Activities and courses

• Dutch language course

  Dutch language training for academics whose preferred language is English and who would like to improve their Dutch in order to increase their chances on the Dutch labour market.

  For academics whose preferred language is English who lose their jobs, budget cuts in the university sector may make it difficult to find a new position at a Dutch university or research organisation. To improve their chances, the VU Employability Fund offers this group the opportunity to take the course Dutch as a second language (NT2) at VU Amsterdam. The fund covers one module of a course appropriate to the participant’s current language level. The language courses are provided by VU-NT2.

  Eligibility requirements

  • You are a Lecturer 3, Lecturer 4 or postdoc and, after your temporary employment contract ends, you receive job to job counselling (i.e. you receive, or are eligible for, a benefit).
  • Your temporary employment contract ends on or after 1 July 2026.
  • At the time of registration, your employment contract with VU Amsterdam ended no more than six months ago.
  • You may enrol in one module of a language course at NT2.
  • Participants pay a personal contribution of €150.
  • The course is taken in your own time, i.e. outside working hours.
  • The most suitable module depends on the participant’s current language level. An intake (oral and/or written) may form part of the admission procedure and is included.
  • Funding from the fund is only available for modules that end no later than 31 December 2028 (a limited extension is possible).

  Registering for the course

  Registration for the course through the VU Employability Fund takes place in two steps:

  • Step 1: Assessment to determine whether you meet the requirements of the VU Employability Fund. To do this, email employabilityfonds@vu.nl with the subject line “Language course/VU Employability Fund” and include your:
    - name
    - VU email address
    - private email address
    - faculty where you work(ed)
    - position
    - date on which your employment contract with VU Amstredam ends or ended
    Within five working days (excluding holiday periods), you will receive an email confirming whether you can register for the course.
  • Step 2: For the course offering, start dates, timetables, the level of the different courses and the registration procedure, see the VU-NT2 website and the course programme/year calendar. When registering, indicate that you are using the scheme under the VU Employability Fund. In step 1 you will receive the registration instructions to use when completing the registration form.

  The courses

  VU-NT2 offers Dutch as a second language courses at different language levels. Only one module can be funded through the VU Employability Fund. Depending on your current language level and learning objective, the following courses are relevant:

  • Evening Course Dutch for Work and Study (0 to B2) This course is intended for participants who want to develop their Dutch language skills for study and work. The course consists of six consecutive modules. The VU Employability Fund covers only one module.
  • Evening Course Professional Dutch (B2+ to C2) This course is intended for participants who already have a good command of Dutch and want to further develop their professional and academic language skills. The course consists of two modules. The VU Employability Fund covers only one module.
  • Saturday Course Dutch towards A2 - Everyday Dutch (0 to A2) This course focuses on using Dutch in everyday situations and consists of two modules. The Employability Fund covers only one module.

• Career orientation for early-career academics and lecturers

  For many early-career academics, employment is temporary and the important question is: what will I do next? The career orientation training provides targeted support in answering this question and is intended not only for academics whose temporary employment contract is ending, but also for PhD candidates in the third and fourth years of their PhD.

  The VU Employability Fund offers opportunities for career orientation and career development. The Career Discovery Programme is a career development programme for PhD candidates, early-career postdocs and lecturers who want to explore career opportunities outside academia and prepare for them. The programme combines interactive workshops, individual coaching and practical assignments to help participants gain greater insight into their career direction and take concrete steps towards the labour market.

  The emphasis is on translating academic experience into skills and language that are relevant to employers outside academia. Participants explore different career paths in sectors such as business, government, non-profit organisations and start-ups. They also receive practical guidance on networking, applying for jobs and professional positioning.

  The programme includes:

  • Four in-person workshops at VU Amsterdam.
  • One hour of individual online coaching, tailored to the participant’s specific career goals and challenges.

