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Searching for a Job as a Permitholder

Congratulations on getting your Dutch residence permit as a statushouder (permitholder)! What's next? You might want to find a job. But first, there are some things you should know. Read further to find out everything you need to know to equip yourself to find a job in the Northern Netherlands.

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Your Right to Work

Look at the back of your residence permit card to find out what your right to work is.

Arbeid vrij toegestaan. TWV niet vereist: You can work like a regular Dutch citizen, and your employer doesn't need to get a special work permit for you.
Arbeid vrij toegestaan. TWV vereist: You are allowed to work in the Netherlands, but your employer must arrange a work permit for you. In this case, if your employer cannot arrange a work permit, you can ask your case manager when you will have a new permit which allows you to work freely without a work permit.

Important things to know

If you still live in a COA (asylum) location:

1) Get to know if Reba applies to you
Reba is your paid contribution for your reception at the COA location. When you start working, you need to inform your COA Participation Desk Coordinator (COA coördinator meedoenbalie). Depending on how much you earn, you might need to pay some money (called reba) to COA. You can read more about reba here, or ask your case manager or Participation Desk Coordinator for help.

2) Tell your employer about the weekly reporting
You need to report to your COA Location Manager every week, and the time when you need to report could change. You should tell your employer about this requirement, so they know you need some flexibility in your schedule to be able to report. Dutch working culture values being on time, which is why it’s important for your employer to know beforehand if and when you will be late.

Before you start looking for a job...

You have a case manager. They can help you start to look for jobs in Northern Netherlands. Before you start looking, these questions are helpful to ask yourself:

Do I know what kind of job I want?
Do I have the required skills for the job? If not, do I want to learn them?
Do I need to speak fluent Dutch for the job?

Your case manager can help you answer these questions. Make it in the North can also help you out—there is a lot of information on our website about the Northern Dutch job market and what is happening in which industry.

If you know the answers, you're ready to start looking for a job! Here's how to prepare:

Get a professional to check your CV. Your case manager can support you to access help, or sign up for our free 1-on-1 CV Critique (timeslots open two weeks in advance)
Learn how to write a good motivation letter.
If you need your diplomas or certificates translated or evaluated to the Dutch standard (diplomawaardering), your case manager can help you with this.

Where to start looking for a job?

Once you have the above settled, you are ready to start your job hunt journey!

Check out our jobs page
Be proactive! Try sending an open application to companies. If you need inspiration of what companies to reach out to, try our company culture matchtool.
Check out local recruitment agencies if they have something for you

Could use more pointers? Register for an account now to use our Jobseeker Dashboard.

This is also where Make it in the North can start helping you!

Find out more about us, and what we can do to help you. 👇🏼

Read more about us, and what we can do for you

Employers can get support and subsidies for hiring you. They might not know!

The Dutch government has programs to help companies hire permitholders, and many companies do not know about this yet. In addition, companies can receive subsidies for hiring you. It’s a great idea to be up to date on this so that you can inform potential employers about this.

Companies located in Groningen and Noord-Drenthe that need support to hire permitholders should contact Werk in Zicht (info@werkinzicht.nl or call 050 1234567). Companies can also email team.werkgeversdienstverlening@groningen.nl or call 050 367 5009.

While you're looking for a paid job, consider volunteering

ANY work experience can help you find a job. While you're looking, try volunteering. This gives you experience, helps you build a local network, and shows you what it's like to work in Northern Netherlands. It's also a good way to explore what you like doing.