By Klaudia Sobczyk
Amsterdam is known for its international character. Whether it is tourists streaming in from different parts of the world, expats working online, or international students, English is the main means of communication for many groups navigating through the streets of this city every day. Despite this fact however, English is not the official language of the Netherlands, and international circles of people can be separated by a language barrier from the local population. In light of the changing political landscape, as well as the end of the academic year, after which the next class of AUC students will move closer to graduation, how relevant is the lack of Dutch language skills in life after AUC? We discuss the potential obstacles that international AUC graduates may face in their experiences after graduation.
Although the Netherlands remains the main country where AUC graduates continue their studies, a much smaller percentage of international students stay in the Netherlands to work. Research by Nuffik, an organisation that studies internationalisation in Dutch education, estimates that less than a quarter of international students live in the Netherlands five years after graduation. Research from May 2022 shows that as many as 36 percent of outgoing students mention a lack of Dutch language skills as a factor that pushes them to leave.
“This is not surprising,” says Gerylaine Campos, AUC’s Alumni and External Relations Officer. “If you seriously think of your career in the Netherlands, then Dutch is the main thing you should invest in,” she says. Campos agrees that the AUC forms an international bubble that does not necessarily reflect the Dutch labour market. She points out that, despite exceptions such as IT, technology or hospitality, Dutch is extremely widespread in most areas of the labour market. Many vacancies are in Dutch and a candidate with sufficient Dutch language can gain a significant advantage. She herself has colleagues who, although they have been active in their professions for many years, are only now catching up with their language skills. “If you don’t speak Dutch, you may feel socially excluded,” she says, as the informal language spoken in many workplaces is Dutch. For this reason, Campos advises that international students who see their future in the Netherlands start learning it as soon as possible.
Asked about whether AUC should put more effort into educating students about the realities of the Dutch labour market, Campos mentions the planned changes to the tutoring program. In the coming academic years, tutoring is to become more standardised and gain bigger emphasis on the logistics and practicalities of study progress. Tutors would pay more attention to their tutees’ potential Master programs requirements as well as professional plans after college. “Language skills is just a puzzle in the big scheme of thing,” she says, “but it might come up during these conversations.” Apart from that, she mentions the importance of politics in the future of international students in the Netherlands. Taking into consideration the new government and the ongoing work on the internationalisation bill, Dutch universities are most likely going to limit their international opportunities, which may in turn affect the labour market and its emphasis on the Dutch language even further.
“As soon as you start looking for a job after studying, Dutch is very useful and appreciated,” says a French twenty-six-year-old graduate of the Research Master in Literary Studies at the University of Amsterdam. Currently, after many months of job hunting in the cultural sector, she found a job in hospitality. “It is often a requirement to speak Dutch natively, which can be a real challenge for internationals when competing with Dutch applicants,” she says.
Lisa Verzijl, a teacher at the Institute for Dutch Language Education (INTT), shares a similar view. She believes that every international student should be obliged to complete a basic Dutch course (A1). “Every student should take at least one course to get a bit of a feeling for the language and culture,” she says. Verzjil adds that, as a Dutch person, she gets annoyed when she cannot place a simple order in a Dutch café in her language. “It is not too much of an effort to learn the basics” she says. Moreover, Verzjil points out the coexistence of two different cultures in Amsterdam, the international one and the Dutch one. Although these cultures intersect, it’s not possible to leave the English-speaking bubble without Dutch language skills. “An absolute beginners’ course is not enough,” she says.
The Herring 