Have you ever noticed that in the Netherlands (but not only) there are certain ‘cursed’ job sectors where salaries are significantly lower than in others? For example, horeca and retail jobs tend to be paid much less than other fields, even though the work is often harder and the conditions worse.
So, one good chef can get less money than an employee working at a reception...
Hi all,
I wanted to ask for help and advice on my career transition. I hold a masters in aerospace engineering and am currently working in manufacturing in the Netherlands as a 5-Axis CAM programmer, and would like to transition into a design / R&D position.
I started my career as an information and data manager, creating bespoke CRM tools for large public sector clients in UK. But, I wanted to transition into a more manufacturing/engineering specific role so I decided to become a CNC machinist. My thought process was that I wanted to gain the hands on experience most people who graduated from university miss, seeing fixturing for manufacturing, assembly, actual part manufacturing etc.. All things which cause a lot of headaches later in the design process.
I than quite quickly moved up in the ladder and at the moment I am a 5-Axis CAM programmer. On the way I have machined everything from carbon fibre to tool steel, working and creating parts for aerospace, motorsport, defence and so on. Whilst also creating automation tools in the CAM programming process using my knowledge of Python and visual basic.
I know my experience is valuable however, I also know that my design experience is purely theoretical. I feel like I bring a lot of practical experience that should be valuable in R&D or design-for-manufacturing roles. However, although I have been applying for Junior Design Engineering roles, I am yet to hear anything positive back. I am applying through LinkedIn mainly and actively tailoring my CV and cover letter for each role I apply to.
Also, for context, I was based in the UK and only recently moved to Netherlands 9 months ago. I understand that the language is a massive negative in my favour however, I had to move for my wife’s work.
My questions were am I looking at the right places? Should I include recruiters in my search? Any other pointers will be much appreciated. Happy to provide more context if required. Thank you.
ive been working in the netherlands for a few years now and i still get caught off guard by things that are apparently completely normal here.
for me it was the birthday thing. bringing your own cake to work on YOUR birthday. in greece (where im from) your colleagues would treat you, not the other way around. i showed up empty-handed my first birthday at work and you could feel the disappointment in the room lmao.
also the directness. i thought i was direct until i moved here. my first performance review my manager told me my presentation skills were "not good enough yet" and then immediately moved on to the next topic like he just told me the weather. no sandwich feedback, no softening. i genuinly sat there in shock for a few seconds.
oh and borrels. the concept of standing around drinking lukewarm beer with your colleagues on a friday afternoon being considered a critical networking event. i love it now but nobody prepared me for how important showing up to those actually is for your career.
curious what caught everyone else off guard. especially if you came from a culture where workplace norms are very different.
Hello there, I’m a 22 years old (M) Consultant working in The Netherlands for a small company and I resigned last month and was on my last week of the contract.
Last week I took two days off ( sick leave) and worked from home two more days ( I had nothing to do).
Today, my Boss confronted me saying that I wasn’t already with my head in the company and suggested me to end the contract right there, which meant I wouldn’t receive the full amount of my last salary. In between discussions, I felt pressured, and I signed the new resignation letter, which made me lose some money.
Could have I said no?
What should I’ve done differently?
Hey everyone, long time lurker here. I'm working in the Netherlands and I've been offered an exciting but complex opportunity and I'm trying to figure out the tax implications before I say yes.
The situation
A researcher at a Dutch university is spinning out a company to commercialize IP he developed. The patent stays with the university and gets licensed into the newco. There's one investor coming in with an in-kind contribution, mostly staff, worth around 300K euro for the first year, possibly some additional cash, in exchange for 25% of the company. The researcher also received a 50K euro grant from a national fund to get things off the ground.
They want me to come on board as director to handle company building and sales. I have a regular employment elsewhere which I will keep and would do this through a newly incorporated BV (Dutch holding company). The offer on the table:
The tax problem I'm worried about
My understanding is that when shares or options vest in the Netherlands, the tax authority (Belastingdienst) taxes at the moment of vesting, even if the shares are completely illiquid and you can't sell them. So if the company is worth 1M euro after year 1, 2M after year 2 and 3M after year 3, I could be looking at tens of thousands of euros in tax on paper gains from shares I cannot sell, in a company that is still high risk and could go to zero the next day.
That feels like a brutal situation and I want to avoid it if possible.
My question
For those who have been through something similar in the Netherlands, or who know Dutch tax law around equity compensation, what are the best structures to minimize or eliminate this tax problem? Ideally something that works cleanly when holding the shares through a BV rather than personally.
