It’s a hot topic. And it has been for years. Should you learn Dutch if you live in the Netherlands? Must you speak Dutch to participate in Dutch society? If you work, live and benefit from the social system shouldn’t you be able to communicate in the host country’s language?
A Controversial Question
Years ago, junior social affairs minister, Jetta Klijnsma, put a proposal on the table for temporary welfare cuts for those claimants living in the Netherlands who do not speak Dutch. It wasn’t the first time this idea has been put on the political table. Each time the idea hits the headlines, there is controversy. It opens up a debate. And a fierce one at that.
In 2009, Utrecht council wrote to 1300 benefit claimants threatening that their benefits would be reduced if they did not attend a naturalisation course (inburgeringscursus), even though this group were Dutch passport holders and were not obliged to undertake a Dutch course.
In 2011 the council in The Hague put a stop to some benefits after recipients refused to take Dutch language courses. In 2012, 85 people lost their right to benefits in The Hague when they failed to begin a language. Despite repeated warnings about the consequences.
In 2022, the shift is complete:
Wat is de taaleis in de bijstand?
“Als u bijstand aanvraagt geldt een taaleis. Voldoende beheersing van de Nederlandse taal is nodig voor het verkrijgen, aanvaarden en behouden van een baan. Als uw taalniveau onvoldoende is, dan moet u zich inspannen om dit te verbeteren. Doet u dit niet, dan wordt uw bijstandsuitkering verlaagd.”
Rijksoverheid
Incentivising Language Learning
Tying in benefits to language skills provides an incentive to learn Dutch. That’s the theory. Better language skills enables participation in the Dutch labour market.
The proviso of receiving benefits from the government is that a claimant makes every effort to find work as soon as possible. Without any command of the country’s language this job search is made much harder.
The Dutch Welfare State is a Thing of the Past
In his first King’s speech King Willem Alexander announced that the Dutch welfare state is a thing of the past, and instead we need to think along the lines of a ‘participation society’.
It is all part of the political pledge to make the Netherlands less of a welfare state and help welfare recipients become more employable. The Netherlands has traditionally been known as a country that looks after its citizens, in many cases, a little too well. And recent governments have stated that the country can no longer afford the generous welfare system.
Learning Dutch Helps Your Chances of Securing a Job
This is a topic which fascinates me. I’m a linguist, and have been since I started secondary school. So the idea of moving to country and refusing to learn the national language seems odd to me personally. I started learning Dutch before I moved here. In fact I started trying to understand at least the basics as soon as I met my Dutch partner.
When I moved to the Netherlands in 2000 my command of Dutch was basic. And that is an understatement. But I kept at it. In the first few months in my new land I job hunted. It’s no surprise that without a competent level of Dutch my options were limited to international companies with a working language of English. The good news is that there are surprisingly many of these in the big cities.
However, with no reasonable command of English or Dutch there is no way I would have been able to find a job when I arrived. Had I refused to learn Dutch at that time I would have reduced my job opportunities significantly. Would it then have been reasonable to claim money from the Dutch government, from a system I had contributed nothing to?
Should You Learn Dutch?
If you search expat fora a common question from people thinking about moving here is, “Do I need to learn Dutch to live in the Netherlands?” And the answer is generally, “Not necessarily.” This is because of the number of international organisations based in the country. Plus the excellent linguistic skills of the Dutch population!
But do those reasons make it right to move to a country and refuse to learn the local language?
Yes, You Should Learn Dutch
I have my own opinions. As I said, I’m a linguist. I believe it is impossible to integrate into a society when you don’t speak any of the local language.
And no, it is not easy to operate in a second language. There are many personal and cultural situations that make learning a second language an uphill battle. However, a flat out refusal to make any attempt to speak Dutch certainly doesn’t make a fruitful life overseas particularly viable, in my opinion.
Should benefits be reduced for those refusing to take a Dutch language course? The answer to that is not a straightforward yes or no. I can perfectly understand the argument to reduce hand outs to those refusing to help themselves in the job market. Or who point blank do nothing to help themselves be employable – but that is not just based on the ability to speak the national language. However, there are also some genuine situations where I can imagine it is extremely difficult to reach a competent level in a second language. Withdrawing benefits would then have dire consequences.
It remains a well-debated topic, not just here in the Netherlands, but around the world.
Over to You
Should those moving to the Netherlands make every effort to learn Dutch? Should welfare benefits be reduced for those refusing to learn a local language? Do the same rules apply in the country you call home?
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