Why internationals stay in the North after graduation

There are international students who choose to stay and work in the North after graduation. How many…  why… we do not exactly know. But we have to, because the new Dutch government is strict on people from abroad.

‘I like the way of working in the Netherlands.’ Sophia Block (32), who grew up in the city of Oldenburg, has been working as a physiotherapist in Zuidhorn for three years now. ‘In Germany, the doctor makes the diagnosis and the physiotherapist may then carry out the treatment. A German patient comes to the physiotherapist with a note from the doctor which says, for example: ten massages. In the Netherlands, physiotherapists are allowed to make the diagnosis themselves. They are the specialist in their field and that is how people see them.’

Many graduates leave for the West of the country because they think the jobs are there

Sophia, 32, chose a career in the Netherlands after studying International Physiotherapy because she can work in the way she likes here. ‘Professionally, you can develop yourself very well in the Netherlands. You can specialise, you may become a paediatric physiotherapist for instance, or a pelvic specialist. Development opportunities in Germany are more limited.’

Not every foreign graduate will have chosen a career in the Netherlands as deliberately as Sophia did, but work is crucial for almost all graduates. Hanze Regional Labour Market professor Arjen Edzes puts it even more pointedly: ‘The perception of the Dutch labour market plays a big role. Many foreign RUG and Hanze graduates leave for the west of the country because they think that’s where the jobs are. They hardly orient themselves to other possibilities, such as job opportunities in the Northern Netherlands. This probably applies more to RUG graduates than to Hanze graduates.’

The Dutch government wants to cap the number of international students

Edzes and his colleagues have long been keeping track of what motivates graduates to leave or not leave their university town. He cannot yet comment on the numbers and motives of foreign Hanze graduates. ‘The truth is that we haven’t mapped that properly. But that certainly is on the cards.’

Edzes also thinks it is a good idea to keep a close eye on what international Hanze graduates from Groningen do after their studies. That might well be necessary, as the Dutch government wants to cap the number of foreign students in higher education. In future, the proportion of internationals will be allowed to be at most ten per cent of the total number of students. Unless… institutions educate internationals for the regional labour market and for so-called shortage sectors (healthcare, engineering and education). In that case, they will be allowed to admit more than ten per cent foreign students.

Have you educated someone for the regional labour market if they stay in Groningen for just one year after their studies?

In 2023-’24, the tally of Hanze UAS stood at more than ten per cent foreign students for the first time. When that happens after the ten per cent standard is introduced, Hanze will have to be able to indicate how many foreign students it has educated for the regional labour market. That is not as simple as it seems at first sight. Because how do you measure that? Have you educated someone for the region when they stay in Groningen for just one year? Or only when they are still walking around these parts ten years later? And what do we mean by region, anyway? Edzes: ‘You have to make very clear agreements about that beforehand.’

Nevertheless, we can already say something about the reasons why foreign graduates stay in the Netherlands. Indeed, Nuffic, the organisation for internationalisation in education, regularly asks internationals about this. The most important fact is that a quarter of foreign graduates still stay in the Netherlands five years after they received their diploma. And we also know why. The reason is they have found work, say four in five of the people who stay. Work is an important motive for staying and work, or rather the lack of it, is also a prime reason for leaving the Netherlands.

Archana likes the quality of life in Groningen: ‘When I go for a walk, I only need to know whether to bring my mackintosh, nothing else’

Slightly more often than work, foreign students cite quality of life as a motive for choosing a career in the Netherlands (84 per cent). ‘When I walk outside here, all I need to know is whether to bring my mackintosh, nothing else’, says Archana Jagannath, ‘I like walking and in Groningen, the parks and public gardens are very accessible. The public space is safe, the streets, the squares, the entire built environment. Grote Markt, for instance, it’s so well thought out. A fountain, trees under which you can find shade, spots where you can sit. That a municipality pays attention to that… fantastic.’
34-year-old Archana, from the south-western Indian state of Kerala, has been living in Groningen for two years now. During her master’s degree in International Communication, she did an internship at the University Medical Centre Groningen, where she now works as Diversity & Inclusion Communications Officer. In India, she was a journalist and communications officer for a long time. ‘In India, the workload is enormous. Work is very hectic. As a journalist, I hardly had a private life, working 12 to 14 hours a day. One week I had one day off the other week two days, and these could also just be weekdays. Work stress in India is also high. In the Netherlands, people take more account of the resilience of employees. For me, that too is part of the good quality of life.’

Doesn’t love play a role then? Yes, it does!

Especially for foreigners from outside Europe, everyday things like safety, public facilities, the cycling culture, the quality of drinking water and public transport are reasons to choose life in the Netherlands.

Doesn’t love play a role then? Well, yes! More than half of the foreigners who stay cite it as one of the reasons for their presence here. Archana found her partner in Groningen, where she lives with him in the south of the city. ‘In India, people think there is something wrong with women who are not married by the age of 30. In the Netherlands, it is completely accepted.’

Reasons for leaving are mainly prosaic: no job, no house, no money and no Dutch

Of course, the Netherlands is not the land of milk and honey either, as three quarters of the foreigners live outside the country five years after their study time. Their reasons are mainly prosaic: no job, no house, and no money for living expenses. In addition, almost a third cite the Dutch language as a barrier.

With this, we do not yet know why foreign students choose Groningen after their student days. Regional Labour Market professor Arjen Edzes can already name one reason. ‘For RUG graduates, it is often the case that they secured a PhD position in Groningen. So their stay is due to the continuation of their academic carreer.’

Before deciding to stay in Groningen, physiotherapist Sophia Block did some comperative research: ‘During my studies, I did an internship in Utrecht, but I still chose Groningen. I built up quite a social network here during my studies. It’s just a nice environment.’ That is exactly what was the deciding factor for brand-new UMCG employee Archana Jagannath. ‘Groningen is manageable. You really live in the city, there is plenty to do. But when I cycle for ten minutes, I am in the middle of greenery. The natural beauty in Kerala is fantastic as well, but it is very difficult to get there. In Groningen, you can get there in no time. It’s such a laid-back city life, here.’