How To Find A Part Time Job As A Student

   Samudraki's Saturdays

Financing student life in the Netherlands can be quite hard if you don't have support from your parents, and especially as an international student because things are 3x more expensive for you than for local Dutch students. Most students opt for a part-time student job alongside their study to earn some extra cash to pay bills or just to have a bit more luxury. Whatever your reason may be, finding a student job when you don't speak Dutch and in a student town can be quite difficult. Don't worry, in this blog I will highlight a few tips and tricks that helped get a student job without speaking a word of Dutch! Keep in mind, that you will be paid minimum wage which means you can earn between €400 - €2000 per month depending on the job and number of hours you put in. 

1. Find jobs using the Facebook 'Jobs' tab

Yes, Facebook may seem outdated now with all the new apps coming into market, however for job seekers this is a little secret that is not very well-known. You get a form on Facebook which lets you add your information, CV and allows you to filter job opportunities by the kind of industry you are interested in, you preferred location, the duration of the job and if you want to be paid or not. I applied for a summer bartending job at a new restaurant that was looking for newbies and experts, I got the job and was about to start working when the pandemic hit and the restaurant closed and then went out of business. 

2. Using local Dutch websites that publish job offers for students

In your city there will be one common website used by all restaurants and bars where they publish their job openings, and this is especially made for students who are looking for part-time employment. You can go the Gementee of your city and ask them for the portal of your city because they mostly always have a tie-up with such websites.

If you're a student in Groningen city looking for a job in the hospitality industry, check out this link: https://www.horecagroningen.nl/

3. Using the 'careers' tab in your university student portal page

The easiest option is to find a university job as a TA, mentor or lab practical supervisor. Everyone says that it will be nice to show that you were a TA during your university studies, and it will help you stand out at job interviews. Sorry to burst your bubble, but almost every student has done this, so at this point companies don't really care if you have done a TA job or not. The university portal will keep updating if they need new TA's, but it is not guaranteed that you can become a TA just by filling in the form and your subject preferences. Your grades also matter, so if you don't have above an in that course or courses similar to that, don't bother applying. 

4. Hand out CV's physically to department stores or grocery stores

Go old school and print out your CV and hand them out to your local department stores and grocery stores. Due to the pandemic alot of places either had to shut down or go online to sustain business. With almost half of the city's population gone home, there are plenty of job vacancies but they might not be announced online. So next time you go outside for your daily walk, carry your CV along with you and hand them out to the cashier. Don't forget to put your contact details and nationality at the very top as currently getting work permits is very hard! You don't need to put a photograph but carry along a few passport-sized copies incase they hire you on the spot. 

5. Help out a small business in your neighbourhood 

Covid-19 affected small business and local vendors the most due to strict lockdown regulations. Now that things are slowly easing back to normal, help out the community by volunteering your time. You won't get paid, but you might get rewarded with some free soup or products. Do this only if you have spare time and genuinely want to help your local suppliers out. I helped a local florist for a week and as a reward I got some free seeds at the end of the week which I planted in my backyard!

Hope these tips gave you a bit more clarity into the dutch student job scene. Beware about the legalities before you sign your contract, and make sure that you have Dutch health insurance and a valid residence permit card that grants you the opportunity to work alongside studying. Some visas allow only a certain number of hours you can work, so make sure you don't exceed that even if your employer is offering you more pay or hours. You can be deported for this. Keep and eye out for jobs and ask your friends to recommend you to their bosses if they already have jobs. Good luck searching and let me know in the comments below if you managed to find a job from my tips!

XO, Samudraki