Care assistant jobs in the Netherlands are plentiful. Dutch nursing homes and home care organisations have tens of thousands of unfilled posts, and the shortage is forecast to grow as the population ages. If you are an EU citizen who is willing to learn Dutch, you can walk into this market. If you are from outside the EU, the honest picture is much harder: care assistant salaries fall well below the threshold for the Netherlands’ main work visa, and employers rarely obtain work permits for these roles.
This guide explains what Dutch care jobs involve, what the collective agreement pays in 2026, the language and diploma requirements, and which visa routes are realistic for non-EU applicants and which are not.
What do care assistants do in the Netherlands?
Dutch care is organised around qualification levels from the vocational education (MBO) system, and job titles follow them closely. “Care assistant” can mean several different jobs.
| Dutch job title | Level | Typical tasks | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zorghulp / zorgassistent | MBO 1 | Housekeeping, meals, companionship, basic support | None |
| Helpende (zorg en welzijn) | MBO 2 | Personal care, washing, dressing, mobility, observation | None |
| Verzorgende IG | MBO 3 | Full personal care plus delegated nursing tasks such as medication and injections | Protected title; recognised diploma needed |
| Verpleegkundige (nurse) | MBO 4 or HBO bachelor | Nursing care, care planning, clinical coordination | BIG register mandatory |
Most vacancies are in the sector the Dutch call VVT: nursing homes, residential care homes and home care (thuiszorg). Work is organised in early, late and night shifts, and part-time contracts of 24 to 32 hours a week are the norm rather than the exception.
How much do care assistants earn in the Netherlands?
Pay is set by the collective labour agreement for nursing homes, care homes and home care, the CAO VVT. Every job is placed in a function group (FWG) with a salary scale, and you move up one step a year. Hospitals and disability care have their own, broadly similar agreements.
| Role | Usual FWG scale | Approximate gross monthly pay, full-time (36 hours) |
|---|---|---|
| Care helper (MBO 1) | FWG 15–20 | €2,300–€2,800 |
| Helpende (MBO 2) | FWG 25–30 | €2,400–€3,100 |
| Verzorgende IG (MBO 3) | FWG 35–40 | €2,600–€3,600 |
| Nurse (MBO 4) | FWG 45 | €2,900–€4,200 |
| Nurse (HBO bachelor) | FWG 50 | €3,100–€4,600 |
These are rounded 2026 ranges; the exact tables are published by the unions and employers’ association and change with each pay round. The statutory minimum wage, which is hourly in the Netherlands, is about €14.70 for adults at the time of writing, and the lowest care scales sit just above it.
On top of base pay you receive 8 per cent holiday allowance, a year-end bonus of roughly one month’s salary under the CAO VVT, and an irregular-hours supplement for evenings, nights, weekends and public holidays, which can add 10 to 20 per cent for shift workers. Pension contributions go to the sector fund PFZW. A full-time verzorgende IG typically takes home around €2,300 to €2,700 a month, but remember that many contracts are part-time.
Why don’t care assistants qualify for the highly skilled migrant visa?
The Netherlands’ main route for non-EU workers is the highly skilled migrant (kennismigrant) permit. It requires an employer that is an IND-recognised sponsor and a gross monthly salary, excluding holiday allowance, of roughly €5,900 if you are 30 or older and roughly €4,350 if you are under 30 in 2026. Check exact amounts on the Immigration and Naturalisation Service website, ind.nl.
Compare that with the table above. A care assistant at the top of the scale still earns well below even the under-30 threshold, and most staff are over 30, where the gap is far wider. Even experienced bachelor-level nurses usually fall short of the threshold for their age group. No amount of employer goodwill changes this, because the salary criterion is fixed by law.
What about an ordinary work permit?
The alternative is the single permit for residence and work (GVVA), where the employment agency UWV tests the labour market. The employer must show that it has searched seriously in the Netherlands and the whole EU/EEA, normally for at least five weeks, and UWV can refuse if it believes suitable candidates exist anywhere in that labour pool. For care assistant roles, which require no rare qualification, UWV rarely agrees, and most care employers do not attempt it.
There have been small pilot projects bringing nurses from countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines, generally combining Dutch language training with work-study contracts. They are limited, organised employer by employer, and aimed at qualified nurses rather than care assistants.
Which routes do work for non-EU citizens?
- Partner or family permit. If your partner is Dutch, an EU citizen living in the Netherlands, or a highly skilled migrant, your residence permit normally allows you to work freely, including in care. This is by far the most common way non-EU nationals enter Dutch care work.
- Study in the Netherlands. International students may work up to 16 hours a week alongside their studies if the employer obtains a work permit, which is a simple formality for students. Work-study (BBL) care training is usually not open to people without existing residence rights.
- Orientation year. Graduates of Dutch universities, and of top-ranked foreign universities, can get a one-year permit with free access to the labour market.
