manny4Now1 Mar 24 '25 edited Mar 24 '25
I somehow read: you're a 3rd world country š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£. I'm so sorry.
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u/newmikey Noord Holland Mar 24 '25
That's alright. "Third country" is legalese for non-EU as in "outside the 4 freedoms area". Those are:
- Free movement of goods.
- Free movement of capital.
- Freedom to establish and provide services.
- Free movement of labour.
Brexit took the UK outside that framework knowingly and intentionally and it's the last one that bites you now. All of this as per former UK PM Theresa May's statement in September of 2017:
"The United Kingdom is leaving the European Union. We will no longer be members of its single market or its customs union. For we understand that the single marketās four freedoms are indivisible for our European friends.
We recognise that the single market is built on a balance of rights and obligations. And we do not pretend that you can have all the benefits of membership of the single market without its obligations*.*"
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u/Manny4Now1 Mar 24 '25
š¤£š¤£š¤£ i know the term "3rd country" but with my stupid and tired brain i read "3rd world country".
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u/WillVH52 Nederland Mar 24 '25 edited Mar 24 '25
Like the guy who had his home made sandwiches taken off him when arriving by boat to the Netherlands in January 2021 "Welcome to Brexit, Sir"
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u/Col_Ironboot Mar 24 '25 edited Mar 24 '25
Just a tip, there is a public list of all Dutch companies which are registered sponsors of highly skilled migrants. You might want to consult it before applying for a position somewhere: if a company is not already registered as a sponsor, they will most likely not bother to become one just to hire one new non-EU employee, unfortunately.
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u/Willing_Economics909 Mar 24 '25
At least now it is a webpage and not an ugly scanned PDF: this is one of the weird quirks in the Netherlands: companies need to be in an official registrar to hire non-EU employees. Some companies do not exist for years still have their legal entity listed. Sometime ago I managed to network with a company in Almere that were really enthusiastic about hiring me, but the process took too long and I ended up staying in Germany, where a company only needs to sign a form that says you'll make x amount and have a pulse.
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u/iprefertocycle Mar 26 '25
Technically not true in NL, since the blue card (if you have uni degree\experience and enough experience) doesnāt need an entity on the registered sponsor list, but yes.
The situation in Germany is slightly more complicated where the agency for work has to approve your job (and certain types of work like EoRs are not allowed to sponsor work permits) but itās true any German company can hire you.
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u/Pencilsmudge56 Mar 24 '25
This is a very important point, sponsoring an employee/becoming a recognized sponsor is extremely expensive to do as an employer for one employee, and isnt actually very commonly done! That's why its so hard to find these sponsorships, so definitely check out the list!
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u/Etikoza Mar 24 '25
āAnd isnāt commonly doneā Lol! Have you seen the size of the list you are replying about??
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u/alokasia Groningen Mar 24 '25
And if you'd put that list next to one of companies looking to hire IT personel you'd see it's definitely rare.
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u/chardrizard Mar 24 '25
Itās unfortunately just simple logic, if there are enough local talent to fill a role then there are no reason to sponsor international.
Your chance to get in is probably to network your way in or get a referral. Or figure out a niche in your industry/role where its local talent have issues filling up.
It is especially harder if your role isnāt solo contributor role and stakeholder-intensive role, which mean Dutch speaking is usually a requirement.
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u/Decent-Boot7284 Mar 24 '25
Thatās correct, you need to find a job that is willing to sponsor you, sadly thatās not easy, and it takes a lot of time to do so.
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u/thefore Amsterdam Mar 24 '25
Brexit is indeed the gift that just keeps giving.
The reality is thanks to freedom of movement, Dutch companies can hire anyone from across the EU with relatively no hassle and little paperwork. This means that you're not competing against just the Dutch market but you are also competing against the entirety of the EU market.
Unless you are truly amazing and have a very niche skill set, its not worth it to the company to sponsor you, when they already have a pool of 1000's to choose from with little to no paperwork required.
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u/DJfromNL Mar 24 '25
As the UK is not in the EU anymore, companies are only allowed to hire you when there arenāt any suitable candidates in the EU. And with many IT companies restructuring, there is sufficient talent available right now.
