It’s official: Dutch train troubles will continue as forecasted, with ongoing inconveniences expected to last for YEARS to come.
Oh, and if you’re planning any days out in Amersfoort this summer, you might want to think again. More on that later.
Big project, big consequences
As part of joint renovation works by ProRail and the NS, various Dutch rail routes are due for work over the coming years.
Huge expanses of track are being replaced, and the resulting disruptions for passengers are major.
As ProRail CEO John Voppen tells NU.nl, “after forty years, everything has to be replaced” — and the peak of work will take a whopping six years to occur.
Why so long? The delays are mainly down to staff shortages, meaning more work has to be carried out during the day and outside of holidays.
Oh, and Amersfoort will be completely inaccessible
The planned track works will affect one city in the Netherlands significantly more than others this summer.
A major maintenance project taking place in Amersfoort between July and August means few or no trains will be running for seven weeks. 😳
First up, trains between Amersfoort and Amsterdam will stop running for four weeks. Then, in mid-July, there will be no trains between Amersfoort and Utrecht.
There will be three whole weeks where Amersfoort will be completely inaccessible by train. You’ve got to feel for the approximately 80,000 travellers from, via or to Amersfoort every day. 😳
The work starts on Thursday, July 4, and will go on until Monday, August 19 — when all trains should run accordingly again.
ProRail ensures it will provide more information “in a timely manner,” but as far as we can see, their updates about the “period, nature and duration of the work” are still stuck in 2023…
Has your 2024 commuting experience got off to a bad start? We feel you. Share your thoughts in the comments below!
The Netherlands has officially presented its song for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 and, dare I say, we might just have a chance of taking that trophy home.
Joost Klein, a 26-year-young man from Leeuwarden, will represent the Netherlands this year.
Known for his unique, funky vibe, the rapper’s Eurovision song, “Europapa,” combines catchy beats with a sense of nostalgia — and people are here for it. ✨
Breaking records
Within 24 hours of its release, “Europapa” was streamed more than 1.6 million times on Spotify.
With this, Klein has broken the Dutch record for the most Spotify streams in one day of any song ever released. 🙌
As Klein tells Eurovision, his songis a tribute to his dead father, who taught him that there should be no limits to his dreams.
“‘Europapa’ is about an orphan who travels through Europe to find himself and tell his story. At first, people don’t recognise him, but he goes on seizing any opportunity he gets to let himself be seen.”
Ready to hear it? (WARNING: This will be stuck in your head all week. 😉)
This year’s Eurovision Song Contest will take place from May 7 to 11 in Malmö, Sweden — mark your calendars! 🗓️
What do you think of the Netherlands’ 2024 Eurovision song? Share your thoughts in the comments!
If you have ever had to deal with the Dutch housing market, whether as a renter or a buyer, you’ll know that the situation is, well… bleak.
How bleak, you ask? Calcasa, a company that specialises in the analysis of the Dutch real estate market, has crunched the numbers to find out how much income is required to buy an “average” house in the Netherlands.
And the results are… discouraging. 😬
More than two average salaries needed
To get to its final number, Calcasa based its study on a dual-income household with no student debt, no deposit of their own money, and a house with energy labels E, F, or G.
They also took into account the current average mortgage interest rate of 3.75% without NHG (National Mortgage Guarantee) and 3.25% with NHG.
Considering that the average price for a home in the Netherlands is €452,000, the household type above would need to earn an average of a whopping €95,000 gross per year to be able to afford one of them.
If you want to purchase in Amsterdam, that number climbs to €120,000.
Here’s where it gets good (…not): According to the Dutch Central Planning Bureau, the expected average Dutch annual salary in 2024 will stand at €42,236.
So, yes, even two average salaries would not be sufficient to buy an average home in the Netherlands. 😓
Income requirements vary by municipality
As with everything, there are big differences between the municipalities when it comes to housing prices.
Taking the crown for the least affordable municipality in the Netherlands is not Amsterdam (shocker), but instead the municipalities of Bloemendaal, Laren and Blaricum.