  After completing the programme, participants will have:

  • Greater clarity about their career direction.
  • Insight into how their academic skills align with the (Dutch) labour market.
  • Knowledge of relevant sectors and professional roles.
  • Improved networking and job application skills.
  • A personal action plan for the next steps in their career.

  A separate edition of the Career Discovery Programme is offered for lecturers.

  Eligibility requirements

  • The programme is for lecturers, postdocs and PhD candidates in the third and fourth years of their PhD, or after their employment contract has ended, who have worked at VU Amsterdam for at least two years. They must then be eligible for job to job counselling (i.e. they receive, or are eligible for, a benefit because their employment contract is due to end in the near future).
  • The temporary employment contract ends on or after 1 July 2026.
  • You can register for the programme up to approximately six months after your employment contract has ended.
  • Participation in the programme requires participants to attend all sessions and actively engage in assignments and coaching sessions.
  • The study load is approximately 5 to 7 hours per month, including the workshops. The total study load is approximately 28 hours. The programme lasts four months.
  • The workshops take place on the VU Amsterdam Campus. Intake interviews and coaching sessions are held online.
  • After registering, participants will be asked to send a CV and a brief motivation letter to the trainers. A short intake follows an assessment of these documents.
  • The training is delivered in English.

  Registering for the programme

  Registration for the programme through the VU Employability Fund takes place in two steps:

  • Step 1: Assessment to determine whether you meet the requirements of the VU Employability Fund. To do this, email employabilityfonds@vu.nl with the subject line “Participation in Career Discovery Programme/VU Employability Fund” and include your:
    - name
    - VU email address
    - private email address
    - faculty where you work(ed)
    - position
    - date on which your employment contract with VU ends or ended
    Within five working days (excluding holiday periods), you will receive an email confirming whether you can register for the programme.
  • Step 2: If you meet the requirements, you can register for the Career Discovery Programme for PhD's and postdocs or for the Career Discovery Programme for lecturers via the Learning Management System (sometimes you need to click on the link a second time).

  The first opportunity for PhD’s and postdocs to participate in the programme is 2 November 2026 (start date). The first opportunity for lecturers to participate in the programme is 16 February 2027 (start date).

  Contribution from the VU Employability Fund

  Participants who qualify for a contribution from the VU Employability Fund can take part in the programme free of charge until and including 31 December 2028.

• Obtaining a first-degree teaching qualification

  The VU Employability Fund offers academics who wish to continue working as teachers after their temporary employment contract ends the opportunity to obtain a first-degree teaching qualification through a one-year shortened academic teacher training master’s programme. With this qualification, you can teach throughout secondary education, but you will mainly teach in the upper years of HAVO and VWO.

  There are many opportunities for employment in secondary education. After teaching at VU Amsterdam, you are not a beginner, but teaching at a secondary school requires different skills. The VU Amsterdam teacher training programmes provide these skills. You will immediately undertake a placement at a secondary school while also attending classes at VU Amsterdam. For the first assessment, VU Amsterdam lecturers with a University Teaching Qualification (or in Dutch: Basiskwalificatie Onderwijs, abbreviated as BKO) can apply for an exemption.

  Eligibility requirements

  • Your final temporary employment contract at VU Amsterdam ends between July 2026 and December 2028 and, after your temporary employment contract ends, you receive job to job counselling (i.e. you receive, or are eligible for, a benefit).
  • You can register for the Master Teacher VHO no later than 1 May 2028. The last possible master’s programme starts in September 2028.
  • At the time of registration, your employment contract with VU Amsterdam ended no more than six months ago.
  • You have worked at VU Amsterdam as a lecturer for at least two years (24 months), with a minimum employment level of 0.7 FTE.
  • You have Dutch language proficiency at a minimum of B2 level. The programme is given in Dutch only.
  • You have completed a bachelor’s degree relevant to a school subject.
  • You are available to follow the programme and complete the associated teaching placement.
  • You have a “no objection” statement from the faculty where you work(ed) as a lecturer. For this statement, contact the HR Advisor in your faculty.

