Hey Guys,

I know this is the Dutch thread, but in my experience so many people in the Netherlands speak English.

I'm a Canadian looking for a hand, In about a year or a little more, my girlfriend is considering attending university in Groningen.

If she decides to go, I'd love to go with her. My concern is how difficult would it be for someone like me (Bachelor's Degree, Political Science) to find work?

Any tips/ideas/etc. would be so helpful!

Very hard, as almost 700.000 people are without a job at the moment, you'd better find a job in Canada that you can do at home with your computer.

Really? Sorry to hear that. Finding a Job here I could do from away is something I've considered.

My main concerns right now are how hard it will be for me to obtain a permit to work in the Netherlands, as I'm not an EU citizen.

Political science isn't a degree that you will find a job with easily. At least, not on your level. You probably want a nice junior position and those are rare. Finding a job is not impossible of course, but you need some luck. My experience working in the Netherlands is that at least understanding the Dutch language is a necessity.

So from a rational point of view it is perhaps not the best move. However, living in less than optimal circumstances but close to your girlfriend and enjoying the adventure together might be so much more valuable.

I'm not overly concerned with the fact that I have a Political Science degree. I've done lots of internships and have lots of experience, someone in the Netherlands needs someone to get them coffee or type up reports, etc.

The plan is, as of now, that we'll go over together if she gets accepted to her program, and I'll search for a job when I arrive (Can't find any decent sites online).

My concern is how long I'll be able to stay, how the Dutch work permit system works for Canadians, that kinda shit.

That being said, any dutch job sites, preferably with an english option would be so useful.

Groningen isn't to far away from Germany did you learn any German during your schooling? Maybe that's an option to look into.
Just throwing it out there.

This post was edited by 187ci on May 2 2013 02:24pm

I actually noticed that, I am familiar with German, though it's been a while.

But are there any major cities around that area?

I'm from Eindhoven so I could "google map" it but you could do the same!
It's just an option I have no experience with this kind of stuff.

No problem, I'll definitely explore that option.

In the end, though, I think I'd rather live in the Netherlands. I'm just worried Dutch immigration won't let me stay!