Hey everybody,

I'm from Lisbon, Portugal, I'm a LLB, graduated in the University of Lisbon, and I'm currently seriously thinking about doing my Masters' in Law in Commercial Law in the Netherlands, in 2010.

Originally I was thinking about doing it in Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam (EUR), as the city has the biggest port of Europe and is certainly one of the biggest business centers in Europe, but I've heard that there are other good, perhaps better ranking LLM's in Commercial Law in the Netherlands, apart from this one. Specificaly, I've heard that Tilburg University has also a very good one, and that got me thinking...

So, I'd like to know what is the best ranking LLM in Commercial Law in the Netherlands. Apart from that, I would also like to know if the fact that a LLM is done "full-time" would allow you to get a job and work at the same time, to help yourself to fund your studies and life, as I know that almost every student in Holland does, or if only the "part-time" scheme allows you for that.

Thank you in advance for your help!

DPN

Hello dpn,

I am applying to Tilburg Univ. LLM in International Business Law and VU Amsterdam LLM International Business law. I've heard only good things about Tilburg Uni. Although it's a fairly new university, they are quite known for business law specialisation. Besides, Tilburg is a small town and the cost of living is lower than in Amsterdam or Utrecht.

VU Amsterdam i situated in the heart of the business district of Amsterdam and I've heard that they have good connections with international firms. There is also a possibility of internship in one of these firms in the second semester.

As for the job issue, I am not sure if you could work while studying. I know it's more complicated for me because I am from a non-EU country, but maybe it's easier for you. I think being a full time student doesn't really leave you much spare time to work.

Let me know where you' ve decided to apply.

Hello Lanar,

Well, I've been informing myself, in the meanwhile, about this subject, and it seems that Tilburg University has, indeed, a reknown International Business Law LLM. From what I've been told, what matters, specially, is the kind of subjects you're gonna be lectured about during the course; if it suits your personal interests or not.

In Tilburg, I could see that, in fact, they focus much more about the financial instruments and markets, banking, securities and insurance, while in Rotterdam it has much more to do with maritime law. Personally, I'm more interested in the programme of the Tilburg University LLM.

And to tell you the truth, I find it more appealing to study in Tilburg rather than in Rotterdam or Amsterdam, as the former is a rather smaller city, with a nice, cosy atmosphere. I'd say that the quality of life there will be better rather than in Rotterdam or Amsterdam. But this is, of course, my opinion.

Concerning the job: well, actually, that's what all dutch students do - working and studying at the same time - because higher education in Holland is expensive and the great majority of the students are studying in a city different from the city they were born in, so they need to pay their own house rents and all the expenses envolved in living on your own.

So, it is possible that it will be not that hard to do both things at the same time, as employers respect and understand this reality, becuase they are already used to such a reality, and are flexible in terms of work schedules and so on. They are very conscious about it, actually, from what I've heard.

Anyway, I will keep you informed about my decision process. By the way, you said you were not from inside the EU - where are you from, if it is not rude to ask?

Greetings,
DPN

Of course it's not rude to ask, I'm from Croatia. And I really love Portugal and Portuguese people.:)))

I'm glad to hear that employers are flexible in terms of working while studying, I will definitely consider it now. Here's something I found on VU University Amsterdam's web page:
"You cannot count on finding a source of additional income after you arrive and, unless you are from an EU member state, your opportunities to work are restricted. As a non-EU student, under Dutch law you are only allowed to work 10 hours a week if you have a work permit. The residents of the new EU countries can also work 10 hours weekly but do not need a work permit. If you are from an EU member state, are following an accredited course, pay tuition fees and do not receive another Dutch income on the basis of your study, you may be entitled to a loan of the tuition fee up to a maximum of 1,597." Maybe that'll help you.

One more thing - I received an e-mail from Tilburg Uni regarding may application (I already applied). They announced a new admission procedure and said that I will be informed about whether I'm admitted in May 2010 because they have too many students in International Business Law LLM and this year they will choose only 50 cadidates for the program after they receive all the applications by the end of April. I wonder if anybody else received this e-mail. This means that it is impossible to apply for the HSP Huygens scholarship beacuse the deadline for submitting the application is February 1 2010. In order ro submit the application one needs the nomination letter from the university and one can't have it if the university hasn't decided yet whether they will admit you or not. Does anybody have a clue on this?

Hello,

Regarding rankings: All commercial law programmes and business law programmes have a certain "quality" standard as these are all accredited by NVAO (Accreditation organisation). I work for Erasmus School of Law and can only say that our Commercial Law programme is becoming more and more popular. We started out with 4 international students in 2007-2008. Right now we have 28 international students and of course Dutch students as well. Recently two of the courses in our Commercial Law curriculum won the Erasmus Education Award: Intellectual Property Rights and Corporate Governance. We also have a very interesting postgraduate Master in Business, Corporate and Maritime Law (and..Rotterdam is a very modern student city and also important: a city with many international law firms and multinationals).

Good luck in making your decision: Holland is a nice country and a good choice to go to for a LL.M.!

Kind regards,
Anette