INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS

Who are we & what is our mission?

Abroad Experience BV is an international recruitment agency, which offers unique career opportunities to multilingual job seekers. We recruit personnel for a great number of international companies that have established their European Headquarters, Customer Service and Financial Shared Service Centres in The Netherlands. Abroad Experience has been in business since 1998, and has extensive experience in matching the skills and ambitions of our applicants with the requirements of our clients. We work together in a team of driven recruitment consultants that all have an international background themselves and understand your personal needs and career goals.

Who can apply for jobs via Abroad Experience?

We are able to support all EU applicants, as well and non-EU candidates with a valid work permit. If you are not in possession of a valid work permit for the Netherlands we can unfortunately not support you in your job search (for more information, please see our ‘frequently asked questions’ further below ) .

If you are looking to relocate to the Netherlands from outside the European Union, please visit www.ind.nl and www.identiteitsdocumenten.nl for all necessary information regarding residence and working permits as most of our clients will only consider candidates who are already in possession of a valid permit.

Recruitment procedure for applicants

recruitment process applicants

We are here to help you thrive on the Dutch job market

It is of utmost importance to us that we offer a high level of service and build strong and trusting relationships with clients and candidates. As an international agency, we are devoted to international professionals in order to help them succeed on the Dutch labor market. As part of our recruitment services we can provide you with feedback on your CV & interview preparation sessions. 

Next to recruitment, we are also able to refer you to the appropriate sources that can help you with accommodation & work permit related matters. Don’t forget to check out our career coaching program as well, if you are looking for more detailed guidance & personal support during your job search. As part of our recruitment services, we can provide you with feedback on your CV, prepare you for interviews and teach you how to get noticed by hiring managers.

Once you have secured a job via Abroad Experience you can get access to an Abroad Experience Community Online Group, a group exclusively for people who found a new job via our agency. This is a fantastic way to get to know fellow internationals, to exchange experience/tips/events and more! You’ll also have access to unique guidebooks about housing search tips and other valuable topics!

Frequently Asked Questions​

Can I still apply for jobs via Abroad Experience if I do not have a valid work permit for the Netherlands? I would need visa sponsorship….

Unfortunately, we are only able to take candidates through our recruitment procedure and introduce them to our clients if they already possess a valid work permit.

If you are a EU citizen you will not need any additional work permit, as you are able to work anywhere in the European Union.

 

If you do not have a valid work permit for the Netherlands yet and are still in the process of relocating to the Netherlands from anywhere outside of the European Union then you still need to apply for a work permit.

 

Our clients are international companies that are most of the times not able to offer any visa sponsorship, therefore we can only consider applicants who already have a valid work permit. Do make sure to check out our 1:1 Career Empowerment Coaching to prepare you for your career in the Netherlands while you are busy with applying for a work permit and/or looking for a job in a company that can offer visa sponsorship. 

 

For more information, please visit the following website link of the IND (Immigration & Naturalisation Service): 

https://ind.nl/en/work/working_in_the_Netherlands/Pages/default.aspx

I don’t speak Dutch! Does Abroad Experience also have jobs available that do not require Dutch language skills?

Yes, as a matter of fact most of our jobs do not require any Dutch language skills.

 

Abroad Experience is specialized in helping multilingual talents with different European language skills. Our clients are international companies and most of them have English as their office language. Strong English skills are a prerequisite (Minimum of Level B2 English is required for most of our roles), as well as additional native and/or fluent European languages.

 

We have many German, Spanish, French, Italian and other European language jobs available and they do not require you to speak any Dutch. Unless specifically mentioned in our vacancy, you will therefore not need any additional Dutch skills.

 

Nonetheless, we encourage you to learn Dutch, as it will help you in your integration and will make it easier to connect with Dutch colleagues and other Dutch citizens. 

What is the difference between applying to a job via a recruitment agency and applying directly on a company website? And are these services for free?

There are a few differences when applying directly to a company and when you apply via an agency. When you apply directly to a company you know straight away what company you are applying for. In general when applying via an agency you only know the name of the hiring company after your application has been sent to the company.

 

In The Netherlands, many companies use recruitment agencies to find the right person for their vacancies. The hiring company might not have the time nor the network to reach out to the job seekers with the specific skills for a certain position. Applying via an agency can also be an advantage for you as a job seeker. Especially since the recruitment consultants at Abroad Experience give support and advice during the whole application. If we think that your CV can be improved to highlight your relevant skills and experience for a position, we will tell you. Furthermore, we support you in your preparation for an interview with the hiring company. In this way your chances of being noted by the hiring company and having a successful interview increase.

