Professional Dutch speaking training for internationals in the Netherlands
Whether you want to land a job, present with confidence, do small talk with colleagues, or finally hold a real conversation in Dutch: this is where speaking starts.
110+ professionals trained · 5-star rated
You're not alone. And it's not your fault.
But your course never made you speak. Really speak. You studied Dutch, you did the exercises. Now it's time to actually use it out there.
Job interview? Presentation? Small talk at the coffee machine? Each time that same thought: I'm just not ready yet.
You've built a career here, made friends, maybe even a family. And Dutch is still "something you're working on." That little voice has been saying the same thing for years. It's time to actually do something about it.
20 minutes that might change everything. Watch it free, straight to your inbox.
Spreekwafel, TaalStar and StageUP work together: daily practice, intensive training, and live confidence in one place.
Daily practice · App · Coming soon
Short daily exercises focused on professional Dutch: workplace vocabulary, small talk, meetings. With personal feedback. Ten minutes out loud every day, anywhere it suits you.
Join the waitlistIntensive training · 1 on 1 · from A2
Tailored 1-on-1 or duo Dutch training for international professionals. Two sessions per week plus homework, your goals, your pace. For people who are serious about speaking Dutch at work and in life.
Explore TaalStarLive events · Group · from B1
A small group of internationals who get it. You take the stage, speak Dutch out loud, and discover that making mistakes is fine. Short talks, real conversations, real confidence.
Sign up for the next event"Most people don't fail at Dutch because they haven't learned enough. They fail because nobody ever made them actually speak. Out loud, in real situations, before it felt 'ready'. Confidence doesn't come from studying. It comes from doing. And the doing starts here."— Jacky, founder of TaalStar & SpeakProfessionalDutch.com
From expats who came in hesitant and left speaking Dutch with confidence, at work, in meetings, in life.
Although I was hesitant at first, as the program progressed I gained significant confidence in my Dutch skills, which I can now apply in my work. I truly appreciate Jacky's dedication and highly recommend her to anyone feeling uncertain about their Dutch.
Cahitcan Uzman
Data Analyst
A fully personalised training with a unique approach. First focusing on improving your confidence, then tweaking the process by introducing different rules and strategies. If you want to learn the language but aren't sure how to approach it, reach out to Jacky. It will definitely be worth it.
Adhiraj Pimpalkar
High-Tech Engineering
As an international professional, I struggled to gain confidence speaking Dutch. Working with Jacky made all the difference. Her personalised, practical approach focuses on real-life communication and professional language skills. She truly understands what expats need to succeed in the Dutch job market and social life.
Inbal Barel
Investment Manager
A warm group of internationals. Speaking Dutch out loud. Real confidence.
Jacky's mission: make you communicate with confidence. Not just speak Dutch, actually communicate. So people understand you, you understand them, and you can be yourself in a language that isn't your own. Yes, mistakes are part of it. Always.
Entrepreneur since 2009, Jacky knows the workplace from the inside: team meetings, client calls, performance reviews, casual Fridays. Not from a textbook, from experience. She's helped many internationals in the Netherlands go from hesitant to confident. She knows the excuses. She gets it. Warm, direct, practical, and very Dutch.
For employers
More and more employers in the Netherlands offer Dutch speaking training as part of onboarding or development. If your company is looking for a practical solution for international employees, from individual coaching to a speaking programme tailored to your industry and workplace, let's talk.
This is an investment in yourself and in your career. Think about what it costs you not to act: missed promotions, job interviews that go sideways, always depending on colleagues to translate. One conversation that goes well can change things. The question is not whether it is worth it. The question is how much longer you are willing to wait.
Spreekwafel is 10 minutes a day, on your commute, at lunch, on the sofa. TaalStar is two sessions per week, plus homework between sessions. You don't need to clear your schedule. You need a system that fits around your life. That's exactly what this is.
From A2 level, you're welcome. And here's the thing: waiting until you feel ready is exactly what keeps people stuck for years. It doesn't need to be perfect. It needs to be spoken. That's what we practise: real conversations, your level, your pace.
Regular courses teach you the language. Here you learn to speak it — and to dare. No grammar lists, no textbooks. Real situations, your workplace, your goals. The focus is on speaking out loud from day one, with feedback, so confidence actually builds.
Saying "how are you" is very different from leading a meeting, giving feedback, or defending your idea in Dutch. Professional Dutch is a specific skill: the vocabulary, the tone, the directness. And here is something people often discover: when you focus on professional Dutch, your general and social language skills improve too. The confidence, the habits, the ear for the language. The other way around, that does not work as well.