I know I need a tax advisor and I will get one, but I want to go into that conversation with some idea of what questions to ask and what options exist. Any pointers very much appreciated.
theres alot of generic advice floating around about dutch hiring (write a flat CV, no photo, send the same template everywhere etc) but the thing that actually shifted how i think about NL hiring usually came from a single specific moment of going through it.
for me it was realising how much weight people here put on the second interview being a coffee/lunch where you talk about NOT the job. the first round is all CV and competencies but the second round is a vibe check disguised as a chat. i thought i was getting a free meal, turned out i was being assessed.
whats the moment or interaction that changed how YOU think about getting hired here?
Hi all,
I’m in the last round of interview for a really great role. This round will be kinda like a vibe-check round where I will have 2 small rounds - one meet the potential team members and the HR manager together, another one meet the main stakeholders. I have met with the manager already.
I heard that this one will not involve a lot of technical questions, rather to see if I fit with the role, team, company and all the soft-skill questions.
I would like to be unique and smart with my answers. I’m trying to think about different things that would be helpful for this round, but will gladly appreciate all the recommendations.
Ps.This role is in banking sector, this would be my 2nd job in NL, I’m not Dutch.
Thank you!
I recently read a post by an autistic person who found that people would treat them better if they disclosed that they were autistic rather than just doing their best to mask. To paraphrase, people were more understanding when they had a concrete explanation for the person's differences rather than just a (subconscious) feeling that there was something odd about them that they couldn't place. Has anyone had experience with doing this in a professional environment? Do y'all think the risk is worth it, and if so, when do you think is the best time to let a new employer/coworkers know? (Assume that the person doesn't need any special accommodations, but can't mask "perfectly" long-term.)
i see alot of threads every week from people who just signed a payroll or uitzend contract and have no idea what that actually means for their rights. 3-way contracts. day-rate offers. "tripartite" arrangements. the terminology is all over the place and the recruiters often dont explain it properly either.
working in staffing for a while now, i figured id try to lay out the basics so people have something to reference before signing.
first: WAADI
WAADI (Wet Allocatie Arbeidskrachten Door Intermediairs) is the dutch law that regulates any company that "places workers" — staffing agencies, payroll companies, secondment firms. the key thing it requires is that they register with the Chamber of Commerce (KvK) as a labor intermediary. if a company isnt registered, they shouldnt legally be placing you at a client. you can check the WAADI register online for any intermediary name.
so rule #1 — before you sign, check if the company is WAADI-registered. this is free and takes 30 seconds.
second: CAO
most staffing/payroll companies fall under one of two industry-wide CAOs: the ABU CAO or the NBBU CAO. the content is very similar but not identical. every staffing/payroll contract should say which CAO applies. the CAO overrides alot of what gets written in your personal contract — salary scales, sick pay caps, holiday structure, notice periods, pension.
the CAO rules you absolutely want to know:
phase A (detachering / uitzend) is the first 52 weeks youre placed. during this phase the employer has the least commitment to you. contract can be ended quickly if the client drops you. but you build up rights as you go.
phase B starts after 52 weeks. youre on fixed-term contracts but the employer has more obligation. you can be in phase B for up to 3 years (ABU) or 4 years (NBBU) across max 6 contracts before it converts.
phase C is what they want you to avoid making you — this is the permanent-contract phase where you get strong dismissal protection. staffing companies tend to end placements right before this kicks in.
third: the confusing stuff
sick pay. under ABU/NBBU your sick pay can actually be CAPPED at a certain percentage for a certain duration, different from the default dutch 2-year 70% employer-paid illness law. some people think theyre protected like a regular employee and theyre not — the staffing contract changes that. read the sick pay clause.
holiday structure. vakantiegeld (8%) and vakantiedagen still apply, but under some payroll setups you see "all-in day rates" where the provider claims your holiday pay is baked into the rate. thats legal under conditions but its also how people end up feeling like theyre working without paid leave. ask for a breakdown of what the rate includes.
"3-way" contracts. what people usually mean: a tripartite arrangement between you, the client where you actually work, and the payroll/staffing company that employs you on paper. the payroll company is your legal employer. you have no direct employment relationship with the client. that matters for dismissal protection, performance reviews, and who actually has authority to do what.
fourth: things to check in your contract
which CAO applies (ABU or NBBU)
what phase youre entering (A is normal for a first contract)
sick pay terms specifically — whats the cap, how long
holiday structure — separate vakantiegeld/dagen or all-in rate
notice period from both sides (often asymmetric)
any clause about mandatory pension registration (StiPP)
end-of-phase-A end dates (some contracts are engineered to end at 51 weeks)
none of this replaces actual legal advice if something goes wrong. but most confusion i see on reddit comes from people not knowing the structure above even exists. the staffing world in NL is legit and regulated but its different from a standard vast contract, and the difference matters.
if youre on a payroll/uitzend contract right now, whats been the biggest surprise compared to what you expected?