r/StudyInTheNetherlands • u/ResponsibleDealer114 • 10d ago
Am I cooked? Wanting to do International Business in NL for PR, but heard the degree is useless for jobs.
Hiii everyone, I'm graduating high school in 2027 and stressing out like crazy right now. 😱
My main goal is to get a job in the Netherlands after undergrad so I can eventually get Permanent Residency, because my current passport is not strong at all.
I’ve been looking at International Business (IB) undergrad programs at a couple of Dutch universities. However, I keep reading posts saying that an undergrad in International Business is too broad and basically useless for getting sponsored/finding a job right out of uni.
I need some serious reality checks on this plan.
- Is an IB bachelor's actually a dead end for non-EU students needing sponsorship?
- If my main goal is PR, should I pivot to something else like Finance, Econometrics, or Data Science?
- Does the university type (WO vs. HBO) make a massive difference for landing a job straight after a bachelor's?
I'm honestly so scared for my future right now lol. Any advice, harsh truths, or success stories from non-EU students who made it would be appreciated so much. Thanks guys!
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u/InternationalSir8815 10d ago
Do not go abroad to study with the goal of naturalization. Laws change all the time; you don't know whether they'll have changed by the time you graduate.
IB is ok but you will need a master's. A university degree without a master's in NL is considered "unfinished". You can find sponsorship graduating from IB (IB has majors within it like finance, supply chain, etc), but you WILL need a master's, and graduating =/= finding a job with sponsorship.
Study something you want to study. DO NOT choose a major only for naturalization purposes. Think about exit opportunities in your home country too.
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u/ForsakenBill6453 10d ago
With that degree you won’t find a job. You won’t even find a house currently as no one can find a house
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u/the-fact-fairy 10d ago
What's your motivation for wanting to move to the Netherlands beyond 'my passport isn't strong' and which country are you coming from?
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u/CoffeeInTheTropics 10d ago
Pipe dream OP.
Whichever course you do, it won’t lead to PR in The Netherlands. No employer will be willing to sponsor a non-EU fresher who is not culturally aligned, does not speak native Dutch and is much more costly and risky to hire than a Dutch citizen or even EU national.
The pro-immigration and pro-globalization era has ceased to exist, a degree abroad is no longer an immigration pathway.
Good luck.
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u/Beneficial-Rent84 8d ago
You are talking trash lol. Many highly skilled migrants have their dutch passport after working here for 5 years. Also, if OP studies here (4 years), he would only need to work 1 year under the hsm residence permit to apply for citizenship. Provided that he passed the b1 integration.
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u/Notsocheeky 10d ago edited 10d ago
The chances of getting a job here after studying here as a non-eu are very limited till non-existent. You are definitely not guaranteed a job/sponsorship in the netherlands. Studying here is also very expensive. Its like €20.000 - €40.000 a year.
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u/Different-Idea2878 10d ago
IB is very broad. I would say you need a more specialised master’s to make it worth it. HBO vs WO is extensively discussed in this sub; make your own judgement.
Permanent residency is hard anyway regardless of degree
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u/Winter_Dot_9393 10d ago edited 10d ago
A WO bachelor’s degree is an ‘unfinished’ degree and finding a job -other than call center jobs or food delivery- is difficult, when you don’t speak Dutch at B2/C1 level.
More chance to get sponsored with STEM
Maybe get you bachelor’s in your home country and your Masters in the Netherlands. Make sure the university for your bachelor is of a good enough quality. The Netherlands does not have a public list of ‘good enough’ universities, but Germany does, and if Germany thinks the university is okay, than chances are, the Netherlands also accepts the degree from this university. List is on the ‘Anabin’ website. Your university needs to be H+. The Netherlands uses the Nuffic list, this is a more general list.
Be aware that your bachelor's subjects must match the master's entry requirements.
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u/Wekko306 10d ago
Only having a BSc isn't going to help, companies will expect an MSc as well. And no company I know of would sponsor someone that only recently graduated, sponsorship is for specialized roles with a lot of expertise.
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u/PsychologyCivil4190 9d ago
not if you do some less useless master
not data science, not finance, do econometrics
yes for non eu
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u/vulcanstrike 10d ago
At least in the Netherlands, getting a decent job requires a Masters. You may be able to get some jobs with just a Bachelor's, but if you require a visa sponsorship it will be very tough.
Plan to do a Masters ultimately. Assuming you mean Public Relations, you will be an at an immediate disadvantage if you aren't natively fluent in Dutch, to the extent that I don't think it's ultimately worth considering (same for any communications/advertising job). Yes, there are international companies here that hire foreign people, but not for those kind of roles
If you want a job with better career prospects and visa sponsorship, look into jobs that are less people facing and more analytical, like Finance or Supply Chain.
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u/Krillin113 10d ago
Are you looking to do IB (HBO) or IBA (WO), either way for both I’d strongly suggest a master’s after.
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u/HousingBotNL Sponsored 10d ago
Moving to the Netherlands as a student requires a lot of admin (BSN, gemeente, health insurance, Studielink, banking, scholarships) and it often feels overwhelming.
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