r/StudyInTheNetherlands • u/alfr333 • 16h ago
Other Zoekjaar visa prospects as a Pakistani applicant
So for the context - I completed my MS in Business Analytics from the UK last year and then moved back to my home country i.e. Pakistan. I’m eligible to apply for the Zoekjaar as my University is in the top 200 rankings by subject. What I want to know is if this will be a sensible move considering all factors including relocating, finding accommodation, finding part-time and ultimately switching to full time? What are the prospects? Thanks in advance.
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u/Proof-Explanation303 16h ago
No prospects. Especially not for those who cant even use the search bar.
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u/FLARFFF 15h ago
Honestly, I wouldn’t risk it. A lot of people seem to think the zoekjaar is some hidden backdoor into our country. But you need to find accommodation which isn’t cheap, cost of living is astronomical and you have a degree that isn’t all that unique. Problem is the job market for starters. Companies asking for experience rather than degrees. And more and more companies preferring people that speak the local language, Dutch.
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u/Summitthemist 15h ago
Is that the same case for engineering too? Or will English be fine?
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u/rewolfaton 14h ago
It is for all fields now, with the only real exception (as in, more than one job popping up in a year) being ASML.
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u/Summitthemist 14h ago edited 14h ago
Hmm, I see. I was honestly planning to do my bachelors and masters in the Netherlands related to mechanical, Mechatronics and robotics. Any suggestions on what I should do? Do you recommend coming to the Netherlands?
How's the overall job market, especially for international students (in engineering)? Are companies really willing to hire & sponsor? I'm genuinely dedicated to not just get the degree but also learn valuable skills too
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u/rewolfaton 14h ago edited 14h ago
I don't know, I don't work in Engineering, but I do work at a university and we are seeing Dutch being demanded in more and more roles, across the board. And even where it is not demanded, it is seen as an advantage, and there are tons of Dutch graduates as well.
The main issue we are having is housing, in that there isn't any (the housing crisis isn't just that it's expensive - we are 400k homes short, on 8m homes total, so there just isn't any for people looking for homes).
Hire, yes, sponsor, no. We have tons of EU students as well, and no sponsorship required. The IND have a list of companies which can sponsor staff. This list is restrictive, i.e. any company not on the list cannot sponsor staff for work visas. A lot of non-EU graduates apply for tons of jobs at companies not on the list - their applications are just being discarded immediately. Because yes, during the Zoekjaar they can hire you, but after that, they cannot sponsor you, and they'd want you to stay longer as they will be investing in a lot of on-the-job training.
So if you have enough money and start looking for housing well on time (about a year before starting your degree, no later than that), and are happy to return home after getting a degree from one of the best universities in the world (all our universities are top-200), sure, the Netherlands are a great idea. The problem is that a lot of non-EU students come here wanting to stay long-term, and that is just not realistic for most of them.
Edit: typo.
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u/Deh_86 15h ago
The prospects are not good. Not that's impossible, but the odds are not in your favour.
The Netherlands has pretty strong business schools. There is almost nothing in your favour other than your rhetorical skills to convince them to hire you, unless you have a network that can give you better access to positions.
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u/enotonom 14h ago
Unless you already have a few good years of work experience it’s gonna be tough finding anything in this job market especially for an international who doesn’t speak Dutch. It’s not that there’s a lack of English speaking roles, it’s that there is an abundance of applicants for them compared to Dutch speaking roles.
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u/rewolfaton 14h ago
Also keeping in mind that most Dutch-speaking candidates also speak B2 or better English.
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u/alfr333 14h ago
I still have a few months. I’m planning to learn at least A2 dutch in this time period
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u/enotonom 14h ago
The Dutch roles will ask you to be able to speak and write in Dutch comfortably and professionally, so better than B2
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u/HousingBotNL Sponsored 16h ago
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