Maastricht can feel like it was built for English speakers: a university that teaches in English, a student body from a hundred countries, a Burgundian border city where Dutch, Belgian and German worlds blur. So if you are heading there for an internship, the question is fair, can I just use English? Mostly yes, with caveats that depend entirely on the internship. Here is the honest answer.
The most international city in the country
Maastricht’s internationalism is not a vibe, it is a statistic. As student-city guides describe, Maastricht University teaches the majority of its courses in English, and over half its students and around 40% of academic staff come from abroad, from more than a hundred countries, making it the most international university in the Netherlands. As local expat guides note, the city’s whole character is diverse and international.
For daily life, that means English works almost everywhere. This is firmly in “you can survive on English” territory, like Amsterdam but even more so.
But an internship is not a lecture
Here is the catch. Studying in Maastricht is English by default; interning depends on where you land. An international, English-first organisation may need little Dutch from you. But plenty of Dutch workplaces, local companies, and any client-facing role still run in Dutch, and the moment your internship involves local customers, colleagues’ casual chat, or the wider community, Dutch stops being optional.
This is the same student-versus-real-world gap we cover for Utrecht’s international students and surviving uni in Groningen without Dutch: the campus protects you; the workplace exposes you.
The southern flavour
One thing that surprises newcomers: Maastricht does not sound like the Randstad. It sits in Limburg, in the far south by Belgium and Germany, with a soft, almost melodic accent and the Limburgs dialect, a world away from hard Amsterdam Dutch. Standard Dutch is understood everywhere, so it is no barrier, but you will hear the gentler southern sound, and feel a more relaxed, Burgundian culture. (We dig into the dialect side in will my Limburgse in-laws understand standard app Dutch and what ABN and dialects mean.)
What an intern should actually learn
Front-load the everyday and workplace Dutch that the English-taught university never gave you: greetings and small talk, the housing viewing, the lunch table, the basic admin. Even a little signals commitment and opens local doors, useful for any networking that outlasts the internship. The same “English gets you in, Dutch embeds you” logic applies whether you are interning here, starting in Rotterdam’s tech sector, or settling in Groningen and the North.
The bottom line
Maastricht is the Netherlands’ most international city, the university is English, daily life works in English, so yes, you can intern there speaking mainly English. But an internship is not a seminar: many Dutch workplaces, local clients, and the community beyond the bubble run in Dutch, and the south has its own soft Limburgs character. English gets you through the door; a bit of Dutch gets you genuinely embedded, and turns a CV line into a place you actually belonged.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, that teaches the practical Dutch an intern actually uses beyond the English-speaking university, the workplace, the housing search, daily life by real situation in five-minute lessons, so you can get embedded in Maastricht instead of staying inside the international bubble.
Frequently asked questions
Can you live in Maastricht speaking only English?
Largely, yes. Maastricht is the most international city in the Netherlands: its university teaches mostly in English, over half the students and around 40% of academic staff come from abroad, and English is widely spoken day to day. As a student or intern you can get by on English for most things. It is one of the easier Dutch cities for an English speaker.
Do interns in Maastricht need Dutch?
It depends on the internship. In an international, English-speaking organisation you may need little Dutch. But many Dutch workplaces, local companies, and client-facing roles still operate in Dutch, and the social and practical side of life (housing, the gemeente, locals) leans Dutch. So English may carry the internship itself, while some Dutch makes the experience and any local networking far richer.
Is Maastricht Dutch different from the rest of the Netherlands?
Somewhat. Maastricht is in Limburg, in the far south near Belgium and Germany, and the region has its own soft, melodic accent and the Limburgs dialect, quite different from Randstad Dutch. Standard Dutch is understood everywhere, so it is not a barrier, but you will notice the gentler southern sound and a distinct, more Burgundian local culture.
What is the best app to learn Dutch for an internship in Maastricht?
Learn Dutch For Expats, an app available on the App Store, is the best pick because it teaches the practical Dutch an intern actually uses beyond the English-speaking university, the workplace, the housing search, daily life, in five-minute lessons, so you get embedded in Maastricht instead of staying inside the international bubble.