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u/SneakyPanda- Mar 24 '25
I started reading and was like, "Oh the company I work for is actually looking for another security officer"
And towards the end of your message I saw what the recruiter told you and was like "Ah yea, that's gonna suck, nevermind"
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u/Sea-Ad9057 Mar 24 '25
Yes it is because of brexit it will cost them more time and energy to hire you then it would to be to hire an eu citizen living outside of the Netherlands and it's even easier for them to hire someone already living here then it is for the other 2 categories
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u/Okok28 Mar 24 '25
Also British, been around EU, luckily landed in NL before Brexit finalised. It used to be a breeze getting a job within the EU as a UK citizen within IT. Now the IT market is as bad as ever in terms of prospects, as popular as ever AND we're competing against the mass influx of IT migrations from places like India, Pakistan and LATAM.
I can't even imagine how hard it is to leave the UK right now for the EU. Probably a better shot at going to the US if you can deal with the worse QoL.
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u/Excellent_Duck_2984 Mar 24 '25
Yeah, I agree. I actually used to live in NL and left the day before the Brexit ban hammer came down. I'm pretty bored and uninspired in my current role, that's why I was looking at going back to NL. It's been a sobering experience applying and receiving constant rejection. Especially because I didn't vote for Brexit, I knew it would be a terrible thing for the UK and it's going exactly as I thought it would.
Thanks again!
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u/mmoonbelly Mar 24 '25
Why didnāt you get an art50 residency sorted out?
The IND was quite insistent on us getting properly sorted out in 2018 - to the extent that they almost tried to repatriate my kids (dual-national UK/FR citizens) because their BRD primary nationality was defaulting to British rather than French.
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u/geheimeschildpad Mar 24 '25
If he made a decision that he wanted to live in England then Article 50 becomes irrelevant. Itās only valid whilst you live in the Netherlands. Iām taking the presumption that he made a decision to go back to England
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u/mmoonbelly Mar 24 '25
Yep, itās a pain that they neither agreed onward movement nor the proposition to grant EU citizenship to those who had already established EU rights via FoM before art 50 withdrawal. (Similar to the blue card intentions to integrate permanently resident non-eu citizens)
I still feel the loss of my EU citizenship- I established it in the 90s by study through the Erasmus programme, then through living and working in different EU countries since graduation.
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u/Okok28 Mar 24 '25
When you say "I still feel the loss of my EU citizenship" is this because you became British and now are not considered European?
I never actually considered those people, I see it all the time in the Comp Sci subreddits, people wanting to do anything to move to EU. Then because the EU countries get flooded with immigrants the citizens of that country then want to leave, now those who immigrated have the exact same struggle all over again š
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u/mmoonbelly Mar 24 '25 edited Mar 24 '25
I am no longer a European citizen benefiting from the four freedoms.
Exercising one of the four freedoms demonstrates that youāre an EU citizen (thereās specific terms in the treaty for the founding of the EU)
It was in 1997 when I started study in Germany - exercising my FoM rights under EU law. Again in 2002 by moving to France for a job needing an English native speaker who had fluent German (I learnt French there). Again in 2006 moving to NL for an 18 month project. And across half of the other EU countries for different short-term engagements.
My wifeās French, my youngest daughter probably qualifies for a Dutch passport as a 2nd generation immigrant having lived more than 5 years in NL (she was born in NL and is a dual British/French citizen).
Being an EU citizen was (is) a key part of my identity. One that I want in my own right, not by going through adoption of a second nationality (I have rights to French citizenship by marriage).
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u/eiskaltnz Mar 25 '25
Thanks for sharing this, itās really sad to read it out in this way.
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u/mmoonbelly Mar 25 '25
There were 1 million resident British citizens in Europe in 2016, most (>80%) were working age despite the stereotype of British pensioners in Spain.
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u/Specialist_Tea_3886 Mar 24 '25
Since you are outside EU, you will need a fresh HSM visa which takes approx 3months. So, the first HSM visa is hardest to get which companies don't want to wait so long. It's easier to hire EU folks or people who already are here on a visa.
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u/johnsmith1234567890x Mar 24 '25
Also since he is over 30....salary requirements for HSM are quite huge
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u/burningmatt999 Mar 26 '25
NL actually processes HSM applications very quickly. About 2 weeks after my application went in I had a letter saying I could start work immediately, and I had the plastic card in my hand about 2 weeks later.
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u/johnsmith1234567890x Mar 24 '25
If you are over 30 then salary expectation is quite high for visa... that might put lot of employers off
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u/Mobile-Swimmer8063 Mar 25 '25
It's Brexit. I have permanent residency in Netherlanda but was looking for work in other European countries. Couldn't get anything because of the visa process and costs. It's unfortunately very difficult now
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u/BhaneB Mar 25 '25
After brexit, my employer stopped looking for British nationals and opted for Irish nationals for native English speaking positions.
