Yes. Exactly right. And a salaried PhD as a non-Dutch person will also be very hard to obtain. In my experience (in the arts), most are going to Dutch and Flemish people nowadays unless you're bringing some truly unique experience/skills to the table (I'm sure there are exceptions, but I wouldn't bank on it). As an external (i.e., unpaid) PhD there are very strict limits on where you can work and so you pretty much have to arrive with the means to sustain yourself for years without adequate income. External PhDs almost never have teaching positions, as those go to the already-paid PhDs unless the uni is in dire straits for that subject. Plus, it sounds like OP wants to be a teacher? That's not a career you need a PhD for so it would be a massive waste of time and resources to do one unless you're very passionate about study and research just for the hell of it without funding. People are putting out the international school option here, but honestly I think that's a one-in-a-million crap-shoot and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that those who already have resident status (so, don't require any amount of sponsorship which is a PITA to file for employers) because they're here on qualifying partner visas - their partner is Dutch or in a specialist industry that enables a visa - are going to get preference. Also, below-university-level schools are probably not legally allowed to sponsor. There's a list of companies that are actually legally allowed, not just any employer can do it. The job market for most non-Dutch speakers is VERY difficult and housing as a foreigner is especially impossible when it's already a serious challenge for Dutch people. So, while it's nice to support OP's dream, and I hope they get to achieve it someday, it's not particularly feasible, in my experience. *source, I completed an arts PhD here, am an immigrant from a native-English-speaking country and have been able to stay past my studies on a spousal visa. Friends I know who have university-level teaching positions have had to learn Dutch fluently (takes years) to retain their positions because there is a movement within universities to require it in all but exceptional cases to keep Dutch academia jobs available for Dutch people (fair enough, I feel). My experience may be different than that of others, but this is what I've seen here.