any restrictions or limitations for South Africans?

Hi Lonce,

I'm not aware of any restrictions/limitations on any South Africans for anything.  You will have to go through the same immigration hurdle as any other non-EU/EEA resident wishing to move to Holland to work.

At the top of this page is a "Handy Tools" link that will take you to the Formalities section, where you can get advice on Visa's etc.

I wish you the best of luck.

Regards,

Hi Lonce,

I am South African (Cape Town), and have been looking for a job as a software tester in the Netherlands for over a year now with no luck. The only way to get there is for an employer to apply for a highly skilled migrant visa and from what i've experienced there are very few employers willing to go through the admin of doing that.  I keep trying though.

What position in IT are you looking? 

Best of luck!

Hi Mbutteryfly

Thanks for your reply,
I've actually had quite a few near misses, 4 opportunities into total.
I've never made it pass the second or third interview :-(

I think the issue is  most countries are not able to hire without sourcing the skills locally first. There are also a specific slots in the year where companies are allowed to hire internationally and these spots usually get filled very quickly.

I don't think you should give up, as you competing on an international level which may take time.

I'm from Cape Town too, I'm a ICT Team Leader / Business Developer / Senior System Administrator/Engineer and the list goes on. Given the 10+ years within the industry, I've sort of specialized in certain areas as well as generalized. However System Engineer/Administrator is my forte.

Not sure if you able to PM on this Platform but please drop me your Resume / C.V. I always have projects or opportunities available.


Best Regards,
Loncé

Wow that must be so frustrating to come so close.  I actually went for an interview earlier this year at a company in Amsterdam and even-though they said I was the best candidate they had interviewed, the company just wasn't willing/capable of going through the motions needed to employ a non-EU citizen. It really broke my heart.

I will definitely not give up. It is my dream to live and work in The Netherlands.

I don't know how to PM on this forum but i'll hit you up on LinkedIn. Always good to make a new connection and share information.

Stephanie

Hi Stephanie

Sorry to hear about your near miss, trust me I know the feeling.

You should definetly try booking.com they hire globally with a HQ in Amsterdam.
They always looking for software developers :-)  one of my near misses.

Added you on Linkedin.

Best Regards,
Lonce Ludolph

Thanks Loncé.

I have been trolling Booking.com regularly since they are one of my top picks to work for but they are usually only in the market for developers and I am a tester... I check in on their website at least once a week to look for something. I have even applied for Helpdesk jobs as I would be willing to work may way back up to tester, if I could just get a company to give me an opportunity.

I know these companies also do international hires, Bol.com, Coolblue http://www.werkenbijcoolblue.nl/ .  Also if you don't already have this, on the IND's website is this list: https://ind.nl/Documents/Openbaar Register Arbeid Regulier en Kennismigranten.pdf
It's a list of all the companies registered as allowed to bring knowledge migrants to NL. Maybe it can be of help to you in your search.


Kind Regards
Stephanie

https://ind.nl/Documents/Openbaar Register Arbeid Regulier en Kennismigranten.pdf

Hi Stephanie,

Funny you mentioned the Helpdesk post, I applied for the post on Booking as well.
To which I got a rejection email stating I'm over qualified for the position. I'm not sure why they advertise those positions even though there are 100s of local candidates qualified for the role. What I can say I have learnt from this is to not sell yourself short.

I would say best to stick to your guns rather apply for a Tester post, keep in mind its not exactly cheap to stay in netherlands.

Also try Dataprise (USA based), ARM (Global) both near misses.

The links you sent says under review, are you able to DM me on Linkedin the URL's, hopefully there is something that matches my profile, doesn't have to be Netherlands based.

Best Regards,
Loncé

You can pm each other by unlocking your pm system through some useful posts.

Its always good to find some like minded people who you like to stay in touch with .
As this is a forum for everyone, I suggest to keep a more pm conversation between you two to a minimum and continue by pm.

Hi before you an come to the Netherlands you will require a work permit (MVV) and this to be applied for at the Netherlands embassy in South Africa. Pleas follow this link:

https://ind.nl/en/work/work-in-paid-emp … ermit.aspx