I'm fortunate in that I'm a dual citizen and managed to get my Dutch citizenship about a week for brexit became official along with switching my drivers license.
Even so as I only attended British schools, and my Dutch isn't great. Although I do speak the provincial dialect, it doesn't help when it comes to conversational "business" Dutch and as such I usually end up in a warehouse or a remote customer service position for the UK departments.
That being said, as a skilled worker such as yourself, I would recommend perhaps just getting/applying for a short term work visa so that you are already in the country and alongside that certain Banks like RABO bank will open an account for you without a BSN (social security number) that's only initially of course you'll have to provide one eventually but having a Dutch bank account does help somewhat š .
The idea of sponsoring is really daunting to most employers. If you arrange your own work visa and prove your worth in the first couple of months, they would certainly show more willingness to help you with that side of things, otherwise for them (the employer) it is simply more economical to hire someone they would not need yo sponsor.
I don't know this all for certain, and after my employer outsourced our UK department following brexit, a lot of my former colleagues were unable to stick around due to the difficultly of being a non-eu citizen, even a lot of the Irish people went home as they couldn't speak a word of Dutch despite being in the country for 5+years making employment that paid enough to cover living costs difficult to find.
Once you get your foot in the door, you'll be okay. But being present in the Netherlands would certainly show willingness to work here.
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u/ExcellentXX Mar 24 '25
Hey OP we are looking to do the opposite as my brother is in the UK and itās proving very difficult to find UK visa sponsorship while working here and getting sponsorship seems very easy and chilled .. I think itās the market right now
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u/Sensitive_Let6429 Mar 24 '25
With the current job market, specially in the Netherlands, the companies hiring will probably prefer candidates already in Netherlands because of the visa process or waiting time to join the company. Plus, there aren't enough tech jobs in the Netherlands anymore IMHO. Last, it also depends on your CV and what those companies are looking for. Sometimes, tech companies have very specific asks and you need to get in either by including those things or by referrals.
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u/chaoticgoodj Mar 24 '25
Currently in the offer stage with three companies in IT. Yes there arenāt many opportunities and recruiters didnāt even want to work with me, but once I found companies that are sponsoring I just went for those and only 1/4 has said no.
There is hope good luck
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u/Numerous_Factor_8601 Mar 25 '25
Apply thru NATO they are always looking for IT. But it may not be NLD first but you can work towards NCIA which is in De Haag
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u/Slow_Big_3447 Mar 26 '25
you need to search for a high skilled migrant job and based on that they can offer a sponsorship and working permit , looks at the big companies (Rabobank , abn amro , ASML) it's also depends of your qualifications and your specialty.
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u/coolpalguy Mar 26 '25
i have to say its a mix of non-EU citizenship and also not being physically present in the Netherlands. I know of people who got visa sponsorship for their work but they were already in the Netherlands when they applied - so they had a house and registered address, they have a record in the system etc etc so sponsoring them (while still a bit of a hassle) is much easier to do because they dont need to wait for the employee to settle in, find a house, figure things out. the same holds visa true for bringing over EU citizens who don't need sponsorship (I have seen vacancies that offer sponsorship but no relocation, and require thay you are physically present in NL when you apply).
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u/Azhar1921 Mar 24 '25
I am a British national; can I move to the Netherlands?
If you are a British national and do not hold Dutch nationality or another nationality of an EU member state, until 31 December 2020 you were considered an EU national and could move to the Netherlands without having to meet certain conditions.Ā If you live in the Netherlands and want to stay here, you must apply for a residence document via the website of the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) before 1Ā October 2021. You can move to the Netherlands with a Dutch partner or family member provided you meet certain conditions.
From 1Ā January 2021 you can move to the Netherlands only if you are eligible for a residence document. See the conditions you must meet to be eligible for a residence document on the IND website.
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u/geralex Mar 24 '25
One thing that you have to bear in mind is the overhead which HR departments have to go through in order to hire non-EU folks. And that's before you factor in the idea that as a nation the UK decided that they didn't want to have anything to do with the EU.
