Working in Dutch when you don’t speak Dutch — what’s actually possible

If you're a tradesperson considering a move to the Netherlands — Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Bulgarian, Moroccan, Ukrainian, Italian, Spanish, the list goes on — the first practical question is the same: how much Dutch do I need? The short answer is: less than you think for many roles, more than you'd hope for some, and nothing replaces being on the jobsite and just picking it up.

The reality on Dutch jobsites in 2026

The Dutch labour market for trades is heavily multilingual. The construction boom of the last 15 years was built largely by Polish, Romanian, Bulgarian and (more recently) Ukrainian workers. On most building sites in the Randstad — Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag, Utrecht — the working language is a mix of Dutch, English, and whichever Eastern European language the largest group of workers speaks. A foreman who only speaks Dutch is becoming unusual.

That said, the official paperwork — contracts, payslips, safety certifications (VCA, BHV), inspection reports — is in Dutch. So is most of the technical documentation. The unspoken expectation is that within 18-24 months you'll be able to read enough Dutch to navigate it.

Trades where Dutch is genuinely optional

• Construction labour and finishing trades — bricklaying, plastering, painting, carpentry. Sites in the Randstad commonly hire workers with limited Dutch as long as one team member or the foreman bridges the language.
• Metalwork and welding — especially in industrial contexts where international clients and English-language documentation are the norm.
• Warehousing and logistics — operational shifts at warehouses around Schiphol, Rotterdam, Eindhoven have for years operated in English and Polish.
• Greenhouse work (kassen) — Westland glasshouse industry runs almost entirely with non-Dutch-speaking labour. Polish, Romanian and Bulgarian most common.

Trades where Dutch is non-negotiable

• Plumbing and gas (CV-installatie) — gas-fitting regulations require certified work, paperwork in Dutch, and direct communication with Dutch homeowners. Domestic plumbing in particular needs the language.
• Domestic electrical work — same reason. Industrial electrical work is more flexible.
• Customer-facing roles— hospitality, retail installation, anything where you spend time in someone's home or shop.
• Heritage restoration — heavy Dutch documentation, permits, and a culture that values the language.
• Public sector work — projects for gemeente, provincie, Rijk almost always require Dutch on the team.

Which companies hire English-only — and how to spot them

Companies that explicitly advertise “English-friendly” tend to fall into a few categories:

• Multinationals operating in NL. Sectors: pharma, tech, offshore wind, logistics. Pay above CAO. Often look for specialist trades like electricians with industrial certifications.
• Recently founded companies with international founders. Common in retrofit / energy-transition work. Often growth-stage.
• Specialist crews working internationally. Welding for offshore, climbing/abseiling teams for industrial maintenance, stadium / event installation.
• Some construction crews in Amsterdam / Rotterdam. The labour shortage forces flexibility.

On Jobinder, companies that hire English-only mark themselves with the English on siteculture tag. It's a deliberate signal; if you see it, the team is genuinely set up to onboard you without Dutch from day one.

What you should be doing about Dutch from day one

Not as a barrier — as an investment. The trades workers who plateau in the Netherlands after 3-5 years are the ones who never picked up Dutch. The ones who keep moving up — to foreman, to supervisor, to their own crew — almost always learn enough to lead a meeting and write a report in Dutch.

Resources that work for trades specifically:

• Inburgering courses — required for most non-EU newcomers, optional for EU. Worth doing even if optional. Look for courses in your municipality (gemeente).
• Bouwend Nederland language courses — sector-specific Dutch tailored for construction workers. Some employers cover the cost.
• NT2 (Nederlands als tweede taal) — formal qualification if you want to prove the level on paper. NT2-Programma I is the working level; II is academic.
• Apps like Duolingo and Babbel — fine for vocabulary and self-paced. Bad for the jobsite slang. Use as a supplement, not the main thing.
• Just talk to the Dutch colleagues at lunch. This is the cheat code. Six months of lunch in Dutch beats two years of evening classes.

One last honest note

The Netherlands is one of the most internationally-oriented countries in Europe and English is widely spoken. Trades is the one slice of the labour market where this advantage shrinks — paperwork is in Dutch, regulations are in Dutch, and the longer-term career growth becomes harder without the language. If you're here for the short term, you can absolutely work in English. If you're here for the long term, learn Dutch even if you don't have to.