Never heard of those places? You’re not alone. Yet still, the average value of a house in these municipalities is above €1 million, and you’d need to make more than €200,000 a year to afford one of them. 😳
Curious how much money you need to earn to go from renter to owner in your municipality? Check out the numbers for the 20 biggest Dutch municipalities. 👇
Municipality
Required income
Amsterdam
€120,000
Haarlem
€107,000
Haarlemmermeer
€105,000
Utrecht
€103,000
Amersfoort
€100,000
‘s-Hertogenbosch
€95,000
Breda
€94,000
Leiden
€93,000
Apeldoorn
€87,000
The Hague
€86,000
Eindhoven
€86,000
Nijmegen
€86,000
Almere
€84,000
Zaanstad
€83,000
Zwolle
€84,000
Rotterdam
€81,000
Tilburg
€81,000
Arnhem
€77,000
Groningen
€73,000
Enschede
€71,000
Source: Calcasa
Would you ever consider buying a house in the Netherlands? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Ahh, the monthly Dutch air raid sirens… They might befuddle newcomers to the Netherlands, but those who’ve been here for a while no longer bat an eye at its shrill noonday calls.
However, according to a letter to the House of Representatives by outgoing Justice and Security Minister Dilan Yesilgöz, these monthly alarms will soon be on their way out.
NL Alerts will take over
As reported by the NOS, the Netherlands’ 4,200 alarm poles can currently only be heard by around 75% of the population.
People in rural areas and those close to the country’s borders, for example, have a particularly hard time receiving the sirens’ alerts.
always forget that the netherlands has alarms every monday of a month at 12 and just got a heart attack when i got a text alert and sirens went off
In contrast, NL-Alerts (government notifications sent straight to mobile devices) reached a whopping 92% of the Dutch populace during its last testing phase.
Auroras are caused by solar flares from the sun. Charged particles enter spaces and are drawn to the north and south poles of Earth, where the magnetic field is strongest.
The particles pass through Earth’s atmosphere at high speed and collide. Energy is released and creates the colourful patterns in the sky that seem to dance.
Typically, the Aurora Borealis is seen much further north in Scandinavia, but they’re visible in the Netherlands for a few days in the year. 🤩
Your best chance at spotting the lights is to find a light-pollution-free area in the Netherlands on a dark night with a clear sky.
Did you see the Northern Lights last night? Have you seen them before? Tell us about it in a comment below!
If you’re intending to take the train to or from The Hague this weekend (March 2 and 3), let’s just say that you may want to take a rain-check on those plans! 😬
According to a recent press release by the NS, some much-needed work has to be conducted on the tracks, platforms, overhead lines, and other components around Den Haag Centraal.
As a result, no trains will run between Den Haag Laan van NOI and Den Haag Centraal from Saturday, March 2, to Sunday, March 3.
Hoera — no trains the following weekend, either
Trains to and from Den Haag Centraal will also be at a standstill from Saturday, March 9, to Wednesday, March 13.
In a bid to curb the ensuing chaos (and, presumably, some furious complaints!), the NS will be deploying extra buses to ferry commuters to nearby stations instead.
Pssst! The NS advises commuters to catch a train to and from Den Haag HS (Hollands Spoor) instead — or make use of the Den Haag metro system.
Do you enjoy travelling from the Netherlands to other countries across Europe? Or are you a home bird who frequently visits family? Well, your wallet is about to suffer.
Specifically, if your journey involves a plane and your destination is within the EU.
According to research by RTL Nieuws, plane tickets to European destinations will increase by tens of euros in the next two years.
One expert says an increase is “inevitable.”
But why?
This inevitable price increase all boils down to something called the ETS, which stands for the Emissions Trading System.
As part of this system, the rights to emit green gasses are traded among the big polluters. The idea is that big polluters must buy their right to… well, pollute.
In the aviation industry, many of these rights are free — however, that’s all set to change in 2026, and airlines are going to have to start coughing up the cash themselves.
And where will this money come from? The price of your plane ticket, of course! 💸
As Paul Peeters, lecturer in sustainable transport for tourism at the Breda University of Applied Sciences, tells RTL Nieuws:
“It is obvious that this will be passed on directly, with the small margins in aviation, they cannot absorb this.”
Flying outside of the EU? You’re in the clear
While the ETS system is in place to try and discourage companies and consumers from polluting, Peeters fears it may have the opposite effect.
Why? Primarily because the ETS system does not apply to inter-continental flights.
