FAQ: Hiring South African finance professionals

In recent years, there has been a strong growth in demand for highly educated financial professionals in the Netherlands. In order to attract capable finance professionals despite fierce competition, organizations are increasingly opting for employees from abroad. Robert Walters has a large international network of candidates, and sees that especially South African finance professionals are popular with Dutch companies.

Here are some questions that our clients have about South African finance professionals.

1. Is hiring South Africans time-consuming?

Employers who expect a complicated and long process are in for a pleasant surprise. Some South African candidates already have a European passport and therefore do not need a visa. For those for whom a visa is required, the new employer will have to serve as a sponsor. You can apply for a ‘Kennismigranten visa’ (skilled immigrant visa) for them by filling in a form on the website of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND). You will receive an invoice within two weeks and once this has been paid, the IND checks whether the organization meets the conditions for sponsorship. In most cases this is completed within four weeks. The entire process is therefore fairly simple and generally takes no more than six weeks.

2. Isn’t a visa application very expensive?

Organizations applying for a visa for the first time pay a one-time fee of €4560,- to register as a sponsor. For organizations of less than 50 employees, it costs 2279,-. In addition, you are charged €380,- per visa.

3. Do South Africans speak English well?

South Africans speak better English than the average Dutch person. Most South Africans within the Robert Walters network have worked at large companies, so they are used to communicating in English at a professional level. For many of them, English is even their native language. Dutch is also fairly easy to learn for South Africans, since South African is very similar to Dutch. Candidates who decide to come to the Netherlands are very driven. They want to make their foreign adventure a success, and know that learning Dutch quickly helps them to feel at home.

4. Is the level of education of South Africans the same as ours?

In the field of knowledge and education, financial professionals from South Africa are comparable, or even superior, to Dutch candidates. They have a Chartered Accountant title, similar to an ACCA or RA qualification, and are internationally accredited to work in all fields of business and finance. In most cases they have several years of work experience within the Big 4 and are used to working according to the IFRS standards. Robert Walters selects candidates based on experience, financial and data skills and motivation.

5. Do I have to take cultural differences into account?

As an employer, you naturally want all employees to feel at home within your organization. Most South Africans who come to work in the Netherlands come from an international environment, and our experience is that they quickly feel at home here. In addition, many of the candidates in our network have Dutch roots, making them familiar with our culture.

6. Is there a risk of them moving on to a different company?

The South Africans who come to the Netherlands to work have the intention to stay here. If your organization offers them good working conditions and a competitive salary, there is no higher chance of turnover than when you hire a Dutch candidate. 

More information?

For more recruitment advise please contact us at netherlands@robertwalters.com or tel. +31 (0)20 644 4655.Want to know more about finance professionals from South Africa? Read our article on why we decided to search for finance talent abroad.