Specialties in demand in the Netherlands

A specialty that exists as a separate discipline only in the Netherlands — domestic training cannot keep pace with an ageing population. One of the few fields where employers routinely fund a candidate's language training and wait a year for them.

Salary

€6,717–€10,468 gross / month (CAO VVT)

Rhythm

Daytime work in long-term care, few night shifts

Entry

No direct equivalent abroad — usually via basisarts registration and Dutch training, often employer-funded. Individual assessment needed.

Waiting lists in Dutch mental health care are a matter of public debate; the shortage is equally acute in hospitals and in outpatient GGZ services.

Salary

€6,691–€11,292 gross / month (CAO GGZ)

Rhythm

Largely outpatient with predictable hours; part-time contracts are common

Entry

Listed for automatic recognition. Highest language threshold of any specialty — the work is entirely built on nuance of speech.

The shortage is felt most outside the Randstad: in the northern and eastern provinces practices close faster than new ones open, and regions compete for doctors with terms you will not find in Amsterdam.

Salary

€7,025–€8,446 gross / month employed; practice ownership pays more against a different liability profile (LHV / NZa)

Rhythm

Scheduled consultations, out-of-hours duty via the huisartsenpost rota

Entry

Listed for automatic recognition. Language load is the highest of any specialty — conversation is the entire instrument.

The largest workforce shortage in Dutch healthcare, across every region and every type of institution.

Salary

€3,228–€4,914 gross / month, depending on qualification level and shift allowances (CAO Ziekenhuizen / VVT)

Rhythm

Shift-based; evening, night and weekend allowances are fixed by collective agreement

Entry

The Dutch system distinguishes qualification levels (mbo / hbo), and your level determines both role and pay. It cannot be read off your diploma title — the curriculum is compared.

A distinctly Dutch specialty tied to the social insurance system: employers are legally obliged to provide medical supervision of sick leave, and there are not enough physicians to meet that volume.

Salary

€7,000–€11,000 gross / month

Rhythm

The most predictable in Dutch medicine — office hours, no nights, no weekend duty

Entry

No foreign equivalent; training takes place in the Netherlands and is frequently employer-funded.

Emergency departments in regional hospitals are staffed less fully than university centres — and are correspondingly more open to internationally qualified doctors.

Salary

€5,789–€8,510 gross / month (CAO Ziekenhuizen)

Rhythm

Rotating shifts including nights, with regulated hours and paid allowances

Entry

Structured differently across EU countries — usually the general system, with possible compensation measures.

Many practices are over capacity and waiting lists for new patients are routine. Hiring is fast: Dutch dentistry runs as a network of private practices where the owner decides, not a committee.

Salary

€4,500–€8,000 gross / month employed; different structure when working as zzp'er

Rhythm

Scheduled appointments, no night duty

Entry

Listed for automatic recognition. Language requirements are below those for physicians but real — practice is conducted in Dutch.

Positions open continuously with moderate competition. Radiology is among the most digitised specialties in the country, and part of the reporting workload is performed remotely.

Salary

€8,868–€15,392 gross / month (CAO Ziekenhuizen / UMC)

Rhythm

Planned work with duty rotas shared across the team

Entry

Both listed for automatic recognition. Radiology carries a lower conversational language load — but the registration language requirement still applies in full.