This means that higher ticket prices for flights within the EU may just encourage people to fly to Morocco instead of Malaga — which is a longer and more polluting flight. 🫠
What do you think of the ETS system? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
There are many things about life in the Netherlands that you’re going to have to embrace if you truly want to integrate. We’d recommend skipping on the herring, but you should really get into Dutch humour.
Unlike a slimy fish, the Dutch sense of humour is super dry. This can make it a bit difficult to understand at first — so grab a notebook and a very open understanding of what constitutes as “funny”.
Let’s walk you through some jokes that will get the Dutchies chortling.
1. Out for drinks? We’ve got one for you
Ready to show off your amazing Dutch skills and wit? Image: Freepik
Let’s set the scene. You’re in a beautiful brown café, the pilsner is flowing, and you’ve gathered the courage to try out your Dutch skills.
Specifically, you want to see if you can get that handsome Dutchie to laugh (with you, not at you.) Here’s one grapje (joke) for you to try out.
🇳🇱 “Waarom drinken muizen geen alcohol?”
🇬🇧 (Why do mice not drink any alcohol?)
🇳🇱“Ze zijn bang voor de kater.”
🇬🇧 (They are scared of the male cat.)
You may be saying, “huh?” but what makes this joke funny is the double meaning of the Dutch word “kater.” In Dutch, “kater” is the word for both a male cat and a hangover.
Get it? While this joke will not only prove that you are absolutely hilarious, it will also show your audience that you have a good understanding of Dutch vocabulary — you’re funny and intelligent. What’s sexier than that?
2. Really want to make the Dutch laugh? Play around with the language!
Another great joke to show off your vast knowledge of Nederlands is this one:
🇳🇱“De postbode gooit brieven in de bus, waarop de buschauffeur zegt: ‘Hé, hou daar eens mee op!’”
🇬🇧 (The postman throws letters in the bus, and the bus driver says: ‘Hey! Stop that!’)
Before you throw your arms up in the air and declare this joke not funny, let us remind you of the Dutch word for letterbox: brievenbus!
This translates directly to “letter bus.” Get the joke now? He’s throwing the letter in the bu — ok, forget it. 🙃
3. Looking to impress a Dutch dad? Try this out
Some classic Dutch jokes have a time and a place. Image: Freepik
While you may think the above joke was Dad-level funny, you can actually take it a step further when it comes to Dutch dad humour. Looking to impress your father-in-law? Try this on for size.
🇳🇱“Hoe moet de steak gebakken zijn?”
🇬🇧 (How should the steak be cooked?)
🇳🇱“Weet de kok dat nou nog niet?”
🇬🇧 (Does the cook not know that yet?)
Womp, womp, wooooomp. There’s no specific play on words here, just a Dutch twist on the classic dad jokes that you likely grew up with.
While this hilarious retort may have the in-laws chortling, let’s just say a waiter would be less impressed.
4. Impress a date by dropping a hot joke — or not
Let’s say you get that handsome Dutchie to take you out on a date, you want to continue to amaze them with your intelligence, toch?
Nothing says intelligence like a good ol’ riddle. Try this brainteaser out:
🇳🇱“Het is zwart en als het uit de boom valt, is je kachel stuk. Wat is het?”
🇬🇧 (It’s black, and if it falls out of the tree, your stove is broken. What is it?)
🇳🇱“Je kachel.”
🇬🇧 (Your stove.)
Is it a riddle? Technically! Is it silly? Very! Is it a good icebreaker? Inderdaad (indeed).
This is also a good way to get a feel for your date. If they don’t find you absolutely hilarious, then why are you even sitting with them? Time to take your brains, beauty, and humour elsewhere. 😉
5. How about a good ol’ Dutch pun? Say no more
Nothing says humour like a classic pun every now and then. Let’s start with a simple yet effective example.
You know what sort of Dutch jokes will really make you sound like a local? Dutch puns. Image: Freepik
🇳🇱 “Ik was laatst op een naaktstrand. Niks aan.”
🇬🇧 (I was recently at a nudist beach, nothing to it.)
Now, don’t let the English translation fool you. This actually has the power to induce a snort or two.
In order to get the pun, you should know that in Dutch, “niks aan” means “nothing to it.” However, it can be more directly translated to “nothing on.”
Yes, you see, it’s funny. Nothing on. At a nudist beach. Hahahahaha.