 

After successfully securing a job, the hiring company might offer you a direct contract or initially an employment contract via Abroad Experience, depending on the policy of the hiring company. Normally after a period of about 6 months of being employed via Abroad Experience, you will receive a direct contract with the hiring company. Abroad Experience is working in accordance with the Collective Agreement for Temporary workers. In the period employed by Abroad Experience you also build up holidays, holiday money. Other benefits like commuting allowance, home working allowance, overtime are the same as what the direct employees of the Hirer get. After 8 weeks of employment, you start building up pension. The greatest difference is the flexibility of the contract, the notification period is one day. Be assured though that our clients are serious companies looking to hire long term employees, unless stated from the beginning that it regards a temporary project.

Can Abroad Experience also assist me with finding accommodation?

Abroad Experience is specialized in helping you in your job search. If you are still in need of housing, we can refer you to several supportive housing agencies and popular housing search engines.

 

Once you found a job via our agency, you have access to our exclusive Online Community page for placed candidates. In this group you are able to meet other internationals, team up to become housemates and receive additional tips to find housing. You are fully responsible for finding housing in the Netherlands but we are happy to answer any questions in regards to the Dutch housing market. 

What if I do not see a suitable job opportunity in the vacancy overview but would like to be contacted by Abroad Experience about future job opportunities?

We are always looking for multilingual talents and look forward to hearing from you. If you don’t see any role in our current overview that fits your background and expectations, then do not hesitate to send us an open application.

You can also follow our social media channels where we post our latest vacancies.

This way we can save your CV and personal details in our database and can get in touch with you in the near future once a matching role becomes available. 

I applied to one or several vacancies via the Abroad Experience website. What should I do next? What can I expect?

First of all, thank you for trusting our agency and taking the time to apply to one or several of our vacancies. We would like to give you a warm welcome & we hope that we can assist you soon in your job search.

 

Once you send your application to our agency, you will receive a confirmation email from our administration team. Our recruitment team will screen your application and will get in touch with you if they see a match between your profile and the vacancy.

We always keep our talents updated during the whole recruitment process and value the open communication from both sides. 

 

You can expect to receive an email from one of our recruitment consultants within 1-2 weeks after your application. If you do not receive a follow-up email by one of our recruiters, please note that you are not considered for this role but that your CV is saved in our database.

This way we can get in touch with you once a more suitable role becomes available. 

How can I get in touch with one of Abroad Experience' recruiters to go through my CV and to be considered for jobs?

No matter if you applied to a specific vacancy or sent us an open application, our dedicated recruitment consultants will get in touch with you if they see a good match between your profile and a role.

 

We thank you for your patience and ask you to keep an eye on your inbox and spam folder for incoming emails from our team.

 

Please also see the recruitment process above, for a better understanding of the first steps with our agency. 

It has been more than 1 week since I sent my application for a job / sent an open application to Abroad Experience but I have not heard anything back yet. What should I do?

Please see Nr. 6 & 7. And if you are doubting whether we have received your application and if you have not received any confirmation email, please be so kind to give us a call on our office number +31 (0 )33 479 30 95

This is what applicants who found a job via Abroad Experience think about our services

illustration talking people

It was my best experience ever. I got so great support. The most impressive is the high quality of staffed people and they are super reliable.

 

They treated me in an affable but professional manner, reaching out to me as they saw a fit between a position and my curriculum and guiding me through the whole recruitment process.

 

They helped me prepare for the interview and handled all communication with the company. Could not recommend them enough!

illustration brainstorming

“Abroad Experience helped me a lot throughout the whole process of being hired, they gave detailed information and really useful tips in order to successfully complete the interview process and contract as well.

 

They go through the smallest details, that make all the difference, and they make sure you finish the whole process with no questions or doubts. Highly recommend!”

career coaching illustration

My experience with Abroad Experience in the search of my first job in The Netherlands was nothing but wonderful. It started several months ago when I was still in my home country and just starting my job hunt. I had little knowledge about the Dutch talent market, hence crossing paths with such a resourceful and caring agency was definitely the best that could have happened to me at that early stage.  

 

 

They not only assess your profile and connect you with hiring companies, but also offer you valuable advice along the way, such us CV suggestions to adapt it for the Dutch market, interview preparations, useful information about regulations, taxes, contracts and so on. They are always available to answer your questions or concerns and provide excellent follow-up on every call or interview. Ever since that first intake call and all the way to the contract signing, I’ve felt supported and actually got to really enjoy the process, which was definitely a surprise.