A job description written in English does not mean that English is enough. Dutch employers write a large share of their vacancies in English because the company language is English, because the recruiter is not Dutch, or simply because the template is. Somewhere in the text, often in the last bullet of the requirements, the same job description may say “fluent in Dutch” or “Nederlands is een vereiste”. For someone who does not read Dutch, that line is easy to miss, and the application that follows is a waste of an evening. This guide explains how language requirements are actually written, and how to read them.
The four kinds of language line
Read the requirements of a job description and you will find one of four situations. It is only as good as the job description: an employer who writes nothing about languages and then asks for Dutch in the first call is not something the text can reveal.
- English is enough. The job description names no other language, or says outright that Dutch is not required. These are the jobs CareerCraft lists by default.
- Dutch preferred. The job description calls Dutch a plus, an advantage, nice to have, preferred or desirable. On CareerCraft these jobs carry a “Dutch is a plus” label, and a filter hides them if you want.
- Dutch required. The job description says Dutch is required, mandatory or essential, or asks for a fluent or native speaker. CareerCraft does not list these jobs.
- Another language required. The job description needs a language other than English or Dutch: German for a role serving the DACH market, French for a Belgian account, Portuguese for a customer support desk. These are open to you if that is your language, and a filter shows them.
How requirements are phrased
A short list of phrases, so you recognise them when you read a job description outside the portal:
- Required: “fluent in Dutch”, “Dutch is a must”, “native Dutch speaker”, “excellent command of Dutch and English”, “je spreekt vloeiend Nederlands”, “goede beheersing van de Nederlandse taal”, “Nederlands op C1-niveau”.
- Preferred: “Dutch is a plus”, “Dutch is an advantage”, “Dutch language skills are nice to have”, “Nederlands is een pré”.
- Not required, stated: “Dutch is not required”, “English is our working language”, “no Dutch needed”.
Two cases are easy to misread. “Dutch and English” in a list of required languages is a requirement, even when the job description is otherwise welcoming to internationals. And a job description that is written in Dutch is, in practice, a job description for a Dutch speaker, whatever it says about English; the portal does not list job descriptions written in Dutch.
What “Dutch preferred” means in practice
Less than it sounds, often. “Dutch is a plus” is frequently added by habit, or to prefer a Dutch speaker when two candidates are otherwise equal. When the rest of your profile fits well, it is worth applying, and worth saying one honest sentence about your Dutch in the letter: the level you have, or that you have started. If you are at A2 or B1, say so; it is not nothing. If you have no Dutch and no plan to learn, say nothing and let the rest of the application speak.
Where Dutch is listed as preferred for a role that deals with Dutch customers, Dutch suppliers or Dutch authorities, read it as closer to required: the preference exists because the job needs it day to day.
Where Dutch is usually required, whatever the job description says
Healthcare, primary and secondary education, most of government and the public sector, legal roles under Dutch law, roles facing Dutch consumers (retail, local customer service, most of hospitality management) and most roles in small and medium-sized Dutch companies outside the Randstad. Where English is usually sufficient: international companies and their Dutch offices, technology and product companies, universities and research institutes, multilingual customer support hubs, logistics and trade serving foreign markets, finance and consultancy in the larger cities, and start-ups.
Other languages are an opportunity, not only a barrier
The Netherlands hosts a large number of customer support, sales and account management teams that serve other European markets in their own language. For those roles the requirement is German, French, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese or a Nordic language, usually at native or near-native level, with English as the office language. If one of those is your language, the “Jobs requiring another language” filter turns a hidden set of jobs into a short list written for you.
What this means for your application
- Read the last bullets of the requirements first; that is where the language line usually is.
- List your languages with levels on the CV, including Dutch at any level (see the CV guide).
- For roles where Dutch is a plus, apply if the rest fits, and address the language in one sentence of the letter.
- Do not apply to “Dutch required” roles without Dutch; it is not a formality that can be talked around in an interview.
- When a role deals with Dutch customers or authorities, confirm the language in the first call.
On CareerCraft, every job you see is one you can apply to in English.