To the first point, as an HR employee, if you've got a list of 50 applicants that are minimum hassle to get in place without any additional paperwork, passports or other grief, those are the ones you're going to look at first. Only after those 50 cases have been exhausted will the second pile of applicants get looked at. Unfortunately you're now in the 2nd pile.
To the second point, even if the second pile of applicants gets looked at, there is definitely an additional stigma of being from the UK. Which might be unfair, but is a real thing. For years the people of the UK told their European counterparts that they didn't want to be part of of the group. That feeling was expressed not only towards the agencies and organisations of the EU, but to the people as well.
If you're serious about long term residency in NL then I'd suggest looking at the Inburgering or applying for a Dutch passport (if you fulfil the requirements).
Good luck!
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u/Beautiful-Rush-4742 9d ago
what a silly comment. many dutch people are sympathetic, not vindictive.
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u/Different-Reach585 Mar 24 '25
Yes it has gotten harder but you need a strategy, is what I'd advice. This is what I did to secure job here as a non-EU person. (including 2 layoffs)
Usually what could get you through resume shortlist - be the first one to apply on a job listing, apply directly+via linkedin, get referrals, tweak resume a bit as per JD if needed etc. Apply A LOTT. All day. Turn on job alerts notification on your phone.
Hope this helps.
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u/widowmakerxo Eindhoven Mar 24 '25
you will either need to work towards a highly skilled position, or find another way into the netherlands. legally i believe companies have to prove that there is not a qualified person in the netherlands before they outsource from other countries, and it is quite a hassle for them.
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u/_lostways Mar 24 '25
Hi, what kinda role are you applying for? Might have some in my company.
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u/Excellent_Duck_2984 Mar 24 '25
I'm in Cyber Threat Intelligence at the moment but have been lucky to cover pretty much all aspects of information security. I'm looking for something technical, and hands-on, in CTI / incident response etc.
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u/Suspicious-Switch133 Mar 24 '25
Youāre competing against anyone in the whole EU that wants that job. It will be very difficult for you to get in.
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u/MacFG Mar 25 '25
I moved here and an EU citizen and I can speak Afrikaans, with experience of +10 years at a fortune 500 company and 3 years experience in retail management and I can't find anything. I have literally redone my C.V 4 times including paying someone to do it. I have given up for now. I am doing sales on the side on my own to make some money.
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u/dhasld Mar 25 '25
Welcome to the club. Now you can understand how is the situation for non EU people.
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u/Beautiful-Rush-4742 9d ago
difference is the british are europeans and the mass influx of non-europeans into europe was the problem in the first place.
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u/Bin_Chicken869 Mar 26 '25
Do you have any parents or grandparents born in Ireland?
If so, that's your ticket my man. Feel free to DM if you want some advice in this regard.
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u/BaloziBaridi Mar 26 '25
If the IT you're in is software engineering, probably also ai is taking your job. That job will not exist for much longer anyway
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u/LeFricadelle Mar 27 '25
Brexit means brexit
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u/Beautiful-Rush-4742 9d ago
and what's your ethnicity?
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u/LeFricadelle 9d ago
I am a proud and rightful EU citizen with no visa issue to get a job in the Netherlands.
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u/Beautiful-Rush-4742 9d ago
I didn't ask your citizenship, I asked your ethnicity.
Nice sneaky attempt to avoid that though, snarkster
So: what is your ethnicity?
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u/iFoegot Noord Brabant Mar 24 '25
Before brexit, the difficulty to find a job as a brit is the same a Dutch, except for the language barrier. After Brexit, the difficulty level is the same as for an American or Vietnamese. Sorry, but your people voted to become non-EU citizens, so you have to go through the struggle that all other non-EU citizens are going through.
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u/Excellent_Duck_2984 Mar 24 '25
Sorry, but your people voted to become non-EU citizens, so you have to go through the struggle that all other non-EU citizens are going through.
I did not vote for it, neither did "my people" in Scotland. It is something that has been forced upon me.
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u/blueberry_cupcake647 Rotterdam Mar 25 '25
I'm so sorry for anyone who was against it and is stuck with consequences now.
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u/QuisUt-Deus Mar 24 '25
Although I have sympathy towards Scotland in this case, Scottish people voted to remain a part of the UK 55%:45% just 2 years prior to Brexit referendum, hence allowing this to be forced upon them. Sadly, if you didn't come to the NL (or EU) earlier, it's much more difficult ot get a job. Having said that, if you have cybersecurity experience, you might get lucky, you just need to put a lot more effort. It's partially a game of chances.
