Most students would consider staying

The vast majority of the foreign students in the Netherlands consider remaining in the Netherlands, after graduation. Most of them believe that it is easier to find a job here and also they think that the Netherlands is an attractive place to live, where there are many interesting jobs that are not available in their own countries.

The issues for foreign graduates

However, in spite of the fact that those students desire to stay in the Netherlands, there are issues that pose as barriers for them.

The language issue - most foreign students speak English but they do not know Dutch. Someone might tell that it is simple to learn the language, but the expenses to learn Dutch fast or in time could be quite considerable.

The second issue is adaptation to the uncountable rules that exist concerning living and working in the Netherlands, so many just quit trying to find a way to overcome or learn all those rules and they eventually return to their countries.

Finally, sometimes there just isn't enough time to find a job in order to remain in The Netherlands. Many foreign graduates suggest that it could possibly be easier for them to remain in the Netherlands if they were given more time. In accordance to the Dutch legitimacy, foreigners have only one year to find a job after their graduation ("search year"), otherwise they have to leave the country.

An attempt to help foreign students

The board of the Social and Economic Council of the Netherlands is aware of the aforementioned problems and difficulties for the foreigners and thus, they try to find ways to persuade foreign students to remain in the country after graduation. For more information visit their website

Source: www.ser.nl / Photos by: University of Exeter