6. Another pun? *feigns shock*
Okay, now, refresh yourself and activate that Dutch mindset. Chug some milk, eat a broodje kaas. We’re about to take our Dutch pun game to the next level with this:
🇳🇱 “Wat is een lasbril?”
🇬🇧 (What are welding goggles?)
🇳🇱 “De verleden tijd van leesbril.”
🇬🇧 (The past tense of reading glasses.)
This pun requires some knowledge of Dutch grammar and vocab, which, again, will show off that you have both beauty and brains.
The Dutch word, “las” is the past tense imperfect form of “lezen” (reading) — see the play on words here? Look at you, so smart. 🤓
7. How about another classic dad joke?
Sometimes you need a joke that’s so bad, it’s good. Image: Freepik
You know what makes a Dutch riddle even better? When you add a dad-joke vibe to it.
If you happen to find yourself sitting across from a Dutch man in his 50s on the train, try this beauty out on him:
🇳🇱“Wat is blauw en ruikt naar rode verf?
🇬🇧 (What is blue and smells like red paint?)
🇳🇱 Blauwe verf.”
🇬🇧 (Blue paint)
Oh, the dryness, the sheer dryness.
8. Need more? Here’s one to tickle your punny bone
Listen, there’s no escaping puns when you’re talking about Dutch humour.
🇳🇱 “Hoe maakt een skelet een deur open?”
🇬🇧 (How does a skeleton open a door?)
🇳🇱 “Met zijn sleutelbeen.”
🇬🇧 (With his collarbone).
In order to get this joke, it’s important to know that in Dutch ‘sleutel’ means key. See how it works? Sleutelbeen? To open the door?…
We find this one particularly “humerus.” (The author chugs some coffee and throws herself off her chair.)
9. Someone, please stop us
Dutch humour is something you have to get used to, but once you do, it’s hilarious. Image: Freepik
As we progress through this article, we’re really going from ridiculous to downright silly — which is why we need to tell you this joke.
🇳🇱 “Gaat een cowboy naar de kapper. Komt ie buiten… pony weg.”
🇬🇧 (A cowboy goes to the hairdresser. He comes outside… pony gone.)
To understand just how silly-billy this joke is, you need to know that in Dutch, the word “pony” has, you guessed it, two meanings.
“Pony” can mean both a cute little horse that gallops around. Orrrrr, in the context of the hairdresser’s chair, it can mean “bangs”, y’know, a cute little fringe.
So when the cowboy comes out of the hairdresser, his “pony” is gone, get it? GET IT?
10. We can’t leave the windmills out of it
In need of a Dutch joke that will leave you with a hand-shaped red mark on your forehead? Look no further.
🇳🇱 “Waarom kijkt een molenaar altijd uit zijn raampje? Omdat hij niet door de muur kan kijken”
🇬🇧 (Why does the windmiller always look out of his window? Because he can’t look through the walls.)
A breakdown of the mechanisms behind this joke isn’t really needed — it’s silly. Plain and simple.
11. Finally, a joke about Dutchies
Another classic way to make a joke in Dutch is to make fun of the Dutch! Image: Freepik
Listen, we can’t talk about Dutch humour without dishing out a joke at the expense of Dutchies. Our go-to dig at the Dutch has to be this one.
🇳🇱 “Welke ingrediënten heeft een Nederlander nodig om tomatensoep te prepareren?”
🇬🇧 (What ingredients does a Dutch person need to make tomato soup?)
🇳🇱 “Gekookte water en een rode kom.”
🇬🇧 (Boiled water and a red bowl.)
This one hits the Dutch in their stomachs, poking fun at Dutch cuisine and its lack of, shall we say, flavour.
Make sure to bring this one out under the right circumstances — not at the dinner table, for example.
Ready to induce some chuckles? Or, at the very least, prove yourself to be quite the wordsmith in Dutch. Go forth and conquer!
Do you have any jokes that you would add to this list? Let us know in the comments below!
Eating a lot of cheese is a well-known Dutch daily habit, but did you know you could win global titles for it?
Well, the Netherlands just did! New research by Mintel lists the top 10 cheese-loving nations across the world — and the Dutch have won the crown. 👑
Crunching the nom-bers
So how exactly do you quantify a nation’s love of cheese? The research considered factors such as cheese imports, production and general interest.