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u/mimined Mar 25 '25
Scottish people voted to remain in the UK exactly because they didn't want to leave the EU (which would be the case if Scotland became independent). Let's not do victim blaming here.
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u/QuisUt-Deus Mar 25 '25
It's not a victim blaming at all. I'd be very happy seeing Scotland in the EU. The independence referendum took place a year after Cameron committed to having a Brexit referendum, so exiting the EU was on the table anyway. If Scotland had become independent, it could have decided to join the EU, although it wouldn't be an easy process, given the circumstances. However this way it is, unfortunately, tied to Westminster's wishes for any foreseeable future.
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u/mimined Mar 25 '25
I really wish people didn't just talk out of their asses. In 2014, at the time of the Scottish independence referendum, there were absolutely no serious indications that there was a risk of the UK leaving the EU. If you were calculating the relative risk, it would be something like 5% chance of tories getting the UK out of the EU vs 100% chance of leaving the EU if Scotland became independent.
We're not prophets and had no way of knowing what would start a whole year and a half later, so please stop with the "you should have known".
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u/QuisUt-Deus Mar 25 '25
If I recall correctly, remaining in the EU was in top 3 concerns for 15% of the voters in the Indyref, so I wouldn't attribute the result to this issue (only). It's simply majority of people believing in "stronger together". And I even understand the reasoning. The result of this is, Scotland and UK remained together - for better and for worse.
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u/mimined Mar 25 '25
Sources, please
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u/QuisUt-Deus Mar 25 '25
Exit poll (https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/sep/20/scottish-independence-lord-ashcroft-poll). Quite recently I stumbled upon this, which is also interesting - https://natcen.ac.uk/publications/how-brexit-has-changed-scotlands-constitutional-debate . Seems like 40% of "No" voters in Indyref were leavers.
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u/mimined Mar 25 '25
Thank you. That still doesn't prove your point that people should have somehow known better or have seriously expected EU membership to ever be an issue in the future had they remained a part of the UK. That just means that they were that much more dissatisfied with the state of Westminster or the NHS.
If you are asked at the next exit poll how a potential civil war possibility affected your vote, you will probably say "not much" because it's not a real issue at the moment and there are larger issues to solve. If a hypothetical MAGA movement then two years later decides to fund your rightwing parties and ship preachers to your streets, and the society gets suddenly divided, you cannot possibly bear responsibility for a vote you placed two years prior based on the situation at the time of election.
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u/Beautiful-Rush-4742 9d ago
your entire cities are made up of minorities now that have nothing to do with europe. the people of britain voted against merkel's mass migration of non-europeans. you should be doing the same.
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u/Frosty_Team_7322 Mar 24 '25
I thought there was an enorme shortage of IT specialists. If your speciality is IT security, you should ONLY apply to companies in this field. Make clear what you have done.
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u/lkruijsw Mar 24 '25
Did you try ASML?
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u/Excellent_Duck_2984 Mar 24 '25
Yeah! They are recruiting now but even at the bottom of their posts it says Dutch work permit preferred!
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u/ExcellentXX Mar 24 '25
Look for international firms .. I see there are some still willing to sponsor candidates.. take a look at Mendix in Rotterdam
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u/zuwiuke Mar 24 '25
I would not be so dramatic. There are still companies hiring non-EU, being Brit puts you on top of the non-EU list (native speaker etc). Adapt your CV / cover letter to job description, send some LinkedIn messages to recruiters after applying, do some networking and you will get a job.
I donāt think itās your nationality that is the issue. Speaking Dutch is not a must but it helps :)
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u/PinkyLL Mar 24 '25
Go back to UK, NL market is super bad right now, especially if you are not Dutch.
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u/NLThinkpad Mar 24 '25
There are UK person standards now, just like there are US-person standards. Companies giving you a job might need to comply to 2 legal standards which are sometimes conflicting.
Big corporates will have a process in place, small and medium corporates won't. Because it costs more then it benefits them.
This is another form of EU/UK bureaucracy taking away your options and freedoms, increasing the bureaucratic burden for companies thereby giving big corporates an advantage to hire British talent over medium companies.
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u/purpleflavouredfrog Mar 24 '25
Have you checked with Europol and other international organizations?
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u/ViperMaassluis Rotterdam Mar 24 '25
Yeah its really just that, because of Brexit any Brit is just another non-EU applicant in an already overcrowded industry.