International ambitions

For both Dutch and international students, a Humanities degree provides a strong foundation for a career that crosses borders.

Among Dutch alumni, 66% aspired to a job in the Netherlands after graduating, 4% aimed to work abroad, and 30% had no specific preference. Of Dutch master’s alumni with a paid job (including PhD positions), 6% ultimately work abroad.

26% of international alumni* aspired to a job in the Netherlands, 18% in their country of origin, 20% in another country, and 36% had no preference. In the end, 30% ended up working in the Netherlands, 37% in their country of origin (often Germany), and 32% in another country (often Belgium). The largest share of these alumni graduated from International Studies (34%) or Area Studies (17%).
 43% of all alumni report having frequent contact with international relations in their work.

_{* Alumni with a non-Dutch nationality.}

International students in the job market

Leiden’s Faculty of Humanities hosts many international students: 30% of master’s alumni have a non-Dutch nationality, and in total, more than 50 nationalities are represented. Among them, alumni from Germany (4%), Italy (3%) and the United Kingdom (2%) form the largest groups. Most international students pursue a degree in Arts and Culture Studies (55%) or International Relations (53%).

International students take slightly longer to find a job than Dutch students. They are more often (68%) involuntarily unemployed after graduating than Dutch graduates (49%).

They are more likely to work as temporary or on-call staff (23% vs. 4%) and less often in permanent employment than Dutch students (67% vs. 90%). Their average salary is lower than that of Dutch students. They are more frequently (39%) employed in the profit sector than Dutch students (31%) and are also more often self-employed (4% vs. 2%).

There is no significant difference in job level between Dutch and international alumni, both in their first role and after more than two years of work experience. However, the average salary of international alumni remains lower than that of Dutch alumni.

 International alumni completed internships during their studies about as often as Dutch students. However, they were less likely to engage in board or committee work or gain relevant work experience during their studies.