The stats were gathered using the UN Comtrade, Cheese.com (yes, it’s a real site), and Google search data.
Each country then received a score out of 100 — and the Netherlands really sliced up the competition, beating the likes of France and even the US! 🧀
So, who else did the Netherlands beat? Check out the rankings below:
Country
Score (out of 100)
Netherlands
76.8
France
39.3
Belgium
39.1
USA
31.7
Austria
30.7
Credit: Mintel.com
The Dutch go above and brie-yond
As you can see, the Dutch won by a long shot, and the whopping score of 76.8 is even more impressive when you consider the relatively small Dutch population of 17 million.
This doesn’t stop the Netherlands from scoring big elsewhere in the cheese leagues — they also made the most Google searches for ‘cheese’ per capita in the whole world.
And once they’re done staring at cheese on their computer screens, it’s time for the Dutch to import some. The research found that per Dutchie, an average of more than 3.1kg and $14 worth of cheese is imported annually.
However, the biggest importer globally is actually France, spending $374 million on cheese every year. A good investment, we believe!
The Dutch education system looks incredibly confusing from the outside — yet it’s considered to be among the best in the world.
But where it gets tricky is the multiple different paths with twists and turns towards graduation and higher education.
After living in the Netherlands for almost 14 years and navigating the high school and university rules, I’m here to take you back to school to understand the Dutch education system.
Let’s start from the very beginning. In the Netherlands, school is mandatory for children from the ages of five to 16.
However, many parents choose to enrol their children in preschool even earlier.
Young Dutch kids can get an early start to their education. Image: Depositphotos
There are two main types of Dutch preschool, daycare (kinderdagverblijf) and kindergarten (peuterspeelzaal).
Dutch daycare (kinderdagverblijf)
Dutch daycares take care of infants and children up to four years old during the typical hours of a working day.
There are plenty of ways Dutch kids and learn and socialise in their kindergarten. Image: Depositphotos
This is an ideal option for most working families, and some centres even offer out-of-hours and half-day care for children.
Dutch part-time preschool (peuterspeelzaal)
There is also the option to enrol your child at a part-time preschool from the age of two until four years.
Here, children attend school for three to five half-days per week, depending on the preschool.
Tip: Parents can usually claim childcare allowance (kinderopvangtoeslag) on daycare and kindergarten costs for their child.
All parents also receive the kinderbijslag (child benefit), which covers the general costs of having a child.
Some international parents can apply to receive the kinderbonden (child budget) to pay for other necessities.
Primary education in the Netherlands
Once a child reaches the age of four, they are allowed to start going to Dutch primary school (basisschool).
Dutch primary school has eight levels, called groepen (grades). They range from age four (Groep1) to 12 (Groep 8), including two years of kindergarten at the beginning of primary school.
Age
The Netherlands
USA
UK
Australia
2-3
Kindergarten
–
–
–
3-4
Kindergarten
Pre-kindergarten
Foundation 1
–
4-5
Groep 1
Pre-kindergarten
Foundation 2
Kindergarten
5-6
Groep 2
Kindergarten
Year 1
Pre-primary/Prep
6-7
Groep 3
Grade 1
Year 2
Year 1
7-8
Groep 4
Grade 2
Year 3
Year 2
8-9
Groep 5
Grade 3
Year 4
Year 3
9-10
Groep 6
Grade 4
Year 5
Year 4
10-11
Groep 7
Grade 5
Year 6
Year 5
11-12
Groep 8
Grade 6
Year 7
Year 6
Compulsory education begins on the first day of the new month after the child turns five (Groep 2 in Dutch primary).
For example, if your child turns five on October 12, they’re required to start Groep 2 on the first school day in November of the same year.
Dutch children follow the same primary school curriculum across the country. Image: Depositphotos
Most Dutchies send their children to public schools and are taught entirely in Dutch.
This is a great option if you plan to stay in the Netherlands, but your child generally needs to have a basic level of Dutch first, especially if they’re older.
Luckily, there are international transition schools (internationale schakelklassen) tailored to help children who have just arrived in the Netherlands transition to a Dutch school.
International transition schools help young international students prepare for Dutch school. Image: Depositphotos
You can also send your kids to a bilingual school, which teaches children in English for part of the day.
Finally, there are also international schools that teach in other languages (including English, German, and French). These tend to follow international curricula.
