Finding a mentor as an expat woman in Leiden is very much possible, and there are real options available to you right now. The most direct route is to connect with structured mentorship programs like the Career Vitality Mentor Program, which serves women across the Netherlands, including the Leiden area. Beyond formal programs, Leiden’s international academic and professional community creates a genuinely rich environment for building mentoring relationships. The steps below will help you find the right fit.
Finding mentorship as an expat woman in Leiden
Leiden is a city with a strong international character. Home to one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands, it attracts researchers, academics, professionals, and entrepreneurs from all over the world. That international mix makes it a surprisingly good place for expat women to find mentorship, because the community already understands what it means to navigate a new country while building a career.
Still, knowing where to start can feel overwhelming, especially when you are new to Dutch professional culture. Networking here tends to be more understated than in some other countries, and finding the right spaces where women openly discuss career growth and leadership takes a little guidance. The good news is that those spaces do exist, and once you find your way in, the connections tend to be genuinely warm and helpful.
Leiden’s professional communities for international women
Leiden sits comfortably between The Hague and Amsterdam, which means women based here often tap into professional communities in all three cities. The Hague in particular has a large expat population due to its role as an international city of peace and justice, and many of its professional networks are explicitly designed to welcome international women. Leiden-based professionals regularly participate in events there without it feeling like a big commute.
Within Leiden itself, the university ecosystem creates natural gathering points. International staff networks, faculty groups, and research communities often host informal events where professional conversations happen organically. If you work in the life sciences or tech sector, both of which have a strong presence in the Leiden Bio Science Park, you will find that many colleagues share the experience of being international professionals navigating Dutch work culture. These shared experiences make it easier to build the kind of trust that leads to genuine mentoring relationships.
What to look for in a mentorship program
Not all mentorship programs are built the same way, and as an expat woman, a few specific things are worth looking for. First, check whether the program actively welcomes international participants and whether sessions are conducted in English or offer that flexibility. Some programs are entirely Dutch-language, which can be a barrier if you are still building your language skills.
Second, look for programs that offer structured matching rather than leaving you to find your own mentor. A good matching process takes your career goals, professional background, and development needs into account, which leads to far more useful conversations than a random pairing. A structured timeline, like a nine-month program with a minimum number of one-on-one sessions, also helps you stay consistent and actually make progress rather than letting the relationship drift.
Third, consider whether the program connects you to a broader community. Mentorship is most powerful when it opens doors to a wider network, not just one relationship. Programs that include networking events, group sessions, or a peer community give you more touchpoints and a stronger support system overall.
Building your network before finding a mentor
Finding a mentor becomes much easier once you have a small professional network around you. In practice, this means showing up to events consistently, even when it feels uncomfortable at first. Leiden and the surrounding region have a range of professional meetups, industry gatherings, and women-focused events throughout the year where you can start building familiarity with other professionals.
Online communities are also a practical starting point, especially when you are new to an area. LinkedIn groups focused on women in the Netherlands, expat professional forums, and community platforms specific to your industry can help you identify who is active in your field and where the interesting conversations are happening. Once you have a sense of the landscape, reaching out to someone for a coffee conversation feels far less daunting.
When you do reach out to potential mentors, be specific about what you are looking for. A clear, concise message that explains your background, your current challenge, and what kind of guidance you are hoping for is much more likely to get a positive response than a vague request. People are generally willing to help when they understand exactly how they can do that.
Connect with Female Ventures serving Leiden
We at Female Ventures run a structured mentoring program that is open to women across the Netherlands, including those based in Leiden and the Delft / The Hague region. Our mentorship program runs over nine months and includes personalized matching, a minimum of six one-on-one sessions with your mentor, onboarding training, and access to a community of ambitious women and experienced professionals from diverse industries.
What makes this program a strong fit for expat women specifically is the diversity of the community itself. Our participants come from different industries, cultural backgrounds, and career stages, which means the perspectives you encounter are genuinely varied and internationally minded. Mentors volunteer their time because they want to support other women’s growth, and the participation fee is kept accessible precisely because we reinvest everything back into the program. If you are in Leiden and looking for female mentorship that is structured, supportive, and connected to a wider network, this is a genuinely good place to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I approach someone to be my mentor if I don't know them personally?
Start by engaging with their content or attending events where they speak before reaching out directly. When you do send a message, keep it short and specific: briefly introduce yourself, mention what you admire about their work or experience, explain your current career challenge, and make a concrete ask, such as a 20-minute video call. People are far more likely to respond to a focused, respectful request than a general ‘can you be my mentor?’ message.
Do I need to speak Dutch fluently to benefit from professional networks and mentorship programs in Leiden?
No, and this is one of the advantages of Leiden’s international environment. Many professional networks, especially those connected to the university, life sciences sector, and expat communities, operate largely in English. Structured programs like the Career Vitality Mentor Program at Female Ventures are also conducted in English, making them fully accessible regardless of your Dutch language level. That said, picking up basic Dutch social phrases can help you feel more at ease in informal settings.
What if I'm not sure what I want from a mentor yet — is it still worth joining a program?
Yes, and you don’t need to have everything figured out before you start. A good mentorship program will include onboarding guidance that helps you clarify your goals before you even meet your mentor. Going in with a general direction, such as wanting to advance into leadership, transition industries, or better understand Dutch work culture, is enough to get started. The clarity often develops through the conversations themselves.
How is a structured mentorship program different from just finding a mentor on my own?
The biggest difference is consistency and accountability. When you find a mentor informally, the relationship can easily fade after a few meetings because there is no shared commitment or timeline holding it together. A structured program provides a defined duration, a minimum number of sessions, and a matching process designed to align your goals with the right mentor. This structure means you are much more likely to make real, measurable progress rather than having a few good conversations that don’t lead anywhere.
Can mentorship help me specifically with adapting to Dutch professional culture, or is it more focused on career skills?
It can absolutely help with both, and for expat women the two are often deeply connected. A mentor who has navigated Dutch work culture themselves, whether as a local professional or as another international, can offer invaluable insight into unwritten norms around directness, hierarchy, work-life boundaries, and networking etiquette. When you are matched with someone who understands the cultural layer of your challenges, the guidance you receive is far more relevant and immediately applicable.
What's a common mistake expat women make when looking for a mentor?
One of the most common mistakes is waiting until everything feels ‘ready’ before reaching out, whether that means waiting to have a perfect LinkedIn profile, a clearer career plan, or a stronger network first. In practice, mentorship works best as a tool for building those things, not a reward for already having them. Another frequent mistake is looking only within your own industry, when some of the most valuable mentors are those who bring a different professional perspective and can challenge your assumptions in productive ways.
How do I make the most out of each mentoring session once I'm matched?
Come to each session with a specific topic or question prepared rather than leaving the agenda open. Share updates on what you have tried since the last meeting, including what worked and what didn’t, so your mentor can give targeted advice rather than starting from scratch each time. It also helps to send a brief summary or your agenda points a day or two before the meeting, which shows respect for your mentor’s time and allows for a more focused, productive conversation.