- Refugee or humanitarian status holders can work freely, and many municipalities run care training programmes for them.
- Qualify as a nurse first. This does not solve the salary threshold, but nurses are the group for whom employers and pilot schemes occasionally make the effort.
Coming on a tourist visa to look for care work is not an option: you cannot work on it, and you cannot switch to a work permit from inside the country.
What do EU citizens need to work in Dutch care?
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens need no permit. You register with the municipality to get a citizen service number (BSN), open a bank account and take out Dutch health insurance once you start working. Your obstacles are language and diploma recognition.
Dutch language
Care is a talking profession. You report on residents, read care plans and deal with families, many of them elderly people who speak no English. Employers usually expect around B1 level for helpende roles and B2 for verzorgende IG and nurses. Some larger care organisations hire at A2 and fund lessons alongside work, particularly for candidates recruited from Spain, Italy, Poland or Portugal.
Diploma recognition and the BIG register
For helpende and verzorgende IG jobs you ask for a credential evaluation through the Dutch centre for diploma evaluation (IDW, run by Nuffic and SBB), which tells employers what your diploma is comparable to. Nurses must register in the BIG register before using the title or working independently. EU nursing diplomas benefit from automatic recognition; nurses trained outside the EU go through an assessment of general and professional knowledge, and everyone must demonstrate Dutch language ability. Expect the non-EU procedure to take a year or more and to involve exam and translation costs.
You will also need a certificate of conduct (VOG), which the employer requests, and proof of vaccinations is commonly asked for.
How to find and apply for care jobs: step by step
- Establish your right to work. If you are non-EU, confirm that your residence permit says work is freely permitted. If it does not, sort that out before applying.
- Get your diploma evaluated through IDW and translate it into Dutch or English.
- Start Dutch lessons immediately and aim for a recognised exam such as the State Exam NT2.
- Search in Dutch. Use the job titles above on the national employment portal werk.nl, large job boards, the EU’s EURES portal and the careers pages of regional care organisations.
- Apply with a short Dutch-style CV and motivation letter, in Dutch if you can. Trial shifts are common before an offer.
- Check the contract for the CAO, the FWG scale and step, contracted hours and shift supplements. Temporary agency contracts pay similar hourly rates but offer less security.
What costs should you budget for in the Netherlands?
- Housing: the biggest challenge. A room costs roughly €600 to €1,000 a month and a small flat €1,200 to €1,800 in the western cities, less in the east and north. Some care employers help new international staff find accommodation.
- Health insurance: basic cover is mandatory for everyone who lives and works in the country, at roughly €150 to €170 a month in 2026 with a €385 annual excess. Lower earners can claim a healthcare allowance from the tax authority. Our guide to the best health insurance for expats explains how mandatory and international cover differ.
- Transport: home care workers usually need a bicycle or car; mileage is reimbursed under the CAO.
- Recognition and language costs: translations, exam fees and courses can run from a few hundred to a few thousand euros.
How do you avoid care job scams?
Because demand is real, fraudsters advertise “Netherlands caregiver jobs with visa sponsorship” to non-EU applicants, often quoting salaries of €3,500 with free housing. Given the rules above, such offers are almost never genuine.
- Dutch employers and licensed agencies do not charge candidates for a job or a permit.
- Only the IND issues residence permits, and the employer, not an agent, files a work-related application.
- Check that the employer exists in the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KVK) register and contact it through its own website.
- For immigration questions, consult a Dutch immigration lawyer. This article is general information, not legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work as a caregiver in the Netherlands with English only?
Realistically, no. A few private live-in care agencies serving expatriate families use English, but mainstream nursing homes and home care require Dutch for safety and record keeping. Plan on reaching at least B1.
Is live-in care or au pair work a way in?
The au pair permit is a cultural exchange scheme limited to light household tasks and childcare for one year, and it explicitly excludes care work. Using it to provide elderly care is a breach of the permit conditions for both you and the host family.
Are nurses in a better position than care assistants?
Somewhat. Nurses are scarcer, earn more and have a regulated title, so employers are more willing to invest in them. They still rarely meet the highly skilled migrant salary threshold, which is why countries with dedicated nurse routes are often easier; see our guides to healthcare careers in Germany and healthcare visa sponsorship in Australia.
Do part-time care workers earn enough to live on?
A 24-hour contract at helpende level pays roughly €1,600 to €2,000 gross a month, which is tight given Dutch rents. Many workers top up with extra shifts, which are easy to find, and may qualify for housing and healthcare allowances.
Bottom line
The Netherlands has a genuine shortage of care assistants and decent, transparent pay under the CAO VVT, but it has no practical work visa for the job. EU citizens and people who already hold Dutch residence with work rights should focus on Dutch language and diploma evaluation. Everyone else should be sceptical of sponsorship promises and compare destinations that actively recruit care staff, starting with our overview of the best countries for visa sponsorship jobs.