At the end of Group 8, or when a child is approximately 12 years old, they begin secondary school (middelbare school).
If your child is in a Dutch school, they will receive advice from their teacher on which of three education streams they should enter: VMBO, HAVO, or VWO.
Students will discuss where they want to go with their future education and career. Image: Depositphotos
This choice informs which unique secondary school programmes students will follow, which will later affect whether they can eventually pursue vocational training, professional education, or research education in the Netherlands.
VMBO (Pre-vocational secondary education)
VMBO (voorbereidend middelbaar beroepsonderwijs) is a four-year vocational stream that focuses on practical skills and knowledge.
It has two levels of qualification depending on whether the student wants to focus on vocational training or theoretical education.
Students complete the VMBO track at the age of 16, which eventually leads to further vocational training (middelbaar beroepsonderwijs, or MBO).
HAVO (Senior general secondary education)
HAVO (hoger algemeen voortgezet onderwijs) is a five-year high school stream that prepares students from the ages of 12 to 17 for higher professional education.
HAVO education has a balance of academic work and learning practical skills. Image: Depositphotos
Completing a HAVO diploma allows students to study at a university of applied sciences (hogeschool) and follow a higher professional education programme (hoger beroepsonderwijs or HBO).
VWO (University preparatory education)
VWO (voorbereidend wetenschappelijk onderwijs) is a six-year high school programme for students who intend to pursue a bachelor’s degree at a research university (wetenschappelijk onderwijs, orWO).
VWO is the most academic secondary stream students can follow in the Netherlands. Image: Depositphotos
This stream is the most theoretically-oriented programme for students aged 12 to 18 and is divided into two main programmes: atheneum and gymnasium.
The programmes are nearly identical, except that Latin and/or Greek language studies are compulsory in the gymnasium programme.
Universities and vocational education in the Netherlands
After secondary education, the Dutch education system also has three main routes for education: MBO, HBO, or WO.
Students who attended HAVO or WVO schools can choose one of the Dutch university options (HBO or WO), while students who attended a VMBO in high school are limited to MBOs.
Dutch university education is divided into two different kinds of university institutions and study programmes: HBO and WO.
The two types of universities offer different kinds of programmes.
HBO (higher professional education)
HBO universities (hoger beroepsonderwijs) focus on providing specialised professional training for a specific profession.
Students often work on practical cases or do skill-oriented training. Image: Depositphotos
Students spend most of their time learning practical skills for their chosen field and typically have an internship during the course of their study for up to a whole year.
HBO degrees are typically four years long and are most often followed by people who completed a HAVO or VWO programme in high school.
WO (scientific education)
WO universities (wetenschappelijk onderwijs) are more focused on academia compared to HBO universities.
Students spend a lot of time studying and researching at a WO university. Image: Depositphotos
Students are likely to conduct more research and work on theory-based projects instead of developing professional skills. Many WO universities carve out time for students to do internships, but they often have to choose between this and a minor or an exchange abroad.
Admission to higher education
Most HBO and WO universities admit students to courses if they graduate with a high school diploma.
For courses taught in English instead of Dutch, they’ll often ask students to provide proof that they speak English at a high enough level to take the programmes.
Entry requirements aren’t particularly high in the Netherlands, but their standards are. Image: Depositphotos
Some study programmes also require a certain grade in specialist subjects like maths.
If in doubt, students should refer to the study programme admissions page to find out the exact requirements for admission.
Credit system and degrees
HBO and WO study programmes use the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), with one credit representing 28 hours of work. Students usually attain 60 credits within the standard academic year.
You can always have a chat with your study advisor or counselor if you’re feeling unsure about your study programmes and courses. Image: Depositphotos
HBO bachelor programmes last up to four years (for a total of 240 ECs), while WO bachelor programmes are usually only three years (180 ECs). A master’s degree programme lasts between a year (60 ECs) and two years (120 ECs).
MBO (Middle-level applied education)
VMBO students continue with their vocational education in a vocational school called an MBO.
MBO education (middelbare beroepsonderwijs) prepares students for skilled trades and trained occupations such as mechanics and plumbers to nursing assistants and franchise managers.
Students at MBO level learn trade or vocational professions like plumbing and woodworking. Image: Depositphotos
There are four levels of MBO education, which lead to four job qualifications depending on the different levels of training.