  Information sessions

  Are you interested in the Master Teacher VHO? Come to one of the information sessions:

  • on Thursday 24 September 2026 from 19:30 to 21:00 hours (online)
  • on Tuesday 20 October 2026 from 19:30 to 21:00 hours

  You can register online (Dutch only) for the information session.

  Registering for the programme

  Registration for the programme through the VU Employability Fund takes place in two steps:

  • Step 1: Assessment to determine whether you meet the requirements of the VU Employability Fund. To do this, email employabilityfonds@vu.nl with the subject line “Teacher training/VU Employability Fund” and include your:
    - name
    - VU email address
    - private email address
    - faculty where you work(ed)
    - position
    - date on which your employment contract with VU Amsterdam ends or ended
    - motivation for the programme and a “no objection to participation” statement from your own faculty where you work(ed).
    Within 10 working days (excluding holiday periods), you will receive an email confirming whether you can register for the programme.
  • Step 2: If you meet the requirements, you can register for the programme via the page Inschrijfprocedure Master Leraar VHO (in Dutch only).

  Contribution from the VU Employability Fund

  The VU Employability Fund covers the tuition fee for the academic teacher training programme for senior secondary education. For those receiving unemployment benefits from UWV, VU Amsterdam will request an exemption from the obligation to apply for jobs for the period during which the programme is followed.

  The programme

  You obtain a teaching qualification in your own subject area. The Master Teacher VHO has three tracks:

  • Language & Culture Sciences for the school subjects German, English, French, Dutch, or Greek/Latin Language and Culture.
  • Social Sciences & Humanities for the school subjects Economics, History, Geography, Social Studies, or Religion and Philosophy.
  • Science for the school subjects Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, or Computer Science.

  The programme lasts one year and has two start dates each year: September and February. For employees applying from September 2026 onwards, the first start date is February 2027 if they register before 1 November 2026.

  More information

  On the page Inschrijfprocedure Master Leraar VHO (in Dutch only) and the page Academic teacher training programmes, you can find more information about the relevant master’s programme and about what you learn about teaching during an academic teacher training programme at VU Amsterdam.

• The “Dealing effectively with change” training

  Budget cuts and organisational changes can sometimes expose employees to major changes in their work. The “Dealing effectively with change” training has been developed for these employees. The training provides teams with practical tools for dealing with uncertainty and maintaining job satisfaction.

  The VU Employability Fund makes it possible to use the “Dealing effectively with change” training when a team or department is affected by a major organisational change and/or reorganisation. In this training, participants learn how to deal with change in a stronger, more conscious way and with greater control.

  Organisational changes, new priorities and budget cuts place considerable demands on employees. Change can cause tension, but it also creates opportunities. Especially during periods of change, personal resilience, ownership and the ability to cope with uncertainty are crucial.

  In a safe and interactive setting, participants explore during a one-day training session what the change is doing to them, which patterns may be holding them back and how they themselves can influence what happens.

  Using practical models and exercises, participants gain greater insight into their personal triggers, values and sources of energy and discover how they can broaden their own scope for action. Participants leave the training with a personal compass containing tips and methods for breaking unhelpful patterns.

  About the trainers

  The training is provided by Lighthouse Learning, a learning and development consultancy.

  Eligibility requirements

  • Departments facing a major organisational change and/or reorganisation can submit an application from 1 September 2026. The fund runs until the end of 2028.
  • The maximum number of participants per group is 10. If a team or department has more than 10 employees, several training groups will be formed.

  Applying for the training

  Would you like to apply for this training or would you like more information? Please contact employabilityfonds@vu.nl. The training can be requested by the team or department manager or by the HR Advisor. The request will be assessed to determine whether it meets the participation requirements of the VU Employability Fund.

  Contribution from the VU Employability Fund

  The VU Employability Fund covers the cost of the training (excluding catering and venue costs) if the team or department meets the eligibility requirements.