Level 1: assistant training (entreeopleiding)
Level 2: basic vocational training (basisberoepsopleiding)
Level 3: professional training (vakopleiding)
Level 4: middle-management training (middenkaderopleiding)
Each level lasts a different amount of time and requires different amounts of training and experience hours during the programme.
Terms and school holidays in the Netherlands
You may know Dutchies for their overly organised agendas and bureaucracy — and you can definitely see it with their school terms and holidays.
Holidays in the Netherlands are generally divided by region (North, Central, and South) so that the entire country doesn’t go on holiday at the same time.
Spend some time coordinating your holidays with your family. Image: Depositphotos
The dates always include primary, secondary, and special schools, but universities and individual schools might have slight deviations from the yearly calendar.
We suggest double-checking dates with the school just to make sure your holiday plans don’t clash.
It’s also important to note that the Netherlands has compulsory school attendance rules (leerplicht). This means that children must attend school full-time and can only miss school if they’re exempted (for example, if the child gets sick or if there’s a death in the family). If you break these attendance rules, you could get fined.
The Dutch education system’s key terms
Lost in translation or struggling with the acronyms? Here are the key terms to remember.
Dutch
English
Meaning
Peuterschool
Pre-school
School for children under the mandatory schooling age in the Netherlands.
Kinderdagverblijf
Daycare
Daytime care for children between the ages of zero and four years during typical working hours in the day.
Kleuterschool
Kindergarten
A type of pre-school where children ages two to four can learn through socialisation with other children.
Basisschool
Primary school
Mandatory school for children between the ages of five and 12.
International schakelklas (ISK)
International transition school
A class in primary and early secondary school tailored to help international students prepare for going to a Dutch school.
Groepen
Grades/Years
Year group divisions in a Dutch school. There are eight mandatory groups in primary school, and between four and six groups depending on the secondary school programme you do.
Middelbare school
Secondary school
Mandatory school for children from the age of 12 until 16 to 18.
Voorbereidend middelbare beroepsonderwijs (VMBO)
Pre-vocational secondary education
A four-year secondary school programme focusing on practical skills and knowledge.
Hoger algemeen voortgezet onderwijs (HAVO)
Senior general secondary education
A five-year secondary school programme focusing on a mix of practical skills and theoretical knowledge.
Voorbereidend weteschappelijk onderwijs (VWO)
University preparatory education
A six-year secondary school programme focused on preparing students for a scientific university education.
Middelbare beroepsonderwijs (MBO)
Middle-level applied education
Vocational education focused on giving students the practical skills and theoretical knowledge for a wide range of trade occupations.
Hoger beroepsonderwijs (HBO)
Higher professional education
University education focused on providing a mix of theoretical and practical training for professions.
Wetenschappelijk onderwijs (WO)
Scientific education
University education focused on academic research and training.
Kinderopvangtoeslag
Childcare allowance
A grant given to parents to cover the cost of childcare in the Netherlands.
Kinderbijslag
Child benefit
A grant given to parents to cover the general cost of having a child in the Netherlands.
Kinderbonden
Child budget
A grant given to parents to pay for other necessities of the child, like education materials, diapers, etc.
While the Dutch education system has plenty of levels and branches, once you get the hang of all those acronyms, it really starts to make sense!
Did you go to school in the Netherlands? Tell us about it in the comments below.
The Dutch education system: Frequently asked questions
What is the age range for students in secondary school in the Netherlands?
Mandatory secondary education in the Netherlands starts at 12 years old and last until 16 years old.
You can continue your secondary education until you’re 18 years old before you go to university, depending on the education programme you choose.
What kinds of secondary education are there in the Netherlands?
There are three main types of secondary education in the Netherlands: VMBO (pre-vocational education), HAVO (pre-hogeschool education), and VWO (pre-university education).
What kinds of education are there after high school in the Netherlands?
There are three main types of education in the Netherlands after high school: MBO (focused on vocational training), HBO (focused on higher professional education), and WO (focused on research and academia).
What is the equivalent of VWO in the United States and the United Kingdom?
VWO education in the Netherlands is equivalent to the Advanced Placement program (AP) in the United States, A-Levels in the United Kingdom, and the International Baccalaureate (IB) in international schools.
These programmes generally have similar levels and content but last different periods of time.
